On the Road Again

Posting from Baltimore, where I've come for my cousin's wedding (where I'll try out the new dress).

I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning (which wouldn't have been so bad except I went to bed at 1:30) and had to change planes in Dallas, and both my flights were a little bit delayed, but I ended up making it here ok, and that's not what I'm ticked about.

Here's what I'm ticked about.  I used the valet parking at the airport.  (This because the self-parking adds up to another 45 minutes to my travel time waiting for the damn shuttle, and when I'm only gone for two days, the price differential ain't that much.)  So, I pull up into the valet parking area.  There are a few rows of cars that have backed up -- which is to say, the customers have already been dealt with -- their cars are just sitting there waiting for the valet dudes to park them.  So the valet dudes wave me over to start a new column of cars.  I pull up.  There's about four valet dudes standing there.  One of them starts walking around my car to check to see if there's any damage that he has to mark on the little ticket.  Since I'm in a hurry, I get out of my car and go around back to take my suitcase out, rather than waiting for valet guy to do it.  I figure he'll give me my ticket while I'm standing at the back of my car, and I'll be on my way.

Except valet guy has disappeared.  By the time I'm standing at the back of my car, valet guy has gone over to the car that pulled in behind me and is talking to that guy through his window, taking down his information.  I'm standing there -- with one hand on my suitcase still in the back of my car -- staring at "my" employee, who has just flagrantly blown me off to deal with the guy behind me. 

The other three valet guys are just standing there, oblivious.  One of them asks me if I need help taking my suitcase out.  "No," I say, "but I thought that guy was helping me."  One of the other valet dudes then takes the hint, walks over to me, and starts filling out a little ticket for me (for the second time).  Apologetically, he says, "I thought someone else was helping you."  "Yeah," I say, "So did I."

I understand how certain rules of etiquette and politeness are considered outdated, but I honestly can't figure how someone in the customer service line of work can just overlook the first customer in line and serve whomever the heck he wants.