BANNED!
I went by the video store today to do some managerial stuff, and while I was there, someone put a DVD through the slot in the door.

Let me explain something so you understand just why this is a bad thing to do. We're a small store. We usually only have one employee on at a time. The slot in the door does not lead to a big bin like it does at Blockbuster that is eventually emptied by an employee working the floor. We put a bag under the slot when we're closed, so people can return movies during off hours, but there's no bag when we're open. When we're open, we expect customers to actually come inside and hand the movie to a real-life human being. If they put it through the slot while we're open, it falls to the hard tile floor.

This has happened enough times, especially since the close of our neighborhood Blockbuster, that it's started to make us all cranky. We'll usually try to catch the person who did it and tell them to only use the slot when we're closed. Most of the time, they apologize and it never happens again. A small number do it again, repeatedly in fact, because they're lazy or stupid or afraid of their late fees, but generally people understand that the whole world isn't exactly like a store they used to go to and sometimes you need to readjust your habits.

Today, someone put a movie through the slot in the door. M., who was working today, opened the door and called after him to get his attention and let him know not to do that when we're open.

At which point, the guy, who barely stopped walking, turns around, flips her off and says, "Suck my dick!"

Really.

There are assholes everywhere, and it seems like there are more every day who feel entitled to do whatever they want whenever they want without consequence, but I take consolation in knowing that people like him get what's coming to them in the end. In his case, what came to him was me writing the giant word BANNED on his account.

It takes a lot to be banned from a video store. In fact, we've only banned a small handful of customers in the three years I've been there, mostly for the same thing: being mean or rude to the employees. Now they can never rent from us again. And we're the only game in town.

So keep this in mind, folks. Be nice to your local retail employees. They have more power to affect your life than you think.