Goodwill for Sale

Today's virtue available is goodwill.  Not the kind that companies amortize on their balance sheet (sometimes accounting terms escape from the deepest recesses of my head- kind of like an acid flashback- but not as fun or colorful).  No, this is the goodwill that Websters defines as "a kindly feeling of approval and support : benevolent interest or concern".  Nice, yes?  (The virtue itself is nice, but it might also save you some money!)

I'm glad the people in line at Einstein's Bagels felt goodwill Friday.  The person serving me said "I'll meet you at the register".  I took that to mean that I should walk to the register right then.  Au contraire, as I felt the searing of at least 14 eyeballs on the back of my head.  But they showed goodwill-- I was not struck in any way or even verbally reprimanded.  And I politely walked back to my place, trying to explain that I had misunderstood her instructions.  But really, I was kind of mumbling and discombobulated, so then the people in line assumed I was maybe a little nuts.  And, again, they showed goodwill towards me as they let the crazy woman back into her place in line.

Though this incident reminded me how places like that drive me crazy.  You know those restaurants/shops where you are just supposed to know what to order, where to pay, etc. etc.  The menu is on about 6 different boards in various places around the restaurant.  How do you know what to order?  Who do you give your order to?  When do you pay?  Do you sit down and they bring it to you?  Do you pick it up?  Do you clean up your table or do they do it for you?  I used to think it was my job to figure all that out- but now I've decided that really, it should be the shop's job.  So though I may not feel a "kindly feeling of approval and support" for the shop's operations manager, I feel much "benevolent interest and concern" towards the mumbling, confused people you always see in there that have no idea how the place works.  Because I am becoming one of those.

Comments

[Heide]

Places like that make me crazy! I was just at one a few weeks ago, when traveling for work, and it was this deli that was just totally chaotic (or it seemed to me). No clear line, all this insider lingo for how to place your order. Different people taking your order then passing it down to the next area, or to the register, but they don't tell you they're passing it along so if you aren't in the know, you stand there like a dumb-ass wondering what you're supposed to be doing and where you're supposed to be standing. All for a tuna sandwich! I was ready to hit the bar after lunch, just to deal with the stress from that stupid deli!