When I need a little inspiration for a blog post I usually head over to the 20-something Bloggers forum to see what people are talking about. A few discussions caught my eye and are going into my mental future file for later discussion - but there was one particular post that caught my eye and I knew I had to cover it.

I think it's time to make it a law that all people MUST work in the service industry for ONE WEEK in each of the following areas:

1) Retail sales clerk
2) Server/Hostess in a sit down restaurant
3) Fast food (including places like movie theatres)

Let's cover off retail shall we? I consider myself a bit of an expert at this as I devoted damn near seven years of my life to Sears, but have also worked in a lingerie store and a music store.

First off, dear customer - I don't know who you think you are, but you have to wait in line. Sorry, I don't care if you didn't give yourself enough time to shop for a winter coat on one of the busiest sales days of the season (or course it would be this day, or else you wouldn't be here). I don't care if there are forty people in line waiting to have their scratch and save coupons looked at - you have to wait with them.

I worked in the cosmetics area of Sears for a long time. Cosmetics was always sort of an island in the stream compared to the rest of the store because our stuff never goes on sale, so we don't partake in things like scratch and save Sears so often has. However - cosmetics is always situated close to ladies wear, which was always a disaster zone of people trying to get a deal.

On many occasions I'd have women come over to my makeup counter and demand (not ask) to be rung up at my register because they don't want to wait in the massive lines at ladies wear. And then they get mad when I don't have a scratch and save coupon at my register because my section doesn't participate in it. AND THEN they get mad when they find out I don't have a bag big enough to fit their purchase in (winter coats, piles of clothing) because the largest thing I sell is a tube of lipstick. WTF?

Guess what lady, you're as much a customer as the rest of the people here, so you get to wait in line too. You're not a queen, and I don't give a shit if you have to get your seven illegitimate kids to their five various fathers for their bi-monthly custody visit. I DO NOT CARE. You knew you were coming here, you should have expected to wait. You wait in line everywhere else, it's not going to be any different here. You don't think the poor person behind the counter doesn't notice how long the line is and is trying their best to get it moving? Come on now.

Next - on to the sit down restaurant. I've never had it in me to be a server, I'm amazed anyone wants to put themselves through that even if the money is great. But I have been a hostess, and I have seen it all.

For starters, people don't realize why they get sat in a specific way. We have a seating chart so we know what server is working where, and we're trying not to overload anyone. How fair is it to put you in a section where a server has four tables who just sat down, while three other servers only have one? There's the logic, now you know.

Next up - your server is not always the person who is going to be bringing you your food. Restaurants get busy, and sometimes hostesses or expediters are going to have to bring your food to you. It's not the best system, but it works. So if you're server didn't communicate the fact that you wanted some extra napkins or something to the expediter or hostess, don't treat the person who hands you your meal like an idiot.

I'd like to introduce you to another concept. Sure, maybe the customer is always right. But the customer is rarely the only customer in the restaurant. So even though you're always right, you're no more important than everyone else. Your server is doing her best to get you everything you need, but she's doing the same for others too, and you don't get to circumvent that.

I will tackle on more issue of the sit down restaurant that's always touchy - the tip. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think every server deserves a tip for doing the basic aspects of their job. I have seen some terrible servers in my day - some who all but throw food down in front of the customers, screw up the entire table's orders and do nothing to fix it, or take smoke breaks in the middle of a dinner rush, leaving their tables unattended for 20 minutes. Do those servers deserve a tip? Absolutely not. However - did your server forget to bring you a Diet Coke instead of a regular coke? That's hardly a reason to withhold a tip. Did you get mayo on your burger when you didn't want it? It happens, sometimes the server forgets to inform the kitchen of those little things, or sometimes the kitchen doesn't see the instructions. It's not a reason to demand a manager give you a free meal or get you out of tipping someone who did everything right otherwise.

Let's face it - there are a lot of flaws in the restaurant system and there are lots of places for communication to break down, but it happens. If it's that much of a bother for you, stay home and make your own damn food.

Finally - on to fast food. I will admit, I can rag on these people pretty good, because let's face it, places like McDonalds hire a lot of young kids who are immature and don't give a shit about much. Nothing pains me more than trying to order something as simple as a combo meal during a non-rush period while the sixteen year old jerk behind the counter snaps his gum or won't stop looking at his phone. That's what happens when you hire otherwise spoiled brats who've only ever had to clean their room as a job.

However - when those places are busy, those kids are running their asses off. Just pay attention the next time you're standing in line at a McDonalds or something at 5:30 on a Friday. They have to hustle. They don't have time at this point to fuck around. It's organized chaos. I know it sucks when you get the wrong order, but take a look around you and really think about it. There are twenty cars in the drive thru and the line in the restaurant is 40 people deep and everyone is hungry. It's not going to be pretty all the time and it's damn sure not going to operate at 100% satisfaction. NOTHING DOES. Don't expect five star restaurant service at a fast food place and you won't be disappointed.

So - back to the original point. Everyone and their dog should have to work in all of these situations for at least a week as a form of community service. I think there would be a lot more empathy if that was the case. Let's be real here - the service industry keeps the world we live in moving. Everything in this life costs money, therefore, there has to be someone to take your money. If you think every person behind a counter with a name tag is an idiot, well guess what? You're surrounded.