"Developmentally disabled" and surly

It's a lovely combination.

I'm growing ever-more disgusted with the Kroger grocery store chain. Unfortunately, that's the only choice in our little town.

For a small store, I suppose it's ok. Better than nothin, I guess. But three-quarters of the time, they don't even have what they advertise for any given week. So, sometimes, like today, I'll drive the 8 or 9 miles into town to shop at the "Yuppie Kroger"...the one on Lindbergh. They're much bigger and have a huge variety of products, including a wide selection of foreign-type goodies, natural or organic stuff and a fairly decent fresh seafood case.

Evidently, all the Kroger stores have chosen to hire some of the less fortunate of us...the...ah...developmentally disabled...as grocery baggers. I think that's a great thing. Really. It gives 'em a chance to earn a living...do something useful and needed. Ya know? Contribute to society and all that?

Well, it'd be a great thing if I was sure that Kroger was doin it for purely altruistic reasons. But I'm pretty sure they're not. I'd be willing to bet they're doin it 'cause it's cheaper...and it's politically correct. It'd be really nice if they'd at least teach 'em how to bag groceries, but that's a subject of a whole, 'nother rant. heh

So aaaanywho, I get all my goodies and stand in line like the good little sheeple I am. At the very start, I told the cashier I needed a carton of cigarettes (I know...shaddup). Instead of gettin 'em right at the beginning, she rings up half my groceries, stops and leaves the register to go get 'em. The bagger, evidently not sharp enough to realize that she wasn't done ringin my stuff up, puts the last bag in the cart and starts to pull it away from the lane. At this point, let me say that he had a bad attitude to begin with. He was sighing...like he hated being there. He'd occasionally roll his eyes when he threw something in a bag. Disgusted at my choice of Romaine lettuce over iceberg, I guess. Or maybe he thought my bag of mussels was disgusting. Who knows? Maybe he was just havin a bad day.

So, as he starts to pull my cart away from the lane, our conversation went like this:

Me: "Oh, wait. She's not done, yet...she went to go get me something."

The sour-faced, developmentally disabled bagger, flappin his hand at me in a dismissive gesture: "WhatEVER".

Me, thinkin he might be kidding: "Uh. Excuse me?"

The SFDDB, again with the hand-flap: "WhatEVER."

I was a little...rattled. But I didn't say anything. After all...he's developmentally disabled. Now, if it'd been a...normal...person, I'd have kicked him right in the balls with no hesitation whatsoever.

During my short drive home, the more I thought about it, the madder I got. I mean...an asshole is an asshole...whether you're disabled or not. It's no excuse.

And that's what I told the store manager when I called him.

He agreed. And he said that they'd had "trouble" with that particular bagger before.
But he added...he wouldn't be fired. Which is ok. I didn't want the fucker fired. I just want him to be less...assholish.

However...if it was me...if I was rude to a customer...and they'd "had trouble with me before"...I'm pretty sure they'd tell me not to let the door hit me in the ass on the way out.

I'm just sayin...