a very small rant about my job, and people, and community service

so i've had a few interactions with "customers" in the past week or so that have left me a little grumpy. probably annoyingly self-righteous too.

i work for community services, at their thrift store. the thrift store is responsible for over 80% of the funding for over 30 programs running in our area. these are programs such as youth outreach, food bank, the greenhouse project, kidsport, support networks for senior citizens, whistler survival guide... those are the big ones. we support more than 15 families in the area, helping them with rent, food, education, clothing... www.mywcss.org

our store runs on donations made by the community. we sort and price everything and it goes for sale. sure, i get paid, but there are a lot of volunteers putting in hours too, cleaning, sorting and organizing. 2 times a year myself and my manager drive to vancouver to compare the prices of other thrift stores with our store. some of the salvation army stores charge up to $400 for a bed. we charge $40 for the same set-up. likewise for books, clothes, linen.

so when a customer asks me to the furniture section for a price, then reacts by saying to their friend, "see, i told you this place screws you", when i have just asked for $30 for a $200 table, when the money is not going into my pocket but into the hands of people who need it, well, that's when i have to bite my tongue. which of course i do, because i am good at my job.

i guess what i mean is, people, not to be all touchy-feely, but love each other. help each other out.

please.