You shouldn't be polite to those people.

So I'm stopping in a gas station/convenience store to get fuel for my hungry car and a snack for me to nosh on while I'm waiting for my car to have its fuel system cleaned (and boy it needed it). I walk back in and I'm approached by a woman who was there doing scratch-off lottery tickets when I went in and gave the money to authorize the pumps.

Let's back up here a little bit.

I came in and waited in line to get to the cashier. I said "Hi, could I get thirty on pump two please?" Which is just good manners and is something that I know that retail people like to hear. They do like to be treated with courtesy and respect, just as any other human being would. Woman behind the counter takes the money, authorizes the pump and I walk out saying "Thank you".

Back to the woman who approached me.

It would seem that my being polite to the cashiers offended this woman. She quasi-whispered (you know, in the way that is "supposed" to be private but the real intention is to be overheard) to me "You know, you shouldn't be so polite to those people. It's not our fault that they took jobs that require them to serve us."

Wow! The milk of human kindness there went really sour there didn't it.

So I say in my public speaking voice as I was getting the dollar that the pump owed me "So you feel that I should not be polite to those I feel beneath me?" She nods. "Well, that's certainly good to know. Thanks a lot you stuck-up bitch.", and then walked out.

People were actually applauding me.