Service American Style- take one

I've told some people about my experience at Jax trying to exchange a jacknife the other day, and the whole episode reminds me I told you all ages ago- or at least a couple weeks- that I'd be raving in the near future about the service I have received at various retail and food service establishments in the past month or so.

Let's start with Grand Junction, CO. My brother, Gentle Tommy as RobRohrTM called him not long ago right here on this blog, and I were on our road trip, that rainy one. to southern Utah. We stopped at a motel for the night and went next door to the gas station to pick up beer and snacks. I approached the counter with the beer, a bag of chips, and a small container of dip, which sits now, still unopened, in the fridge. I set the small number of items on the counter, and the young female clerk proceeded to show me the ultimate in multi-tasking. Thank gawd for America and our tightly woven relationship with technology! She was texting and ringing me up at the same time, and she got the amount correct!

"Do you want a sack?" she asked as her fingers deftly navigated the tiny keyboard of her mobile phone.

"No thanks," I replied, handing her my credit card, which she ran without dropping the phone. Nice! Then, she handed me the receipt and asked, without even looking at me, "Do you want a sack?" again.

"No." I took the goods and left the store. Wow. It hardly took any time at all, and I never had to deal, really, directly, with the person behind the counter because she was only half there! That experience was worth a patriotic bust into the giant bag of Lay's I'd purchased because, as the ads will tell you, you can't eat just one. So don't. Because the ads say so. Feeling a little hypnotized now, like you want to run out and buy a bag of your own?

I have stuff to do before heading out to my five little jobs today. (Remember, these are hard economic times, and only apparently the most skilled of us can get "real jobs," like Convenience Store Clerk.) So, I will wait on the other stories, but just to whet your appetite, there is more, from Torrey, UT to Billings, MT, and then, the Jax episode will conclude my foray into the world of the skilled retail employee. Thank gawd there are still jobs out there for these people, and they aren't withering their intellect- and supreme people skills- away!