I don't mind chatty store folks. They have a thankless and mind-numbing job. If they are being genuinely friendly, that's cool. If they are being friendly because their overlords force them to, well, I usually say something like "You must get tired of saying the same thing to people all day." which often gets a genuine response.

One of these years I'm just going to copy-paste from Bellwether and be done with it.

love this.

Ginger, I hope Kaiser fixes the scheduling issue for you fast, and then fixes it long term.

Crap Consuela, that sucks.

Jilli, I kinda don't get it. Is it a Beetlejuice thing?

Yep! "He calls himself a "freelance bio-exorcist", claims he can get rid of the living."

I don't mind chatty store folks. They have a thankless and mind-numbing job. If they are being genuinely friendly, that's cool. If they are being friendly because their overlords force them to, well, I usually say something like "You must get tired of saying the same thing to people all day." which often gets a genuine response.

I assume the Trader Joe's checkout people are supposed to make conversation, but it's always different, since they generally comment on stuff I'm buying, and *that's* always different. Plus, I like to talk about food, and they're so damn enthusiastic about it.

Meant to say, Consuela, I would so be ready to cut a bitch. If they hadn't taken my box cutter, too. I get antsy when other people use my hammer.

Okay, so now I've got a flip phone. No email. Excuse me for being a diva, but I effing hate texting on a flip phone. So annoyed right now. I know we're a nonprofit, I know we're hard up right now, but I would really, *really* love to know how many of the office peeps have Blackberries. Grrr.

The clerks and baggers at Raley's have started asking me what I'm "doing today" as part of their conversation gambit, which I understand that's a natural chatty question to ask but it kind of flusters me because I'm generally not doing anything. I mean, I'm grocery shopping, but they know that.

I'm okay chatting at check out, because I'm about to escape. I hate shopping, so my nerves are always on edge. I don't need talking.

"Doing anything exciting this weekend?" is crossing a line. You are not my friend. Go away.

Ugh, tech support people seem to be doing that with us lately. Just fix my internet, please. I do not want to chat with you about what the weather is like where I live.

Ugh, Consuela!

I assume the Trader Joe's checkout people are supposed to make conversation, but it's always different, since they generally comment on stuff I'm buying, and *that's* always different. Plus, I like to talk about food, and they're so damn enthusiastic about it.

Yeah, at TJ's it always feels like they are taking the opportunity to make their own jobs less boring, not following corporate guidelines. Even if that is actually what they are doing!

I spent the morning with my parents, being taped for an Alzheimer's Association thing. I hope I look OK, but at least it's only for internal use. Although it occurs to me that I didn't sign a release of any kind, so... hmmm. Then I bought a coffee table, but it was late enough (and raining) that my mother didn't want to deliver it for me today. But someday! Someday I will have a new coffee table.

I generally chat with TJ people because (a) they always seem to welcome that they don't have to force the conversation and (b) I know they're instructed to be chatty.

So it's easier if I toss them a bone like "Why I love these pumpkin souffles so much."