Would you whistle at a lion?

Dignity. I pose these questions to consumers. Would you let your dog slice your ham? Would you holler to a Sliverback gorilla holding a sharp knife like instrument or whistle at a lion? Would you like to have someone standing outside your window shouting while you are trying to teach? Unless you are an adrenaline junkie I think not. Why then is it acceptable in this era of deli manners treat me this way?
     
The other day I was preparing raw chickens to put into the rotisserie. With a tsunami of chicken blood, spice solution and guts all over I was dog whistled to for assistance. Now perhaps this lady was confused about where we were considering the primitive vision of handling raw meat, but I am not canine. If I were would she really have wanted me to be the one handling her weekly ham?  I politely stopped what I was doing, cleaned myself up and filled her order with exceptional customer service. Outside= huge smile and fake "I am happy to be your servant" voice. Inside= quite a different subtext going on.
   
One night there was a very well dressed couple who came in and there was a price discrepancy. I immediately called for a manager to solve the situation knowing that this exchange was going to be an issue. I was told by the man in a tone even my own father never used "It is THIS price and you ARE going to change it RIGHT NOW because I TOLD YOU TO DO IT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"  Wow I could feel the blood beginning to boil, but I held it in. As we were waiting for the manager the man threw up his hands and said "I can't deal with THIS" (pointing to little ol' Hispanic colored me) and stormed away, leaving his beautiful well groomed wife to await the resolution. She then turns to me and said "You should not have spoken to my husband that way, now he's very angry at you". What? A scolding? All I had said was that I was calling the manager over to the department to take care of it and that he was with another customer but would be here in a moment. How was that out of line? These people were so condescending towards me and looked at me in disgust. I'm sure my face was red with frustration, yet I never lost my temper. As soon as my manager arrived they treated him the the utmost respect and turned into customers winning best prize for sugar dumpling sweetness. My manager had no idea how they had treated me and ordered me to kindly complete their order where he would give it to them for free for the hassle. WOW! The customer is always right.

Yes, Master

   
 People just see us lowly "deli girl's" in our little hairnets and aprons as the hired help. It's true it is our pleasure to serve you and provide the best service possible. It is our job. But we are more than just the little servant girls. We are individuals, each with our own stories, families and aspirations. It is not in our job descriptions to be your punching bag after a bad day at work. I do not get extra compensation from a super special secret mean customer treats you like poo under your shoe fund. Nope. I get the same pay whether you treat me with dignity or not. And once in a while there are a few of you shining gems in the sea of rudeness that go out of your way to treat us very kindly. I have made good friends from compassionate customers. To you sparkling diamonds in the rough, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for adding some shine to our day.
     To everyone, we really would appreciate it if you followed some department etiquette when stepping up to the counter. Honestly it's not that complicated. There is only one rule to follow and it's the one mama taught you. It's called THE GOLDEN RULE.