After yet another major news story where a bullied youth took out his frustrations violently, I had the profound thought that if only we were generally a lot nicer to each other the world would be a better place. Deep, huh? So I resolved that I should be nicer to strangers I come in contact with. (My wife is always giving me the elbow in the ribs or the kick under the table for being smarmy or sarcastic with people I deem pushy or ignorant or phony. The first time a cashier asked for my zip code on a cash purchase, instead of just saying none of your business I got flippant and said "Oh, just put down the zip code of this store, I'm sleeping in your parking lot." Before I even got out of the store I was accosted by a cop. I had to convince him that I did indeed have a home to go to.
   But I digress. Anyway I had just resolved to be nicer to people when the very next day, a particularly hectic one, I completely went off on some poor teenaged fast food employee. He had screwed up my order beyond all recognition and overcharged me on my bank card by $5.00. I knew from experience it would take ten days to correct and proceeded to get irate. The manager came to make things right and told me it was his first day and gave me cash back and a free drink (I think she probably just wanted to get the raving mad man away from her drve-thru window).
   By the time a different employee brought my food I had remembered my resolution from the previous day and somewhat sheepishly said "uh, tell the other dude I'm sorry if I made him feel like an asshole." In reality, I was the asshole.
   I have done a much better job of checking my tongue since then, but in a situation like the one described at the top of the thread I'd have responded: "Horseshit. Didn't know they piled it so high."