http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/05/28/national/a154230D00.DTLI'm sorry, but the wording throughout this article just bugged the HELL out of me.
Almost one in four in the AP-Ipsos poll picked the grocery checkout as the line where their patience is most likely to melt like the ice cream turning to goo in their cart.It's not impatience. The lines at the supermarket at longer than they've ever been, waiting up to 20 minutes in line is not uncommon - much longer during a rush period. I'm not that old, but we never had to wait this long at the supermarket when I was younger. Could it have to do with the fact that there are the same number of checkers for a supermarket that's twice as big and serving twice as many customers? More of that "Corporate efficiency" making life a pain in the ass. And supermarkets STILL can't turn a profit?
In short, Americans want it all NOW. Or awfully close to now.Yes, a lot of Americans are impatient, self-important, cell-phone gabbing pricks, but the places mentioned in this article are SLOW.
The typical supercenter shopper spends 25 to 30 minutes in the store, but many think they've been there an hour, Underhill says.I'm not even sure what a "supercenter" is, but if it has longer lines than a supermarket, I don't need it.
The snail's slither to the post office counter drives her the nuttiest. "By the time you get there and it's your turn, there are only two people working there," she said. "It's not only me getting angry. Everyone is talking about it."Would that be our wonderfully PRIVATIZED postal service? The lines are astounding in San Francisco. I thought privatization was going to make it better and cheaper? Since it has not worked, when the hell are they going to un-privatize it back?
Underhill says post offices and some DMVs have improved in recent years but grocery stores are notably poor at managing crowds, especially considering busy times are so predictable.Tell me about it. Last time I was at the SF DMV, I took a number and waited only about 8 minutes in a seated waiting area. The DMV is much better than I remember it ever being. Besides< you only have to go there once every few years. The supermarket is a nightmare several times a week. I took to shopping at 9 at night to avoid the crowds.
The article suggest we order groceries online to avoid the wait. HELLO. Online ordering is still not available in most areas and IT COSTS MORE.
As if by some cruel joke, phoning the phone company is often a path to madness.I'm pretty sure that AT&T is the worst. They have kept me waiting almost an hour at times, being passed between operators, because the first two never have any idea how to help with my specific problem, and the language barrier dealing with some Punjabi with the pseudonym "Beth" is always a fun challenge.
Sorry to whine about this but it bugged me that Americans are being described as impatient, when the article should say this:
"Americans getting shittier, slower service than ever from penny-pinching, outsourcing greedhead corporations"