Mask of patience makes me too polite for courtesy crusade

I’M thinking of signing up to fellow Take Two columnist Andrea Hamblin’s courtesy crusaders.

They are the customers not afraid to get angry and spread courtesy through our retail world.

The thought struck me as I was sending psychic daggers into the back of an old lady’s head in a Geelong chain store the other day.

It might have been more useful to politely say: ‘‘Excuse me, I think I was waiting first.’’

There was, however, a grey area involved (not just hair).

It was possible the old lady was served initially, then left to help herself and returned with an exchanged item.

So technically, she may have been still ahead in the queue. You see, a conundrum. But it was the way she made a mad lurch at the counter, arm outstretched in front of me while intentionally not meeting my eye, that caused the open guppy-mouth gasp from the young staffer.

Her eyes met mine in silent plea to keep quiet. So I did.

And I patiently waited until it was my turn to ask for assistance. I just sent the silent daggers. Old queue- jumper refused to look my way. She knew. Oh, yes, she did. The point was, all this angst would probably not happen if there were enough store staff.

Here, you have to line up just to ask a question.

When it was finally my turn, the assistant couldn’t help me.

So I had to wait for someone else to come along who could while the line up grew behind me.

The second assistant couldn’t really help either.

So I left empty- handed, and realised I probably can’t join the crusaders.

There’s no superhero with the word ‘‘reasonable’’ or ‘‘patient’’ in their title.