Shut Up Already!

Have you ever met someone who rubs you the wrong way because they have one or more of the following qualities: pompous, know-it-all, self-righteous, loud, advice giving when not asked, abrupt or they just don’t know when to ‘shut up’?


Well here’s my story

A while back I met a really nice sales lady at one of the stores I usually shop in. We hit it off right away because, like me, she too is raising her niece on her own. However, unlike me, she has had the experience of having and raising her own children before her niece came along. She has always been very friendly and we often share our ‘niece’ stories.

So, the other day I walked into the store and saw her at the cash register helping a line of customers. I said my usual hello and started shopping. One thing you have to know about me when I am shopping is that I am like the lead greyhound at the dog races (okay, more like a sheep dog at the races – if they raced sheep dogs). I am F O C U S E D. I see NO ONE, I talk to NO ONE, I hear NO ONE. If you put a piece of metal in front of my eyes I can guarantee you my laser focused vision would cut a whole right through it.

Well, as I was coming around the final lap, the sales lady, who was no longer busy, said “Oh, I saw you the other day at another store but you ignored me”. When I looked up to meet her eyes I responded by saying “I usually ignore everyone when I am shopping”. WHAT? Did I just really say that to the really nice sales lady? I tried backtracking by trying to nicely explain what I meant, but the damage was done. I sounded like a haughty B- I -T -C –H. Yet, I was not done! I could tell I had hurt her feelings, but she remained professional. As she was ringing up my items she asked if I would like to open a store credit card to help her out. She needed one more to meet her quota, to which I responded by saying “No, people are crazy to have so many store cards - they charge an arm and a leg in interest.” What! I did it again!! What the heck was wrong with me? So at this point any sane person would take her purchases and just walk away, but not ME.

I knew I had hurt her feelings and I was determined to make things right by asking her about her niece. Her body language and demeanor told me I should have walked away. I am highly trained to read body language (I have watched all the episodes of ‘Lie to Me’ and ‘NCIS’). However, she remained professional and told me her niece wanted to be a nurse, at which I said “Well, make sure she has a back up career because one of my friends spent 2 years trying to get into nursing school only to give it up after she had to give an old man a sponge bath.” WTF? I heard the words that were coming out of my mouth in slow motion and I kept yelling at myself ‘Shut Up! Shut Up! SHUT UP!”, but I would not shut up. It was like causing and watching a train wreck all at the same time. By this time, she just turned around and ignored me.

I have yet to go back to that store, but I have to go back because I need new ‘bloomers’ and that’s the only place that have the ones I like.

I am not sure how I am going to fix the situation, but I can tell whoever is reading this that I have been rightly ‘put in my place’ and humbled by this experience. Next time I am faced with an annoying babbling idiot I will know how they really feel. I will do them a solid and give them a quick slap and firmly tell them to ‘Shut Up’….I am sure they will thank me for it later.