Daly City: Where Dreams Go to Die

People will do just about anything in order to avoid admitting wrongdoing/regret/guilt, usually pointing the blame elsewhere in order to obtain the easiest way out.
A recent trip to Daly City's Dollar Tree was enough to remind me of this universal fact.


There I am, standing in line with my 2 wine glasses, 9 taper candles, and box of microwave popcorn, a combination that, in retrospect, was probably one item short (condoms) of making me look like a cheap, desperate hooker.
Any way, either those rubber divider things have become completely meaningless in society (probably), or the cashier was on crack (more likely), because before I knew it, my lone box of popcorn was being rung up for the person in front of me, despite the words "That's my popcorn" coming out of my mouth a mere 5 seconds beforehand. The customer in front of me had actually only wanted change for his $5 bill (he may have took the whole "dollar store" thing a little too literally), so as he began to walk away without the bagged popcorn (and only 4 $1 dollar bills), the cashier yelled after him, "you forgotcha popcorn". After yet another declaration of ownership of the popcorn from me, the cashier let out a dramatically vocal sigh, followed by an intercom beep that brought over her equally incompetent- and pissed- looking manager.

"What?" the manager asked flatly.
"This guy here (points accusingly at change boy) didn't want nothin. He just came in my line and didn't buy nothin. He wanted change, but I charge him for the popcorn, but it ain't his," the cashier eloquently explained to her boss.

After surveying the scene and allowing the necessary seconds required for comprehension of the cashier's English to pass, the manager turned to me.

"Just give him a dollar," she suggested in the same flat tone.

Um, excuse me? Walk your lazy ass 2 feet over to the register and give him a dollar yourself, bitch. Why should I have to pay (literally, in cash) for your employee's mistake? It's called voiding a sale, and if you're incapable of performing this simple action, well, that would probably explain why you're a manager at The Dollar Tree. I understand I'm at a dollar store, and that the words "respect", "professionalism", and "accountability" hold absolutely no weight within these walls, but...REALLY?? Be a MANAGER, and do the right fucking thing.

Instead of actually saying any of this, I politely informed her that I was unfortunately without the means to employ her ingenious solution at that time. Another Oscar-worthy sigh and eye-roll from the cashier later, the sale was voided, the $1 was given to change boy, and my wine glasses were wrapped oh-so-elegantly (and effectively, I guess??) in plastic bags ...within a plastic bag...so that I could be on my way to complete the rest of my day (which no, did not include a drunk, candlelit movie date followed by paid sex...unfortunately).

This anecdote is simply the tip of the iceberg that is our fast-paced, quick-fix society: a mix of band-aids, scapegoats, and the accomplishment of jack shit.

Last week, my psychology course's textbook informed me at the bottom of a paragraph on teen depression that "antidepressant drugs are the most common treatment." While I understand and have seen first-hand the drastic results of antidepressants, it makes me a little sad (pun intended) that most psychiatrists/doctors/therapists aren't even willing to try HUMAN therapy that addresses possible causes and how those can be dealt with, before simply supressing symptoms via expensive chemicals. And not just any expensive chemicals... chemicals whose development is so recent that we're still unaware of all their possible long-term effects on health, and not to mention the ways in which the darn things actually WORK.

Anyway, I probably lost most of you a while ago on this lengthy rant, but if you've made it this far.... hi Jeff! And also, SLOW DOWN. Our society just needs to breathe and know that the fastest fixes aren't necessarily the most effective...or in the case of the dollar store example, the most humane.

Take the time to respect OTHERS around you, know YOURSELF intimately, and balance the wants/needs of these two parties in a way that makes SENSE...not to be confused with cents, or 99 cents for that matter.