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I know everyone thinks they work in an extremely terrible town in one way or another...this is just the way I see it.
Ithaca, NY, has often been cited as one of the most "enlightened" communities in the country. I suppose if you're a townie, or a clueless aging hippie who lives downtown, or perhaps a foreigner who's been spoon-fed the propaganda, you might be inclined to the agree.
But there's the rest of us...those who grew up on the outside. I was raised on the outskirts of this town, and never really fit in to start. See, my family and I always looked at the positives involving big chain stores, for example, while the locals have this insane devotion to their local businesses, regardless of whether they deserve to survive in a capitalist economy or not.
I work at a chain grocery store, as a cashier, so of course, over half the locals have it out for me, seeing me as some kind of dimwitted tool of the corporate slime. Plus the fact that most of my coworkers are jaded, lazy kids who make me and others look bad doesn't help either.
Also...you know that stereotype that all New Yorkers are rude...it's true! Every last bit of it, not just for the city, but the entire state.
And in Ithaca, they're not just rude...they're anal! A terrible combination. They have this pre-set method of having you bag their stuff, and you must follow it to a T, lest they bend your ear about it repeatedly. They'll watch the scanner like a hawk (Sometimes even reach over and pull your monitor closer to their eyes without your permission) and give you hell if an item is even just a few cents higher than advertised.
I can easily see the comparison, after working here for nearly four years...In one moment, I can be serving a very nice older couple who's visiting from Ohio, or Pennsylvania, or someplace else out of town...then a moment later I'll find myself serving some scowling, nasty old NY crow who's moved here from the city most likely, and will probably bark at me about sale prices he/she believes exists (Selective vision runs rampant around here) and then rattle off an extensive request for packs of cigarettes, specific brands, and specific amounts, then to hold the line back a little further, they pay with a check. In the off chance that they pay with cash, they will ALWAYS go digging for change.
Ithacans hate pennies in a way you wouldn't even begin to imagine...they will do anything, anything, no matter how outlandish, to ensure that they get no pennies back.
I really could go on forever about the horrors I encounter here every day I go to work...but I'll save all that for future posts.
Ithaca, NY, has often been cited as one of the most "enlightened" communities in the country. I suppose if you're a townie, or a clueless aging hippie who lives downtown, or perhaps a foreigner who's been spoon-fed the propaganda, you might be inclined to the agree.
But there's the rest of us...those who grew up on the outside. I was raised on the outskirts of this town, and never really fit in to start. See, my family and I always looked at the positives involving big chain stores, for example, while the locals have this insane devotion to their local businesses, regardless of whether they deserve to survive in a capitalist economy or not.
I work at a chain grocery store, as a cashier, so of course, over half the locals have it out for me, seeing me as some kind of dimwitted tool of the corporate slime. Plus the fact that most of my coworkers are jaded, lazy kids who make me and others look bad doesn't help either.
Also...you know that stereotype that all New Yorkers are rude...it's true! Every last bit of it, not just for the city, but the entire state.
And in Ithaca, they're not just rude...they're anal! A terrible combination. They have this pre-set method of having you bag their stuff, and you must follow it to a T, lest they bend your ear about it repeatedly. They'll watch the scanner like a hawk (Sometimes even reach over and pull your monitor closer to their eyes without your permission) and give you hell if an item is even just a few cents higher than advertised.
I can easily see the comparison, after working here for nearly four years...In one moment, I can be serving a very nice older couple who's visiting from Ohio, or Pennsylvania, or someplace else out of town...then a moment later I'll find myself serving some scowling, nasty old NY crow who's moved here from the city most likely, and will probably bark at me about sale prices he/she believes exists (Selective vision runs rampant around here) and then rattle off an extensive request for packs of cigarettes, specific brands, and specific amounts, then to hold the line back a little further, they pay with a check. In the off chance that they pay with cash, they will ALWAYS go digging for change.
Ithacans hate pennies in a way you wouldn't even begin to imagine...they will do anything, anything, no matter how outlandish, to ensure that they get no pennies back.
I really could go on forever about the horrors I encounter here every day I go to work...but I'll save all that for future posts.
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