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“Passion and shame torment him, and rage is mingled with his grief.”~Virgil
“Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.”~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
“People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing”~Will Rogers
“To be angry about trifles is mean and childish; to rage and be furious is brutish; and to maintain perpetual wrath is akin to the practice and temper of devils; but to prevent and suppress rising resentment is wise and glorious, is manly and divine.”~Alan Watts
“It looked as if a night of dark intent
Was coming, and not only a night, an age.
Someone had better be prepared for rage.
There would be more than ocean-water broken
Before God's last 'Put out the Light' was spoken”~Robert Frost
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~~~Observations from the Convenience Store~~~
According to 'Dictionary.com,' rage is defined partially as
Pronunciation noun, verb, raged, rag·ing.
–noun
1. angry fury; violent anger.
2. a fit of violent anger.
3. fury or violence of wind, waves, fire, disease, etc.
4. violence of feeling, desire, or appetite: the rage of thirst.
5. a violent desire or passion.
In this day of high gasoline prices, with incomes not rising to meet the increased need for enough money to put gas in the vehicle to get to work to earn said money, rage has entered the store! It comes in ranting and screaming; it comes in with spittle flying, words spewing and faces flushing unbecoming shades of red; it comes in fast and furious.
As usual, I have found my little store to be a microcosm of society and an excellent place to garner information to file away for future reference. At least I keep telling myself that. At the very least, it helps to view scenes at work as research, and in the heat of the moment, it actually helps when people are literally screaming at me. In one of those almost comedic asides, I can step away and those few seconds of knowing that a particular customer will eventually surface in my writing helps maintain calm in this rapidly crazier world I work within.
Recently my store has gone to a new system where cash is one price and credit is another, higher, price. Because of the new set-up, all pumps must now (by law) be pre-pay. Now I appreciate that folks don't always 'know' how much they want in the tank, but I also know they come in planning on spending a set amount. The system allows for refunding change for actually putting in less than expected. Does that, then, require a second trip in for those customers wanting to save four cents a gallon to pay cash? Yes it does. Fact. Is it worth it over credit? Depends upon the customer. Being as my cash deposits have tripled, it must.
When my cashiers have reached their limit of being yelled at, they call me. I am then forced to deal with a customer who is already angry, usually far too angry to listen to common sense and logic. I have been spit on, cussed at, (I've been called every name in the book--which if they had the book in their hands would probably be thrown at me as well!) and poked at. I've been yelled at, screamed at and yes, been the recipient of rage. All I can do is listen, tell them I'm listening, try to explain and then listen some more.
Unfortunately customers don't always get that a) we pay the same ridiculous prices they do, b) that we (at this level) have no control over the current prices and c) that we are just trying to do our job. Unfortunately, customers don't realize that said job is not to gleefully seek out new means to ruin their day, that we find no joy in rising prices and that none of us is paid enough money to take the abuse thrown our way.
I have tried to stand beside myself and take mental notes. Body language (stance, hands on hips or flailing around in my face), verbal cues (rising voices, volume changes, less or sometimes more coherency), and physical attributes (faces mottled with patches of bright red, dental work, heaving breaths, furrowed brows and squinty eyes.)
Most people are not at all attractive when they have worked up a good mad. In fact, they are almost funny looking. This of course being the 20:20 look back version. In the moment it is almost scary--people get really mad and scream at us rather than people way higher than we on the food chain. (Perspectives are a marvelous thing!) Ah...but we are convenient. We are there. So we get it.
For example. One particular customer comes in every day. She has a low paying joy at which she works very hard, and it is hard work to begin with. She drives a rattle trap car and buys five dollars worth of gas every day. So she buys roughly a little over a gallon a day. Paying cash, she is now paying four cents a gallon LESS than the going price. Short, stocky, she normally is a buzz of energy, pleasant and quick to laugh. Of late she is miserable, mean and the spewer of words beginning in 'f' and 'c' usually connected. All because of pre paying for gas.
Do people really not get that stations go to prepay because other people have decided to ruin it for the masses by driving off without paying? 200-300 a week in some cases is a LOT of money for a small station to lose. And, of course, those higher ups on the food chain blame the little cashier! Nasty cycle all around!
Another lady, exceptionally well dressed, drives a new, expensive, beautiful car and always looks perfect, not a hair out of place regardless of wind or weather. The customer before her had paid cash, so the price on the pump reflected that price. When she inserted her credit card, the price changed to reflect the credit price. Now it is posted all over the place what the cash and credit prices are for each grade of gas. But she insisted, at the top of her lungs, that we were charging her more per gallon because, get this--she looked rich! I tried to explain that, no, weren't charging her more than any credit customer and that the credit prices were the same as the cash/credit prices down the street. I showed her the receipt. It didn't matter. She was mad and she was right, and, of course, the customer is always right, even when they are wrong at the top of their voice.
By now, her exceedingly lacquered hair was flying every which way, her carefully applied lipstick was woefully smudged and her rouge was totally unnecessary! Other customers tried to come to my defense. And then this lady who 'knows the manager' (did she not notice my name tag with the words 'manager' on it?) slammed into her car and left. I wonder when she noticed her gas cap was not put on? Ohhh yes, we will be blamed for that too when the gas evaporates! *grin*
So with all of this drama going on, I can at least bank all these wonderful characters and their descriptions, characteristics and nuances! I find it amazing the variety of places one can find all sorts of information, inspiration and most of all, details to add to our writing! Who knew when i took this job what a wealth of information it would turn out to be?
On a totally different subject....
Wishing everyone's home team in the Olympics the very best!
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Sticking with the theme of gas and gasoline....Please read and review these pieces!!!
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nomlet  I remember clearly the first time I really listened to Gordon Lightfoot's ballad about the Edmund Fitzgerald. Eventually my roommate and I went to the library to research the wreck. We found a microfiche copy of a Newsweek article from the time of the event. It was a shock to discover that some of the song lyrics were lifted directly from this article! Still, it's a good song and an excellent tribute. I'd love to visit the area some day.
Interesting and informative little museum. I was surprised to learn how many of the wrecks were direct results of crashes between ships!{/1}
michelleHI I am from the area you explored this year. I grew up on the shore of lake Superior and have loved it ever since. I am from a small town called Hulbert near Sault St. Marie. I did some exploring this year with my fathers 4 wheeler to a old "ghost" town called SeeWhy, all that there is left is a small building that you can stay in over night, but I saw many streams and beautiful trees.
I am glad that you realized what I call the true Michigan. I was thrilled that you were able to see the beauty of Tahquamenon, to feel the chill of lake Superior and maybe skip a stone or two over her waters.
You are blessed.
Thank you. And to think I once thought that all Michigan was was flat and corn/soy/sugar beet fields! So glad to learn just how wrong I was :)
Shannon  Ah, I haven't heard Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald for years! One of the best gifts my father ever gave me was his love for music, and Gordon Lightfoot was one of his favorites. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald isn't just a chilling song and tragic true story, it's a part of my childhood.
As soon as I read the first verse at the top of your newsletter, I skipped on over to iTunes and downloaded the song. Hearing it again brings back fond memories. Thank you for that.
You are so welcome!
Zeke I too was born and brought up in the beautiful state of Michigan. I left when I was twenty and never had occasion to return until I was in my seventies. After two weeks in Grand Marais on Lake Superior, I at last began to appreciate the unique experience that Michigan offers.
Loved Gran Marais when we went through there! Great little town shrouded in fog with the sounds of the waves crashing able to be heard all the way to our hilltop!
Red Writing Hood <3  I grew up in Michigan, Fyn :) Some of my favorite memories are there.
Mine too...mine too...
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For Authors: August 13, 2008 Issue [#2555]
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