Christmas cheer, brought to you by...

So, I just told off a rude customer at Starbucks.

I know, just when I'm starting to get a handle on smarting off and having patience, I regressed.

I was at my local Starbucks to get my new fave- Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha.  It's a busy Sunday morning and there is a line to the door and wrapping through the merchandise area.  There are only 2 registers, the one I'm ordering at and one occupied by a woman wearing a bright red fleece, brown hair piled up on her head and she's berating what turned out to be the manager.  Apparently, she was wanting to purchase something that had an incorrect price tag.  When she was informed of the mistake, she hit the roof- she wanted the tagged price, it's against the law to do what you're doing, I'm calling corporate.  She's the poster child for bad people that have learned to pitch a 4-yr old fit and call corporate offices with their complaints knowing full well the offices will throw product or discounts at her and make her feel like a million bucks because they want her to a) shut up and go away because she's an annoying pestilence and b) they want to keep people happy.  

In the time it took for me to walk in, wait for two people to order, place my order and pay, and then pick up my drink- this woman was monopolizing this register.  And she wasn't being Christmasy.  I take offense to this.  And besides, the staff at this 'Bucks is so nice, I was mad at her for being rude to them.  Cue up the vigilante response!!!

While I was walking out, she stomped out right in front of me.  I couldn't take it anymore.  I told her in the most disarmingly sweet and charming voice, "Thank you so much for clogging up the line just so you could be insolent!"  Wince.

That pile of a woman whirled around and looked at me and said, "Ex-cuse me?"  So I told her again the exact same thing in the same tone of voice, smiled and walked away.  She called after me and told me no problem, anytime.  

The best part is: I really don't think she knew what insolent meant.  I'm sure she knew I had insulted her in front of a line of strangers by calling her out and using the words "clogging the line", but she looked a little confused and insolent isn't exactly a word people use a lot.  My greatest hope is that when she got home, she googled "insolent" and found out its true meaning.

And deep down, I feel triumphant.  She's never going to change, she's always going to be that sort of person.  But, I got to use an intelligent word, used it properly, and hopefully made her think.  Kill 'em with knowledge!!!!!

And that's why I like big words.  They make stupid people a little bit more aware of their stupidity.

I'm a jerk.