Selective Rudeness

     So when we arrived at the airport in DC this morning, we took the shuttle bus from where the plane landed to the main terminal.  (As a note, you know it is a big place when you actually have to get on a bus and drive 5 minutes to another section.)  Here we go to the rental car place to snag a car for our many drivings and house huntings.
     When we get there, we wind up third in line behind a White Gentleman, and a Black Family.  Now the man behind the counter is very nice and friendly to the White Gentleman.  The Black Family get to the counter and there are various problems with them getting a car.  (The exact details aren't important, just issues over a credit card/debit card and who is paying for what.)  Through all of this, the Black Gentleman speaking for his family is very polite and patient even when the clerk essentially tells him "Sorry, but you can't do business here" and sends him away.  On the other hand, the clerk was more than a little bit rude to the guy and really treated him and his family like dirt.
     Now once my wife and I get to the counter (For those who don't know, my Beloved is Black), the clerk has shifted attitudes once again.  He wasn't quite rude to us, but he was much less polite and much more brusque with us.  He used the absolute minimum interaction with us and I definitely felt rushed.
     Now maybe this guy was just nearing the end of his shift and he was ready to go home.  Maybe there was some nuance of his interaction with the second group that I missed that really peeved him off.  It just seems suspicious to me that this guy was really nice to the White Gentleman, very rude to the Black Family and semi-rude to the Mixed Race Couple.
     Of course, even taking that into account, his rude attitude to customers is simply inexcusable.  The guy's job is to interact in a positive way with the public around him and especially potential customers.  At the time his rudeness began, he was not yet aware of the issues revolving around the second family and even if he had been aware, he could still have been more polite.
     I know it sounds odd coming from the guy who has made it his job to be an Ass, but I feel if it is your job to give service to the public in any shape form or fashion then you need to do politely.  Sure, Mr. Smith might not be able to be a customer today, but he might be one tomorrow.  Also if you piss Mrs.  Jones off, she might tell all of her friends, "Lord of Mercy, don't do business with those folks.  They are mean!!"
     In the end, it is in your own best interest to be nice to all of the customers in your establishment.  It just falls under the heading of YNN (You never know)

End of rant