I knew the day would come when a customer made my blood boil. Today was the day. Wanted a bass guitar string. I only sell them by the set (of 4). He went livid and started ranting that I sold his son the wrong string a month or two ago - a guitar string instead of a bass string. Fair enough. If somebody asks for a guitar string I normally don't ask if they really really wanted a bass string. I usually go through five minutes of questioning to arrive at the correct string to buy. Electric or acoustic? Nylon or steel? Round wound or plain? Which string exactly? You want it normal, light, or extra-light? You want graphite composite? Plain end or ball? But he didn't allow me to get a word in edgewise. He stormed toward the door, stating he would never again do business here and that Tony would have never treated him so poorly and would have sold him a single bass string (doubt that he ever did). Oh, and he's going to spread the word so none of his friends will ever do business with me again. End of story. Now if he would've allowed me to defend myself, I would've told him that Tony didn't sell sets of bass strings. All he had were singles. Oh, and they have all been in the store since at least 1980. There were exactly three left when I bought the shop and the manufacturer of this particular brand went out of business in about 1983. Sorry, but I'm not going to sell you a 20 year old string as new. I threw them out a month ago because the plating was coming off the things. So he's pissed off and I'm pissed off and it's hard to see how the outcome could've been any different. I'm not gonna' break up a set to sell you one because only one ever breaks (the small one) and it would take me lessee, at least twenty years to sell the rest of the set unless they rotted first. Fine, don't come back because I refuse to do business with somebody so rude. But thanks for stopping by... It really choked me to get those words out, the only words I was allowed.

My only saving grace is that with his personality I doubt that he has many friends. A few hours and a little zen will get me past this.

Another side of public contact is that I picked up a cold/flu bug. Sure it happens in offices too, but I think when you're in direct contact with the public you probably get each strain a bit earlier. Don't know. Anyway I'm fighting it hard and winning. If I get sick enough that I can't work things get very complicated. Can't let it happen.