Generation Why?

Baby Boomers just have a different value system.

Case in point?  My (almost) 65-year-old mother has really high expectations in the area of customer service.  She likes to chit chat and make small talk with any unsuspecting clerk, waiter, or grocery carry out kid. She takes it very personally when she attempts to make small talk in a restaurant or department store and the person does not return an equally friendly exchange.  Once we were in Goodwill together and afterward she commented that no one greeted us when we came in the door.  (Mom.   It's Goodwill.  Not Neiman Marcus on commission.  For the record though, the staff at Goodwill has been historically friendly.  I'll never bash my Goodwill peeps) XOXOXO. 

Back to topic...

I get it.  Part of our daily civility as a society is casually chatting with the clerk at Quik Trip, or having someone at a store go out of their way to help you, or building a rapport with a great waiter for the hour or so that you're there.  It has the potential to totally enhance what might be an otherwise ordinary experience. When the exchange goes well, everybody feels good.  It's a win/win.  Fine.

That may not always be good enough for my dear mother though...

She recently shared a story that I found so hilarious that I literally could not stop laughing.  Stomach hurting, pants peeing laughter.   Here goes:

She stayed overnight in Winfield for three days and made three sequential trips thru the McDonald's drive thru, as this is my grandfather's favorite breakfast.   She had the same young (read: Generation Y) customer service girl for three days in a row.  I will now break it down for you here:

Day 1

Mom:  "Hi, I'm from Garden City!  How are you? (Okay mom.  Really?  Seriously?  You sound nuts!)
Clerk:  Stares blankly at Mother.  Does not respond.  Silently slides the debit card and hands it back, now looking in the other direction.

Day 2
Mom:  Hi there!  Did you work all weekend?  You look tired! (Sigh.  Mom, don't tell people they look tired.  It's kind of a polite way of saying you look like dog crap.)
Clerk: Now stares in utter disbelief.  Does not respond.  Silently slides the debit card and hands it back, now looking in the other direction.

Day 3:
Mom: Good Morning!  Well, I'm leaving town.  You won't be seeing me around here for awhile! (You may be way too invested in this, Mum.)
Clerk: Doesn't look up from the register.  Silently slides the debit card and hands it back, looking in the other direction. 
Mom: Peels out of the drive thru.

Follow up counseling and recommendations:

• Yes mother, that's really weird.
• I agree, some people don't have social skills.
• Of course you were nice to her.  You should never be rude to anyone who has access to your food. We've talked about this.
• Maybe the whole thing was a little too much for her though. Does she really need to know you're from Garden City (?)  Just sayin.
• Maybe she was having (three) really bad days (?)
• Maybe she has social anxiety (?)
• Maybe you're trying too hard (?)
• I'm personally fine with it when they hand me back my card and say thank you.

So, maybe it's a generational issue? Boomers vs. the Generation X's, vs. the Millenials?

Or just the perfect storm (Overzealous mother + clerk having a bad day = disaster?   Who knows?

Luckily, for my  mother's peace of mind, people of all ages usually adore her and give her as much good service and irreverent non-sensical chit chat as her heart desires.  (She sat outside the dressing room at Kohl's this past weekend and chatted with random strangers and store clerks for 3 hours while I tried on clothes.)

"Oh, you're from Salina?  How lovely..."
"You worked on the surgical floor in 1963?"
"You used to work with Gladys at that old department store in Winfield?"
"How old is your grand daughter?  I have three grandchildren, and they all have birthdays this month..."

 As my mother's "go-to" Life Coach, the kindness of strangers makes my life alot easier too.