Be Nice to the Person Behind the Counter

I was at the bank this morning, and a gentleman at the next teller had to give a fingerprint verification for some reason. As soon as he was done, he asks the teller: "Now where am I going to wipe my hand?"

The teller hands him some dry tissues, but the gentleman is quite unsatisfied. "No, no, no, you're telling me you don't have any wet tissues? Well then I want to talk to your manager. Where is he? Oh, it's a she? Well I guess I just have a sexist attitude. This is a big customer service problem you have here, making customers get all this black crap on their thumbs and not giving them wet tissues to wipe it off with..." etc, etc, etc... then he starts talking about how he needs the cash because his other bank won't take a check, and blah blah blah.

And it's this 20-something teller, just looking at this guy with the most perfected blank stare.

It reminded me of the years I spend working in both the arts and athletic ticket offices at Harvard. I got yelled at because we reserved certain floor seats for handicapped persons in wheelchairs, we gave priority seating at Harvard/Yale to alumni, we limited Beanpot tickets to 4 per customer, we gave family benefits to unmarried gay couples but not unmarried straight couples, and so on. People would yell, bang on the window, hang up, huff away and come back fuming, and the like.

Why do people treat those behind the counter like this? You KNOW they aren't responsible for the policy you're upset with, and can't do anything about it. In addition, all the other customers have to listen to your whining, which does nothing but make you look like an asshole. So either politely ask for the manager (and then shut up and wait to speak to them) or save your bitching for something worthwhile.