The media have been reporting recently of rising rates of pill use in this country.  Gee, who’d a’ thunk, eh?  Been down the aisles in what used to be called a drug store lately?  Products are stacked high & deep enough that short people can’t reach some of them and doctors are writing prescriptions so fast the script pads are smoking.

I don’t think that’s all bad, either.  We, mainly the US customers  who pay the majority of research costs by pharmaceutical companies, have made great strides in discovering rather artificial remedies for various ailments, diseases, and conditions.  

Good thing too, because I am more and more frequently running into situations where my blood pressure just wants to jump through the roof.  I’ve been on several BP meds, among others, for a long time now, but these days just seem to stretch the limits of current dosages.

Yesterday, on the way back from my wife’s doctor’s appointment (all’s well with the follow-up, but she ended up with a new Rx because the insurance company is playing games with the formulary again), we stopped to pick up some we-won’t-advertise-it’s-fried chicken at KFC.  Neither of us has been sleeping very well and we were dog-tired, so the steaks curing in the fridge will wait another day.  A quick pickup at KFC, home, eat, and relax is the plan, and that’s about all we can muster.

As we pull into the parking lot we see a sign in the KFC window for a special.  Buy X-many and you get Y-many for free.  Hmm.  Maybe the steaks will cure for an additional day. 

She goes in and I leave the car running with the A/C on. 

And I wait.  And I wait.  And I wait.

I’m about to shut the car down and go out back to see if they need help catching the chickens when she finally comes out with bag in hand.

Geez, that took a long time.  Did you get the special?

Uh oh.  She is not a happy camper.  She’s usually pretty laid back and rather quiet, but I can tell by the look on her face as she composes her response…

Paraphrasing here, she responds that she has no idea if she got the special or not, and if she did, she doesn’t think she probably got what she was supposed to have.

To quote, “I don’t speak the right language.”

Uh, I understand.  That has been an increasing problem around here lately.

She relates that she had one hell of a time communicating with the person at the KFC counter, so just to place the order took a while, and then she wasn’t sure what she was going to end up getting.

In any case, we went home with whatever was in the bag, and however many there were in the bag, but on the way I had to wonder if the person in the back – you  know, the one who prepares the food? – has the same language skills as the counter person.

How are these people reading preparation instructions?  How are they reading safety instructions on equipment and machinery?  How are they reading warnings and cautions on cleaning products?   

Yes, it is my own fault if I let it get to me, but frankly, it is REALLY beginning to piss me off.  If they want to place themselves at risk, I’d say that’s their decision, except that I know who is really going to foot the bill for the ER visit.  And as far as placing me and my family at risk, well, we won’t go there.

Customer service again.

KFC, meet Chase.  Chase, meet KFC.  You two have a lot in common, not the least of which is failure to communicate.

………………..

Did I take my evening medications yet?

………………..

We get home and get out some paper plates.  We’re too tired to take inventory.  What we have is what we have and that’s it.  I take my plate over to the computer desk, where I spend a lot of time, and read a new email message from a friend I have known from the 70’s.  We were stationed together in the Air Force and he taught me quite a few things, one of which is racquetball.  I may still have some of the welts on the back of my legs to prove it.

In any case, know before you read his message, which with his permission I share with you, that he is a pretty easy going person.  He is one of the most even-tempered, level-headed people I have ever known.  When we were stationed together we put in some terribly long hours under some pressing conditions.  Couldn’t ruffle him, though.  Even keel, we’ll just work through it and we’ll get it done in the end.

That said, I can only imagine, with some difficulty I might add, how he looked when the following occurred.  His message is quoted, in its entirety, below:

Well, some of you are not going to believe what I did today. Most of you know me as being a soft spoken, laid back, friendly type of individual, not getting upset at anything. Well, guess what, today I just couldn’t take any more of seeing our country roll over into “North Mexico” and Spanish as being the FIRST language.

I went to a Wal-Mart Super Center to pick up a few items and this store is not laid out the same as some others. One thing I needed to get was a “watch battery” for [my wife’s] watch.

I had the watch in my hand and after looking around to find the Jewelry counter which wasn’t in the same location as it is in other stores, I spotted a female employee, Spanish, @mid thirty’s and I asked her “where is the Jewelry counter”?

She said in English, what?

I repeated “J e w e l r y, c o u n t e r.”

She looked puzzled so I showed her the watch and said very slowly, w a t c h  b a t t e r y. 

She said OK, and started off in one direction which was toward the garden center. After looking around she saw another female employee, @mid twenty’s, and said something to her in Spanish.

The young woman looked at me and said, “you want the Laundry product”??  I’m sorry but I just “lost it” at that time. I said NO, forget it and walked off.

I went to customer service and asked to talk to a manager and after 2 pages for him and 10 minutes, a young Hispanic male showed up. He had tattoo’s all down his left arm and asked how he could help me. I let that go by and said the following:

    I know that I will be called a racist when I say this but I want to know if being able to speak English is a requirement to work here at Wal-Mart?

    He said “well, not really, it depends where the person is going to work”. If they are a sales clerk, yes they need to know how to speak English.

    I then told him my tale of woe and that I don’t think that I need to learn Spanish to be able to buy something at Wal-Mart.

    He said, OK, I will pass it on to the employee’s.

    I asked if there was a corporate number that I could complain to and he said well, you could go to Wal-Mart.Com and they would have a place you could complain to.

    I just looked at him and walked out as I didn’t want to get arrested for what I may have done next.

The invasion of the United States is going along very well. Thanks George Bush and all you liberal politicians. It is really hard to believe that this is happening.

That message was sent to a few people, and a few minutes later I found this in my in-basket, from a different source, and again quoted below in its entirety:

Amen! 

Wal-Mart is one of the tools being used to complete the infiltration.  Not that there wasn’t plenty to dis-like about Wal-Mart anyway. 

I used to try to grin and bear it but the other day I had a bad experience there and now realize that we customers are there to serve their needs for profits no matter how much it inconveniences us. 

I lost a lens out of my eyeglasses and knew about where it happened but when I tried to get help at the customer service I was treated like a bother and was told they would call if they found anything. 

This was before they even took my phone number which I had to insist on giving them much to the clerks dismay. 

I then told her “No one is going to do anything are they?”  She said, “Honestly, No.” 

I then put my bags on the counter and took a refund and hope to god I never find it necessary to go to another Wal-Mart as a customer again. 

I don’t know how many of our Wal-Mart employees speak English.  Most of them won’t speak to a customer if at all avoidable.

Chase, you and KFC have already met; I’d like both of you to meet Wal-Mart.  All three of you have something in common.  As a matter of fact, KFC, you and Wal-Mart have even more in common; you should hit it off very nicely and may want to throw your own party.  Please be sure to invite Chase, but leave me out.

I’ll be home taking another pill.