It’s not a secret I don’t like NoFrills #79, I especially don’t like the one down the street from us. We really only go there for last minute necessities… like this past saturday when we needed nachos for our salsa. We walk to the store, get in, and almost right away are assaulted by this fairly nicely dressed woman, hands in her purse looking for change, she needed $0.25 to release a shopping cart and asked us if we could help her out. I just went on my way, didn’t even look at her, but DR, the gentleman that he is, stopped and fished out a quarter from his pockets, handed it to her and ackwardly waited for her to give him 2 dimes and 1 nickle or something like that, but she just put the quarter in the little gizmo to release the cart and after a few seconds, realizing he was not going to get it, he left and found me past the cashiers on my way to the chips aisle:

DR: She just took the money
Me: Huh?
DR: (giggling) She just took the quarter, she didn’t even give it back to me in change

And swooooooosh, I’m flying to the ingrate lady in nice-ish clothes

Me: You just took the money?
Her: It’s ok, I got a quarter now, thnx!
Me: You just took the money!!! You didn’t repay him with change?
Her: What?
Me: How did you get this cart?
Her: Someone gave me a quarter.
Me: I know that since WE payed for your shopping pleasure today (and turned around, walking away)
Her: Huh? What do you want me to say?
Me: (looking back) Nothing, unless you’re ready to admit that you’re cheap!

I met back with DR and were walking through the chips aisle where she popped out again, hand full of change and handing a quarter back to DR:

Her: There! I didn’t have any but now I do. There’s no need to be so rude about it.
Me: Well, a simple thank you would have avoided this whole thing. We don’t have any obligations in helping you roll your groceries around the store.
DR: You know, there are cashiers to help you out if you need change.
Her: I said thank you, you just didn’t hear me,
Us: Rrrrright!

Don’t get me wrong, a quarter is really not going to make us or break us, it’s really just the principle of the thing, people don’t remember how to be polite anymore #9.

On the same note, I’ve been accused of not being polite recently:

Homeless on the Street: (screaming at the top of her lungs) AArghthhw AAAAAArrhghth AARghththt
Me: (walking down to the street level, looking at her) Ok! Time to go, move it!
Homeless on the Street: (getting up, looking at me straight in the eyes and with fairly good English but still screaming) Why can’t you be polite? Why can’t you be polite?
Me: (a tad stunned) Polite? HUH? Maybe because you’ve been screaming for 4 years at all hours of the day, and keep us awake, annoy the entire neighborhood, and maybe because I just can’t handle you anymore? NOW, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY FACE BEFORE I CALL THE COPS ON YOU ONCE AGAIN.

How can I be blamed for forgetting my nice manners!!!

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