When Going to Restaurants and Grocery Stores, Be Patient & Be Kind

In the new world we are living in there are two very important words to remember, patient and kind. The folks who own and run restaurants along with their staff are under a great deal of stress. Grocery store workers are in the same situations.

Why be rude? Be patient and kind

We are hearing about situations where patrons are being rude to grocery store staff, especially at the check-outs. Folks are mad that the lines are slow and that some items are out of stock. They are taking out their frustrations on the workers and that is not fair. These folks are on the “front-lines” every day and in reality, they are risking their lives exposing themselves to potential health issues.

It is so much easier to be kind and patient in the grocery store. An oh, one more thing! Most grocery stores have now made shopping aisles “one-way”. It is for everyone’s protection, so pay attention. It is for your benefit.

As we all know many restaurants are open with 25% capacity inside with tables 6 feet apart, no bar service and no patrons being served when standing along with several other protective measures being taken. From what we understand, there can be no more than 6 people to a table.

Please follow the rules

We have talked with several restaurant owners, and they tell us that customers are taking advantage of the situation. Several have tried to sneak a few extra people to the table. Others have been not so nice to the servers and management team. While this is the minority, it still is not fair. In Massachusetts, an ice cream shop had to close again after one day because patrons weren’t practicing social distancing and were rude to employees.

Let’s all do our very very best to show patience and kindness. Yes, you are going to have to wait to get into a restaurant, you have to make an appointment to get a haircut, there are limits to how many people can go into a retail store and grocery stories. This is the new norm. Hopefully down the road this will change, but not for now.

Be kind, be patient. It’s not hard to do!

Photo from Deposit Photos.