Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry

...if you don't have patience you'll only start to worry

At least I think that's how it goes...I don't remember much more of the song except that it was on a brightly coloured record that we had when I was a kid.

Anyway, I made a quick trip to the department store on my way home from class tonight. It was about 8:30 when I got to the cash desk to make my purchases. There was one cashier there who was on the phone taking some complicated telephone order, but she dinged her little bell and called someone else to come and help me.

A second lady came quite quickly. As she started ringing my purchases in, another lady joined the line up. The cashier hadn't even rung in two things when the lady behind me started huffing and puffing and tapping her feet. Then the cashier came across something I was buying that didn't have a price tag, so she went off to find one with a price tag.

Then the lady behind me started pacing and looking at her watch. And sighing very loudly. Cashier number one had in the meantime gone away to look for something for the customer on the phone. She arrived back just as another cashier appeared who was helping a customer find something.

Cashier number three, thinking cashier number one was the only one working at that cash desk, came over to help me and then realized I was being looked after, so went back to the customer she was originally helping.

At which time the lady behind me yells, "Excuse me! I need someone to ring this in. Your store is closing soon and I have other things to do. I don't want to wait in line all night. Put this on my credit card." The startled third employee came over and rang it through for her, all the while the lady was tapping her foot and looking at her watch.

My cashier came back and finished my transaction and I left after the impatient lady...and it was only about 8:35. I can't believe how self-centered some people are...yeah, she had to wait, but the wait was not excessive.

Maybe it was the heat?