service industry instant karma

yesterday i experienced instant karma.  i had the best waitress ever in a restaurant in clarksville  va. and received rhe best service i had in a long time.  and later that evening i was at the gamestop in bluefield, va and received the worst service i have had in a long time.  but, balance has been brought to the force.  i just thought that it was strange that both experiences happened on the same day.

i was on the road friday the 23rd of december, with my aunt.  we were trying to make a 360 mile trip back to our hometown for the holidays.  coincidently, i had driven over 1000 miles to make it back home that week, but that is another story for another time.  we stopped to buy ourselves lunch at a local eatery in clarksville,

 we had a wonderful waitress, she was on top of her game.  filling drinks, taking orders, checking on us...the whole nine.  once, as my aunt and i were having a deep conversation on the state of affairs that we had encountered on our soujourn into a foreign land, my drink had began to get low.  i know a good waitress by the drink levels in at my table.  as i reached for my mainly glass of ice and watery coke, i noticed that she had snuk in and brought me a fresh glass of soda.  she deserved the tip she received and a few bucks more  we left pleased with our service and commented to each other about her..  i even bragged to my buddies later that evening, once i had made it home safely, about the best service i had received in a good while.

later that evening my friend and i went out to the local game store to pick up a couple last minute things for his son.  it was a mad house out in the wilds of the local shopping plaza, being the day before the day before christmas.  we had this misfourtune of having to split up, me in the game store and my friend in another.  as i said, the joint was jumping.  two people on registers, and one handling customers.  all in all it was what seemed to be a smooth operation.

i jockyed my position in line and waited, dulled eyed and a little to warm, just like all the other holiday zombies, beaten down by the darkside of christmas.  the line advanced slowly and steadily.  i even had time to crack a joke or two with the guy in front of me about the line and christmas and whatknot.  polite banter with a stranger just to pass the time.

so the guy in front gets to the counter and is looking for a very specific item, and is willing to pay good money for what he wants.  the guy behind the register, giving good service, calls a few of the surronding stores, to no avail.  on the last call, he reaches someone who is his friend.  you could tell by the manner they were speaking in.  he dismisses the coustomer, who leaves empty handed and disappointed.  i step to the register and lay my purchase on the counter.

i notice the guy has the word manager under his name on the tag.  he is talking about concert tickets.  he has bad news for the voice on the other end of the line....i do not know what the bad news was, because the manager walks away, continuing his chit chat.  leaves me and my money standing cold and alone at the counter.  i had stood in line for over twenty minutes.  my money is also legal tender.

dumbfounded, said somthing to the other person at the other register.  she makes a joke about it, and says i can get in her line.  there are at least eight people in her line, and i had already been waiting long enough.  i respectfuly declined, although respectfuly is a stretch....remeber i had said i had drove 1000 miles in a week.  360 of them in a day.  needless to say, my friends son did not get the game i was in line to buy.  but, with the 12 others he got for christmas, i do not think he minded at all.