can you feel it? it's a rant......it's coming.......

They are things I try not to talk about in my journal.  Some things are just automatic hot buttons for some folk.  That's ok, I just try not to make waves......

But today I am going to rant.  So hard to believe because I just ranted a few entries ago, and 1 rant will ususally hold me for a period of time.

One of my favorite grocery stores closed and a new store that I have never heard of took it's place.  Dad and I decided to go today and check it out and see if it would be worth going back to buy groceries.  Sounded ok, how bad of a store could it be?

I noticed the difference as soon as I walked in the door.  Lots more fruits/vegitables that would be considered (in my little corner of the world) "mexican".  No big deal.  I might would try that weird looking piece of fruit........after I figured out what the heck it was.

No, that's not my rant.  The store did seem to lean more towards out hispanic community but I have no problems with that.  I won't buy something if I can't figure out what the heck it is but that's my problem.

The rant is about the employees.  I did buy a few things and go to the register to pay.  The ice cream wouldn't ring up so the cashier looks at another cashier (in that "what am I supposed to do now?" way.  I know that look, I understand that look) and all of the sudden everyone that works there (within hearing distance of said cashiers) are milling around talking spanish.  Someone goes to get a price check.  The cashier rings up the 1 apple I got and it comes up something like $1.62.  Way wrong price, I know this I stop her and say I am not paying that much for an apple.  3 or 4 people standing around with cashier ALL taking spanish trying to figure out what is wrong.

The person that appears to be "in charge" comes back with the price on the ice cream, voids out the apple and trys to figure out why it is charging wrong.  Finally figures out cashier is kind of leaning too close to the scale (and ringing up the code number wrong).  Finally all is rang up and my total told to me.

My total was told to me in English.  WHY DURING ALL THE PROBLEMS DID NOT ONE PERSON SAY SOMETHING TO ME  -- WE ARE SORRY  --- SOMETHING, ANYTHING, AND WHY COULD NOT A SINGLE PERSON TALK IN ENGLISH?  If I had walked into some of the little stores in parts of town that is evident they are run by hispanics and probably no English is spoken is one thing.  To walk into a store -- a huge store, one that is supposed to be a part of a chain of stores  -- wouldn't you expect to hear English?  When there is a problem with your order wouldn't you expect the cashier -- someone -- to say sorry, sorry you had to wait, say anything, and say IT IN FREAKING ENGLISH?

I am sorry folks.  But I don't care what country you come from.  If you are in the USA of your own free will, if you are going to work in public, then you should have to speak English.  I should not HAVE to learn another language to live in my own country.  It's bad enough that with every phone call or ATM visit I have to choose English or Spanish, but when you can't go into a large store (that is advertising to the whole community not just a small part of it) and hear/be spoken to in English something is wrong.

Go ahead and throw daggers if you want, don't leave comments with foul language or call me hateful names. 

I DO NOT CARE WHAT COUNTRY YOU ARE FROM, WHAT LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK, WHAT COLOR YOUR SKIN IS.  I DON'T CARE.  REALLY I DON'T.  But if you expect to live in the USA then EXPECT TO SPEAK ENGLISH WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC.  I KNOW MORE OF YOU CAN SPEAK ENGLISH THAN ARE LETTING ON IN PUBLIC.  I KNOW THIS AND YOU KNOW THIS.  Don't come to this country for a better way of life and then try to change it to be something it isn't.  If you don't know English then learn it.  But I really expect cashiers to know English in order to have gotten the job.

End of rant.........