The Good, the Bad...

I'm glad that the holidays bring out the best in some people so that it can take some edge off how they bring out the worst in other people. A couple of times we've been out shopping and happened to pick up a small present for my daughter when she was with us. Once was at Target; once was at Linens N Things (both stores in Florence, AL). Both times the cashier was very cognizant of what we were doing, helped us, and both times double-bagged the item so she would be less likely to see it in the bag and when we got home. It's those kinds of things that remind me there's good in people. They weren't saving the world, sure, but the point was people were trying to be helpful, and be mindful of others, not merely being selfish and inconsiderate (which is how I, in my limited thinking, often assume most people are).

Of course, there are exceptions. Recently my wife and I got new phones from Cingular. We did it on-line and over the phone, and couldn't be more impressed with how helpful everyone was. Of course, when we went to the store (the one in Florence, on Cox Creek Parkway), and tried to get some help there, it was a different story. They were very nice until it was obvious we weren't spending any money there - we just wanted to transfer the address books from our old phones to our new phones. And then, when we wanted to add to our phones the (free) package that allows you a pay-per-download internet connection, they become even less helpful. Basically, you can pay for a monthly package, or pay per KB downloaded. The first person that set set me up only did one of my two phones, then walked away. So, when the sales associate was finished transferring my addresses, I asked him to do the other phone, at which point he began to talk me out of it. I'm probably going to download maybe one or two ring tones and a wallpaper, so didn't see the need to spend the money on a monthly package. After I told him "no" the first time, he told me it would cost four times as much; at that, I told him I probably wouldn't be using it very much. Then he tried to show me the error of my ways with Logic by telling me:

That's like spending $5.99 per movie with pay-per-view when you can get unlimited movies by getting a movie channel for $15.99 a month.

Then I responded with:

But what if you only want to watch one movie a month?

I don't think he liked it when I turned his Logic back on him. I guess he wasn't going to make any money off the free package. But then, maybe I'm being judgmental. Maybe he was being rude for some other reason.