by Nikki Silverstein
Hero: World Market in Greenbrae told S. to return her patio set after a chair broke and the occupant landed on the ground. The chairs had been pulled from the store for this reason. The cashier, Debbie, began the return, which apparently was complicated by the original sale date. Debbie berated the customer for waiting to bring back the items. As S. tried to explain, the checker rolled her eyes, flicked her hand in a dismissive way and spoke so rudely that it bordered on hostility. Jonathan, a supervisor, saw that S. was shaken by the incident, and guided her away. He apologized profusely and stayed with her until she calmed down. In the end, Jonathan’s service trumped Debbie’s mistreatment. We’re rolling our eyes at Debbie right now.
Zero: Dee, a woman living alone in Tiburon, relies on Meetup for social activities. Recently, she joined a comedy writing group. The first meeting that she attended was enjoyable and she looked forward to the next one. Last week, Dee received an email from C.J. Singh, the group’s new leader, who instructed her to change her online profile to include “an ID-type photo and full name.” To maintain her privacy and for safety reasons, Dee had elected not to include her last name or photo on the Meetup site. To comply with Singh’s request, she emailed the demanded items directly to him with her explanation. He promptly removed her from the group and refuses to reinstate her. Singh, lighten up—it’s a meetup, not a beat-down.
Got a Hero or a Zero? Please send submissions to
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