Rider: Hey CTA workers, be nice or quit

The rest of this morning's ride was not without incident. A female rider requested to stop at Rush Street, and when the bus pulled up to the red light at Illinois and Rush, the bus driver did not let her exit.

The woman pushed on the back doors and asked to be let off only for the bus driver to exclaim, 'I have to cross the street!' False.

The bus stop was right outside those doors, as all the passengers could see and as the woman explained to the driver. The driver did not believe her, but after a few more verbal exchanges, she let the woman off the bus without an apology.

These two situations could have and should have been handled much differently. For the family of four, a simple 'I'll let you ride, but know for next time that your son is too old and requires more fare,' would have sufficed.

For the woman who just wanted off, 'I'm sorry, I thought you wanted Michigan. Have a nice day, ma'am,' would have neutralized the situation.

I am all too familiar with trials of the customer service employee. I work at Navy Pier and sell T-shirts to tourists. I am sure you can imagine the annoying and repetitive questions I get asked every day.

My favorite one usually takes place like this: 'Where are the closest restrooms?'

'That way, on the other side of McDonald's.'

'Aren't there some down this way?'

'Yes, but they are a lot farther away.'

'Oh, OK.'

Then they ignore my warning and continue on their own way. Yes, it is annoying to be asked a question and have my answer be ignored, but I answer anyway with a smile on my face.

I could get angry at every little inconvenience to my day and scare away any and every potential customer or I can recognize the fact that these people are here to shop, see the sights, and spend time with their family, and not--despite popular belief--to ruin my day.

After all, if these people were not here, I would not have a job.

So I am placing a call of action to my fellow Chicagoans and Americans: If you work in customer service and hate your customers, fake that you like them and treat them with respect.

Chances are that they are the source of your paycheck. If you cannot fake it, quit, because nobody wants to deal with you either.

If you want to be respected, you have to give respect. I am always thankful and delighted when a bus driver greets me with a smile, so much so that I am eager to return the favor.

The same goes for any interaction with customer service personnel. A little bit of common courtesy and respect contribute tremendously to a more pleasant day. And I'm sure we could all use more pleasant days."