Why Not A Job Well Done?

My husband and daughter needed passports.

It was mildly complicated to set up. You need to call to schedule an appointment at a post office near you, get a very specific type of photo, assemble your documents, print out a form (which one is not clear) from a website.
 

For my daughter, once at the post office, though, the woman who did the paperwork was pleasant and got the job done in about 10 minutes.
 

Then my husband went. The first thing he heard was, “You filled out the form in blue ink; it needs to be black.”

He said, “As soon as she opened her mouth, I knew I wasn’t getting my passport.”

Ink color wasn’t a problem for my daughter and she had used the very same pen.
 

Then, my husband’s person went on her break while he rewrote the form.
 

He was right: he did have to go back another day (and he made sure to go to a different post office) to get the job done.
 

I was standing in a supermarket line. The man ahead of me had an armful of items. He didn’t know if he could put them down on the belt, though. The cashier was running it, holding a cleaning rag on it to wipe it, and she was doing so assiduously, with a sour face, pointedly not looking at him.

So, we both stood there, wondering what her problem was.

 

My first job, at 16, was as at a Sears. The other kids who worked with me used to lurk in the clothing racks so they didn’t have to wait on anyone.

 

I totally don’t get that. Why not just do the job you are there for, with a good attitude? It takes MORE energy, and creates a poisonous atmosphere to boot, when you don’t.

 

OK, off soapbox.