I found a story out of Massachusetts particularly disturbing this week.It makes me wonder just what THE RONA has done to us.Yes, we’ve been confined (sort of) for a couple of months.Yes, we want to get back to life as normal.At least those of us not scared into paranoia do.Yet, when we get out it seems that confinement has made us forget how to behave in polite society.
Let’s visit Polar Cave Ice Cream in Mashpee on Cape Cod.As many such businesses had done the owner, Mark Lawrence, has kept his shop closed under state guidelines until Mother’s Day weekend.His grand reopening was last Friday.It was short lived.He closed the shop again after the one day of being open.
Why?
People.
Lawrence reported that customers, frustrated with the delay because the shop was overwhelmed, decided to take it out on his employees.One 17 year-old girl quit her job at the end of the shift because of the way she was talked to by impatient customers.Lawrence said the language they used to this employee was embarrassing and that the customers should be ashamed of themselves.
Knowing the reopen was going to be busy the shop had asked that all orders be placed an hour in advance.Apparently several folks failed to follow those rules.They created their own frustration and took it out on his now former employee.What a sad commentary.
We’re all tired of the so called lockdown. Feeling like your freedom is unreasonably limited is frustrating, but once you choose to exercise it again, should you not strive to act like you deserve it?Some of these folks failed miserably in that regard.
Lawrence has now closed his shop until he can develop a system that will allow operation and not subject his staff to those who, just maybe, should not have been let out in public in the first place.I’d suggest he look at the efficiency of Chick-fil-A and the wonderful job they perform at every turn.
As for us, let’s think about the frustration we have faced and whether or not we help alleviate the problem or become part of it. If we choose the former then we deserve…
Ice Cream for Everyone!
Here's a late update to the story- there is a report that the shop owner had started a GoFundMe page for the former employee who had been saving for her education. The report stated that the page had raised around $30,000 for the young lady. Those folks certainly deserve the ice cream!