To the lady who ordered a combo yesterday and came running back in yelling because the drive thru employee forgot to put a straw in the bag. There was no good and fair reason for you to yell like you did over a missing straw. I read this and I thought it was amazing how similar it was to your rudeness.....

I could have taken a picture of you and posted it here to publicly shame you, but I didn't. That's because I am not trying to be vindictive, ma'am. I'd merely like to answer that question you posed. This can be what the politicians call a "teachable moment" for you and everyone like you.

See, I was in line at that particular fast food establishment yesterday. You probably didn't notice me -- I assume you didn't notice any of us from the way you blatantly barged to the front. I was about to tap you on the shoulder and politely explain how lines are supposed to work in a civilized society, but I could tell you were in the throes of an ungodly rage. I figured this must be an emergency. My God, you were practically foaming at the mouth. I thought maybe someone at the counter had killed your dog, or framed you for a murder you didn't commit, or urinated in your oatmeal this morning. Obviously something serious was going on.

Then you suddenly screamed, "NO ketchup! I said NO ketchup!"

Okay, so maybe this wasn't a dire situation. It was a condiment situation. Not exactly life or death, but close enough, I guess. The girl at the cash register looked confused. I don't blame her, some irate middle aged woman just barreled in the door yelling about ketchup. She asked you for some clarification, which was reasonable, but apparently you didn't think so.

"What's wrong with you people?! I just sat in the drive thru for ten minutes and now I have to come in here because you guys can't understand f*cking English! I ordered this burger with NO ketchup but of course I get it with gobs of ketchup. Unbelievable. This happens every f*cking time!"

Wait, it's unbelievable yet it happens every time? Hmmm. And your ketchup specifications are this important to you yet you continually come to the one place in town that apparently has a ketchup obsession? There are literally six other fast food joints within a two mile radius, but here you are at the one place that screws up your order "every f*cking time." Interesting. Logical thinking isn't exactly your forte, is it?

The poor girl at the counter, who likely had no hand in this ketchup fiasco, offered to give you a new burger, plain and dry, just as you prefer. But that wasn't good enough, was it? Their failure to obey your demands must be punished.

"No, I don't want a new burger. Give me your name and the number to corporate. I'm sick of this sh*t. Give me my money back and the number to your corporate office! Why can't I ever f*cking get good customer service?!"

And the exchange went on from there. You of course handled yourself like a woman of culture and dignity, while the fast food employee and her manager tried everything to find a remedy for the Tragic Ketchup Calamity. It ended with you promising to get them all fired as you stormed out. Then I finally had my turn at the counter. I ordered a burger. With extra ketchup.

Now, I replay this back to you because I realize you probably scream profanities at minimum wage customer service representatives every time you run an errand or grab a bite to eat, so you might not recall the specifics of this one incident. And that brings us to the possible answer to that query you posed in the midst of your ketchup rant. You asked: "Why can't I ever f*cking get good customer service?" Well, ma'am, that might have something to do with you being a vulgar, miserable, malicious person. Maybe you get bad customer service because you're a bad customer. Did you ever consider that possibility?

I get it. "You're the customer so you're always right." They work here so they have to bend over backwards for you "because that's their job." Well, you're partially correct about that. Yes, you are a customer and, yes, they do work here. But it's actually not their job to deal with psychopaths. They aren't hostage negotiators, they're fast food workers. And even if the powers that be at these corporate chains push this "customer is always right" crap because they've decided it's good business to placate horrible jerks, in the real world, outside the land of plastic chairs and soda fountains, adults who throw temper tantrums in public are never right about anything.

I'm sure some people might take your side. They might come to your defense by telling their own horror stories about all the times when customer service has failed to live up to their standards. Those folks are under the same delusion as you. They think their hallowed "customer" status somehow gives them the right to treat everyone with a uniform and a name tag like garbage. They think their past encounters with sub-par service makes it acceptable for them to fly off the handle about ketchup every once in a while. They think the rules of basic decency and respect come second when they are The Customer. And they're wrong.

Do you ever wonder why we have so many atrocious politicians in Washington? Well, you shouldn't wonder. Just look in the mirror. Bad politicians are generally bad because they can't handle power. It goes right to their head and they become narcissistic, petty, controlling sociopaths. But at least it's a lot of power so the temptation to be corrupted by it is almost understandable. You, on the other hand, become a maniacal tyrant when society hands you temporary and meaningless power over 17-year-old fast food cashiers. I shudder to think what you'd do if you had an army at your disposal.

We all get a little unwanted ketchup every now and again, and we are all expected to handle it like mature and decent adults. Some of us manage to make it through our whole lives without ever feeling the need to berate restaurant or retail employees over some small and fixable mistake. Other folks, such as yourself, seem to get into a customer service Battle Royale every time they step outside their house. Maybe it's because the universe is against you guys. Or maybe -- just maybe -- it's because you behave like selfish obnoxious bullies.

Just something to think about.

Oh, and I'm betting you actually forgot to say "no ketchup" when you placed your original order. Wouldn't that be a totally expected twist to this captivating saga?


This post originally appeared on Matt's blog: themattwalshblog.com

Link: www.themattwalshblog.com

..Last nite on fireworks nite my son lost his white iPhone in a black case He was traveling on bridge ave on the west end right from Riverside & Bridge to the corner of Bridge & College ave ..Plz help my son because if its not found he is grounded the WHOLE summer Please I hope there are some kind ppl out there to return the iPhone to a teenager who don't want to be grounded .plz...

I was at the river front yesterday getting ready to watch the fireworks with my 2 kids 9 & 12 years old. My youngest son asked for glowing bracelets but couldn't find them anywhere so my son asked me to ask a family that was passing by from where they got theirs so I did... It turned that they did not buy them from the riverside. I thanked them then went on their way. 2 minutes later they came back and handed a glowing bracelet to my son, I can't explain the feeling my kids and I felt, we were overwhelmed then not even 5 minutes after that they come back and handed us another bracelet to my older son so I hear the mother saying we did not notice the other kid. I was speechless so were my kids. Those small acts of kindness can raise and teach a good generation to come. My kids were very happy. Thank you ohh so kind family. God bless you

To the RN in the black minivan who was following me on Banwell Rd. early evening a week ago today. I won't apologize for wasting a few seconds of your time by crawling over those extremely rough railroad tracks between EC Row and CTY. Rd. 42. Your hand motions and expressions of anger as you followed me over the tracks then literally jerked around to pass me were unwarranted. I noticed your license plate had your name on it as well as RN. I pulled up beside you at the light to try to explain to you that because of a neck injury I am forced to crawl over those tracks to avoid excruciating pain shooting through my neck and shoulder. You didn't hear a word I said because of your ranting and raving. You certainly didn't show much class for an RN. I admit I flipped you the bird and mimicked your gestures but your actions were uncalled for. A word of advice, if you are going to behave so irrationally maybe you should give up the personalized license plate. I for one hope I never have to be in your care. I respectfully left your name out of this posting but I am sure you will know who you are if you read this.

Both of my kids had medical appointments at the Jackson Park Medical Complex this morning, but almost 2 hours apart, so I decided to take them separately rather than making each sit through the other's appointment. I had intended to just pay for a full-day parking pass, then pass it on after I was done for the day, but when I stopped the car by the machine and went to purchase the ticket, a very kind woman offered me a ticket with plenty of time left on it. I thanked her for her kindness, and went to the appointment. I returned to my car at exactly the time the ticket was valid until (weird coincidence!), then left and went to drop the first child off at daycare, pick the other one up at school, and turn around and head back for appointment #2. When I came back to the office, I stopped at the machine again and was just about to purchase a full-day ticket, when a gentleman in a large black pick-up truck told me not to put any money in the machine. I thought perhaps it was broken, but he proceeded to hand me a parking pass, and said that it was good for the rest of the day. I accepted it with much thanks, and assured him that I would pass it on when I had finished with it. I wanted to let him know that I did pass the ticket along, and asked the man that I gave it to if he would be sure to do the same. Not only was I fortunate enough to receive the kindness of 2 strangers today, I was able to teach my 5 year old son to be grateful for the kindness of strangers, and also to share that kindness with others. Thank you very much to both of the individuals who shared their parking passes with me today. Your actions were appreciated!!

Please take a minute to read our story. Our family is going through a very difficult time. My mother has been diagnosed with inoperable, incurable small cell lung cancer. She has been going through chemo for the last year to try and keep the growth to a minimum. She is unable to work now due to her terminal illness which is causing financial stress. She has always been there working hard and helping others, we hope that this time she can get some help and relief from the stress she is under. There is severe damage to her roof which needs to be fixed because it is causing damage inside her home. I have nominated her for a program new to Canada called "No Roof Left Behind" and the winning family will get a new roof at no charge. If you could please spare a few minutes ad read our story on the website provided below and vote for. It would be so much to her and our family.

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**please be sure to go into your email and confirm your vote. We need every vote to count !!

Link: noroofleftbehind.com/program/on/1079/nomination/2272#votingArea

LOL!

Would have been nice to use the pool this summer that you said was in great shape when we bought your house in the Winter. I read a lot of 'good ' spotted every day and think some Windsor people are fabulous. You, however, have broken the heart of a little boy who's only form of physical therapy that works is swimming, and you are not one of the good people.