$8 an hour for what?

"If I wanted to be treated like shit, I'd have gone to Wal-mart!"
--- Brett in a crowd.

Customer service in Baton Rouge is like prison rape. No matter which door you walk through, there's a good possibility someone there is angry about their position in life and will try to screw you out of time, money and dignity. I've grown accustomed to the cashier not telling me what my total is. I'm used to the lady at the drive through who doesn't make eye contact or return my greeting. There are even days when I let it slide that a gas station attendant doesn't have to stop talking on her cell phone to ring up my six-pack. Nor does she greet me. Nor does she tell me my total. Nor does she tell me thank you for shopping there so she doesn't have to get a real job that would not allow her to wear six-inch gold earrings spelling out her name in bubble letters. How do you even find earrings that properly spell "Latrishika?" When I was a kid, I couldn't even find a license plate for my bike that spelled my first name with two "t"s. And how do you have enough expendable money to purchase a platinum grill with your child's name across them, much less pay for the countless number of minutes (pre-paid I'm sure) wasted on your cell talking about, "Girl, you know dat's right."

Here's a thought. They make a place you can work and not have to worry about being polite, or presentable, or speak English or even take a bath. It's called Wal-mart. Anyone who walks through those automatic doors know not to expect much. They understand for cheap prices, you forgo things like customer service or a pleasant shopping experience. This is where you should work. Not in places like gas stations, fast food restaurants or any other place where decent human beings are sometimes forced to frequent because their car needs fuel or there is no other option for lunch that day. Thank God for pay-at-the-pump. Now if I could only get a beer-at-the-pump, then there would be no need for me to ever find out how shitty a human being lurks behind the counter.