Customer Service anyone?

I did it.  I went back to the new Wal-Mart today.  Took my Mama.  With her driving, I am glad to say that we parked without incident.  (Thanks Mama!)


As part of yesterday's visit, I purchased two bags of Valentine Marshmallows.  If you know my child, Christian, then you surely know he's a huge fan of the marshmallow.  I bought these to be used for a school thingy next week but when he got home and saw the Cinnamon Toast Crunch I'd also bought, he decided he wanted to take that for the school thingy instead.  Fine with me.  I'll get my $2.50 back.  I don't mind.  Or do I?


So, we grab a cart and go into the new Wal-Mart and right there before my eyes is a line of folks stretching from my immediate right to all the way across the main entrance foyer area.  That was the line I had to get in.  The Customer Service line.  Initially I counted 16 people in line, but as my mama (or anyone who halfway knows me) will tell you--I'm not the best with  numbers.  The second time I counted 12, but the number was growing.  And no, 4 people did not get through the line in between my counts.


I stand on my tippy toes and crane my neck to get a good look at the counter.  One worker.  One.  Oh no, that shit wasn't gonna work.  I looked around at one lady  a couple of people behind me and said, "Oh no.  This shit ain't gonna work."  OK--that's not really what I said.  I said, "Oh no, this ain't gonna work.  Especially when I see employees standing around not doing anything."  It's about that time that I see three women who are casually walking around, chatting in their navy shirts and khaki pants so I figure they must be some sort of managerial type people.  They are probably about 20-30 feet away.  I was not getting of that line so I said, "Excuse me.  Excuse me."  The big lady in the center raised her eyebrows at me so I knew she heard me so I continued, "Can you please get somebody over here to help this girl?"  To make my point more obvious, I made sure to gesture at the length of the line, which was still growing.  I don't recall the verbal response and that's not important anyway.  What was important is that she turned around and went and found someone to send over to Customer Service.  A couple of my line friends thanked me.  To which I responded, "I do not have all day to stand here and wait for my two dollars and fifty cents."


Another employee comes over, actually TWO employees come over.  The line gets excited.  I can see the feet shuffling, the slight surge forward...and then it happens.  Some nut, two people behind me takes it upon herself to get out of line, walk towards the front to Cashier #3.  Oh, HELL no.  I look behind me at the lady who was behind The Cutter and said, "Don't you think we ought to all stay in line take turns getting helped as they call the next customer up?"  "I though that's how it always worked."  "Me too. "   I turn forward again and reach out my arm  in quite the same manner one would if they were trying to get someone's attention, which I was, and I say  " Ma'am.  Ma'am."  The Cutter turned around and looked at me.  "Ma'am, the back of the line is this way. That is not the line.  The line is back behind me."  The Cutter looks at me with an expression much like Mrs. SUV did yesterday--one of disbelief.  She protest, not very well, but nonetheless, "Well, this lady cut."  Oops.  This Lady spun around and said, "No I did not.  I am in between this man and this lady."  I jump in to diffuse the situation, "Ma'am, the back of the line is this way."  She wasn't happy, but she got her ass back in line.


All was right in the world.  The elderly lady behind me asked if I could look on her receipt and find where she paid for the shirt she was returning.  (I found out she was getting a whopping $3.00 back!)  It wasn't her eyesight I'll tell you that, because it was kind of hard to locate which line was the shirt, but I found it and she seemed to be relieved.  We stood there for a moment and her cart was beside me and she slightly bumped me.  She stood back and said, "Sorry ma'am.  I'm not trying to get in front of you."  I laughed at the thought of this little old lady trying to get in front of me and replied, "Oh that's alright.  I know you're not.  Can't you just see tomorrow's headline?  Cancer patient knocks down little old lady in line at Wal-Mart?"  And maybe she did have bad eyesight because she said, "You're a cancer patient?"  We proceeded to have a nice little chat.


At some point during all this a FOURTH customer Service person arrived!  The line moved quick.  Lightning quick.  Well, lightning quick by Wal-Mart standards.  It wasn't too terribly long before I had my $2.50 back.


So now you must be wondering what my mama thought of all this.  Well, she didn't think anything of it.   Not a thing because as soon as she saw the line when we walked in she just kept going with her cart.  Going and going and going.  Exploring the new Wal-Mart.  I can't say I blame her.