To the people who vacation in my small town in the summer

[Mari333]

You know who you are..you come here from Chicago and other midwestern cities and towns to vacation here, and you own megamansions where you live..you might have a cottage here on the lake, or own a second home here..heres a few rules of civility in a small town, in case you have forgotten..
Dont treat the service help like slaves..please, and thank you, are universal phrases and if I smile at you, smile back. Just because you are probably up to your eyeballs in debt isnt my problem. Dont take your angst out on me, or other personnel.
You come into town with an attitude of mistrust. Dump it. People in a small town are usually genuinely trying to be helpful. Its not the city.
To the lady who demanded her groceries be packed in paper..fine! But dont demand, just ask politely. Saying "Put them in PAPER and DONT BRUISE THE KIWI" in a loud and rude voice gets you nowhere. We roll our eyes at people like you, who have not a lick of class, despite your bankroll. Your unhappy anger at life screams volumes about you.
Many of you seem astounded at how friendly people are in a small town, and dont quite know how to react..its a sad statement that you are not used to that sort of behaviour, but understand that in a small town we all have to live together, because we all know each other, and life does not allow us to cop attitudes. No, we are not out to steal your money, we barely get by on minimum wage in service areas to please you and yours every summer season.
as for the pseudo-environmentalists who I see every day ..when I ask you if you want plastic or paper dont give me a lecture on the benefits of paper or cloth. I already know the benefits. I am at a job, and have to ask that question or I will be fired. Dont brag to me about how you recycle, or the fact that you are buying organic food and arent going to hurt the earth. There is nothing worse then someone who embraces social status because they think they have achieved some mark-ed gloriosity by being earth friendly.
Its still a form of snobbery, because you assume I or another co worker are too ignorant to comprehend such lofty choices.
okay , I needed to vent, now I feel better.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. And may I add? "And if you are one of those FIBs from FIBland,

go the fuck home and stop throwing your trash on our highways, in our lakes, in our streams, and creeks; drive slower, it's not our fault that you decided to have a weekend house 300 miles from Chicago and feel that you have to rush to it as quickly as possible every Friday night and rush home every Sunday afternoon. Oh, and also: Fuck you. From the bottoms of our hearts. Thank you. And lastly, please try to remember that the world doesn't revolve around you just because you're from Chicago or have a high income - remember, there are ten thousand or more other assholes just like you up here, and all of you think the world revolves around you. Here's a suggestion: why don't you all get together sometime when your nanny is taking your kids to their soccer games, and decide which one of you is King Fucker Asshole, and give him a special fucking pin or something. Him we'll treat like the world revolves around him, we'll let him smoke cigars in our grocery stores and throw his trash wherever the fuck he wants, like you all do in Chicago, but the rest of you will be treated like anyt other human being, and if any of you ACT like you are King Fucker Asshole, we'll kill you. On the spot."


Rabrrrrrr <-- grew up in Wisconsin, so has an appropriate hatred toward FIBs and FIBlike people.

[Mari333]

3. heh FIBS..and PIBS..ah yes

some of them are okay, but damn, theres so many assholes amongst them.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. There, I added some more in the edit

:grr:

I fucking hate them.

FIBs always make life on the highway, and in the small towns, that much more impossible because they don't think there is a world beyond their windshield or their belt buckles.

[Mari333]

I think they are especially testy this summer

because of gas prices. They want a bargain even when there isnt one. I have never heard so much complaining.

[tigereye]

2. nicely said

everyone should be treated with respect! All the time. No matter whom or what! There is no excuse for rudeness.

:thumbsup:

[Shell Beau]

4. Wow! Did someone piss you off?

I know what you mean. I am from a small town in the south and we smile at everybody, say thank you to everybody, hold doors open for people, etc. It is different than the fast-paced environment of the city.

[Mari333]

6. Its been building up, the end of summer

I think the customer that cinched it was a man , wearing eddie bauer clothes, who stood in the aisle with his 2 sons, and grabbed me by the arm and said "pick up that bag of dog food, and tell me the price"..the bag weighed 40 lbs, and I am 54 years old and the man was like 35..his sons were teenagers, 2 strapping young men.
I told him the price was 14.99, but he still insisted I lift the bag into his cart. His one son said "dad, thats too heavy I will do it.." the dad said
"No son, shes the worker, thats her job"
I just walked away. I was already clocked out.

[Shell Beau]

8. What a jerk!

[HootieMcBoob]

7. To all of you small town tourists who vacation in my city

I live in New York City and could pretty much write the same thing you just did.

People have a misperception about residents of our town. We live in neighborhoods which are pretty much just like a bunch of small towns - often I've heard NYC described as the biggest small town in the world. I know all of the shop owners on my street and all of the businesses are independently owned - no walmarts!

We also have plenty of service people here working for minimum wage, many are minorities and have to put up with small town folks who come from places where they don't see too many people that are not like them...

I'm just saying - it's the same all over.

[Mari333]

10. Maybe its some class/status scenario being played out

the pseudo-wealthy versus the service workers. and I say pseudo wealthy because many people who promote their social status by using their pocketbooks are often in debt up to their eyeballs.

[HootieMcBoob]

14. I agree with that n/t

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Nope. Diffference is, I wouldn't step foot in the city.

:hi:

[HootieMcBoob]

15. Millions of other small town inhabitants who visit our city

each year who aren't you (and yes I do mean millions) deal every day with lots of people who wouldn't step foot in a small town.

that doesn't make the analogy wrong it only makes it more right.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. Nope, it makes posters appear cranky!

She was just letting off steam. :hi:

[LynzM]

9. Nice rant....

:) :hug:

I think everyone, early in their lives, should be required to work some sort of service job. It makes you that much more appreciative and humble. I've worked several, but the worst was a summer restaurant job just outside Newport, RI. Some of the people who vacation there.... ugh. Just, UGH.

[Patiod]

12. Sometimes, Midwestern friendliness feels weird

I hadn't been off the East Coast in years, and traveled to Minnesota for the first time. Ordered a hot dog from a hot dog vendor.
"Would you like cheese with that? Mustard? Here's a napkin." I looked at the guy like he was crazy. Later, I asked the guy I was with "what does he want?"

Took me a while to get used to friendly service people - if service people are friendly or helpful here in Philadelphia, I assume they want to sell me Amway or something....

(one other thing I like about Minnesota -- all those tall Scandanavians. I tried on pants in a boutique, and they fit. I expressed my amazement to the owner, who said "ooo, hon, you're not so tall, for here".)

[Mari333]

13. Thanks for the insight

maybe we scare them when we are so friendly. never thought of that. Perhaps they are only used to people trying to schmooze them where they live for money.

[BiggJawn]

16. We couldn't come see you this summer....

We decided to get our teeth fixed, then gasoline went insane...

We love the west coast of Michigan so much we wind up looking at the real estate and employment listings every time we visit.

That ass with the dog food.....Incredible! Who's been raising his son who wanted to grab the bag? Sure as hell not HIM....

[Dastard Stepchild]

17. Hey... I'm from Chicago... and I vacation in MI in a summer house...

We're not ALL bad. Some of us visitors are even DUers! :)

But, you do have a point. Some are horribly unpleasant - they're like that in THEIR city as well. :eyes: