[ClearCase_guy]

I was at the Post Office today. The woman in front of me was choosing a box that would allow her to ship something cheaply. The sleepy clerk was answering in unhelpful grunts until he caught on that the woman was Asian and not a good speaker of English. She was clearly having trouble with the communication and just needed a little help to figure out how to save money.

At that point, the clerk sprang into action:

"Wellladyyoucanchoosealotofdifferentboxesandtheyallcostdifferentamountsthatonethereis12.65anddependingonwhereyouregoingitmightbeagoodchoiceoryoucanchoosethatotherboxandits19.95andthatmaybebiggerthanyouneedyougottalotofoptionsandthe12.65maybegoodforalottapeoplebutmaybenotyouifyouwantthatpackagetoarrivereallysoonsoyoucouldchoosesomethigndifferent..."

I was thinking, "You bastard. You just want to he as unhelpful as possible, don't you?"

Sociopath.

[Stoat]

I was thinking, "You bastard. You just want to he as unhelpful as possible, don't you?"

That sort of thing can happen both ways.  At my local P.O. it seems they are intentionally putting the least English-competent people possible at the service counter.  When my elderly Mom asks some of them to repeat what they've just said (her hearing is perfect....it's the lousy diction, heavy accents and brusque attitudes of the clerks that's the problem) they smirk and merely speak more loudly, as if to say "there's nothing wrong with me, it's you that's the problem".  They're arrogant because they know nobody will dare suggest that they improve their English skills for fear of being called "racist" and their Union will protect them from any customer complaints.