Can’t we all just speak English and keep the line moving?
I paid a visit to Lynnwood’s Fred Meyer store to pick a few hardware parts for the fence gate I’m building. I found three of the items relatively post haste…however; the fourth was hiding from me. I searched the aisle for about 15 minutes, but struck out. There were two store employees nearby, one who was working on shelves just behind me. I was actually getting in her way. She and the other employee ignored me, neither inquiring as to what I might being doing there, blocking the aisle. Finally, I asked one of them very politely, “Could I ask you a question?” Her response, “You just did.” I let that go and asked about the item for which I was looking. She asked the other employee and between them, the item was found.
Now, for the good part. I proceeded to the nearest check out stand and got behind one person who had perhaps a couple of bags of items. She and the clerk were engaged in what appeared for both a frustrating “conversation.” The checker happened to be Hispanic, the customer Asian. Neither seemed able to speak English well enough to conduct the transaction in an efficient manner. Neither understood the other’s native language. So, there they were, two unhappy people just trying to get along without a common language. At last, the checker said in broken English she would call her supervisor and the customer just shook her head. Don’t know if it was a yes shake or no shake. Regardless, I went to another part of the store where the self-checkout stands are located and didn’t have to talk to anyone to make my purchases and be on my way. Now, I know why self-checkouts are a blessing. And when they first appeared on the scene some folks were predicting the end of the world…my oh my.