Living in Costa Rica – Going to Sunday school when I was growing up I was taught a pretty simple rule that applies to your interactions with others, Do Unto Others as You Want Done Unto You.
Each day in my normal day to day activities I am simply amazed how dome businesses actually stay in business with the lack of customer service in Costa Rica and the way they not only do not abide by this rule they get frustrated when people do the same thing to them as they do to others.
This morning after my walk in the plaza I headed to Pali which is the inexpensive version of Mas x Menos a local Costa Rican grocery store. I am glad I was in a good mood when I went on this journey to buy the ingredients for breakfast burritos.
After a quick jaunt through the store and getting what I needed I went to pay. Upon arrival I received the fantastic news that only one register was open and the line was now at about 13 people. With one ear piece in with my headphones I decided to wait and see how this situation played out.
I looked at my watch at saw that it was 9:10 am. About that time a “brown trash” with her 9 am 12 pack of beer waddled her way to the back of the line. (Brown Trash is a word I hope catches on…..my Costa Rican version of white trash). I also noticed that to the side of the registers the employee that was obviously the other cashier was talking to the manager saying that she did not come on until 9:30, which seemed to be a good enough reason for the manager to not tend to the growing line of customers.
I had already begun to laugh inside a little bit when I noticed that the lady that had just had all of her groceries swiped and needed to pay dumped a bag of about 8 pounds of coins on the top of the register and the cashier began to count and separate. Beside me “brown trash” decided to use her cell phone to call her obviously fabulous man that had sent her in to buy the beer and she began to use ghetto Costa Rican Spanish to complain about the wait and how inefficient Pali was.
I could not hold it in anymore at this time, I burst into audible laughter. The only thing I can think is every single one of them would be doing the exact same thing as the register lady not working until their time to clock in had come. They make people wait on them all the time, being late to appointments and everything else and yet when it happens to them they get mad.
I know this happens everywhere, but when it happens here and a gringo complains about it they say “that is just the way it is, if you do not like it go home”.
I wish people would look in a mirror both in Costa Rica and everywhere in the world.
I guess I cannot complain too much after I heard multiple stories like the one below from people in the the USA.
I go to Kroger and only 2 lines open at 5:15 with people lined up half way to the back of the store. It seems that everyone but me has overflowing carts of expensive meat, etc. One lady (excuse me, female patron) has 2 carts, 5 kids that are saying mf every other word. she gets to the checker and starts separating things to be billed to 2 different WIC cards and gets cash back on both. she raises hell because they won’t ring up her 2 cases of beer on wic. when I got outside her babies daddy is doubled parked in the firelane in a new Yukon with $5000 worth of rims.
Welcome to Obama America!
