Klarinet Archive - Posting 000422.txt from 2004/02

From: "Ginger Hill" <Gigi1182@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Investigating new instruments with no $
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 18:09:48 -0500

Lol.. Thanks Leila, I appreciate that :)

Yes, my bosses were proud of me. They felt bad for me (as did I) that I
missed out on about $300 in commissions because of that woman... At
christmas, no less. Oh well. Que sera sera.

~Ginger

-----Original Message-----
From: Lelia Loban [mailto:lelialoban@-----.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 2:50 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Investigating new instruments with no $

Describing a very rude customer, Ginger Hill wrote,
>Thank God I was out of town when she came back
>or I would have had some words for her- which my
>manager backed me up on 100%.
[snip]
>Besides, from now on anyone who comes in with the
>"I'm better than you because I'm European" attitude
>will be referred directly to my manager.

I'll bet that a lot of Europeans would have been mortified, if they'd
heard that woman carrying on the way she did. I'll also bet that, when
she's in Europe and dealing with people her own age, she finds some
other excuse to act high-and-mighty. Glad to hear that your manager
backs you up, but even gladder that you managed to stifle the impulse to
blast this rude customer to her face. If I were your manager, I would
have been pleased that you took the responsibility of dealing with a
difficult transaction with dignity and a professional attitude, by
treating this unpleasant character with courtesy instead of by
descending to her low level. Also, if you'd blown up at her, she could
go home and perpetuate the stereotype she has about Americans, by
complaining about how those horrible American shopkeepers treat
customers. You did your country a favor by not giving ammunition to a
bigot.

You set a good example for the other employees and for that woman and
any other customers who may have overheard. A lot of more experienced
employees might have "lost it" instead of showing your self-control. I
don't blame you for being angry and for being tempted to say a word or
ten to that woman if she comes back and gives you that kind of guff
again, but in the long run, it's more satisfying not to give in to those
impulses.
(Voice of experience here: I don't always keep my own temper, but
usually regret losing it.) You *proved* you were more civilized than
she was, and deep down, I'll bet she knows it and feels some
(well-deserved) shame, no matter how snooty she acts. Her arrogance is
really a sign of insecurity.
Genuinely superior people don't have to strut around announcing their
superiority.

Lelia Loban
E-mail: lelialoban@-----.net
Web site (original music scores as audio or print-out):
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/LeliaLoban

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