When my family came to the USA from the Soviet Union, one of the weird things about the experience for us was how friendly American retail staff were. Brighton Beach in NYC is a neighborhood with a lot of Soviet immigrants, and you can still go there and experience retail staff glaring at you because you’re creating more work for them by coming into the store.
Interesting. I work at an American McDonald’s, most of my coworkers express disdain for the customers, although they typically don’t let them know that they hate them. However, if someone orders 13 burgers cooked to order, that shit isn’t happening. Personally, I’m probably nicer than I should be. A significantly more common problem is the customers being assholes to us. They act like pricks at the window where they pay, but act a little nicer when they get their food. I guess that nobody that’s at a McDonald’s is having a good day, so I understand to an extent.
Due to the disconnect between price, supply, and demand in the Soviet Union, many things officially cost little but there wasn’t enough for everyone who wanted to buy some. This gave retail workers (and everyone else in the distribution chain) informal power: they could make sure those who did them favors got special access.
When my family came to the USA from the Soviet Union, one of the weird things about the experience for us was how friendly American retail staff were. Brighton Beach in NYC is a neighborhood with a lot of Soviet immigrants, and you can still go there and experience retail staff glaring at you because you’re creating more work for them by coming into the store.
Interesting. I work at an American McDonald’s, most of my coworkers express disdain for the customers, although they typically don’t let them know that they hate them. However, if someone orders 13 burgers cooked to order, that shit isn’t happening. Personally, I’m probably nicer than I should be. A significantly more common problem is the customers being assholes to us. They act like pricks at the window where they pay, but act a little nicer when they get their food. I guess that nobody that’s at a McDonald’s is having a good day, so I understand to an extent.
Due to the disconnect between price, supply, and demand in the Soviet Union, many things officially cost little but there wasn’t enough for everyone who wanted to buy some. This gave retail workers (and everyone else in the distribution chain) informal power: they could make sure those who did them favors got special access.