Well, I disagree. When you work in a retail or service job, you are obligated to be polite to customers and assist them. This is your job. If you don't like it, work behind a desk, or away from the public. This doesn't mean you need to pose for photos when asked, but certainly you should greet customers with a simple hello, say please, thank you, etc. I used to work for the airlines and also as a waitress, so I know very well how annoying and difficult it is to work with the public. On some days, I was in a bad mood. This does not give me the right to be rude or angry at customers I encountered. I was getting paid to serve them in an efficient, kind manner. About the grocery store, I shop at the place that is most convenient to my home. This Harris Teeter is less than five minutes from where I now live, that's why we went there. I also shop at Walmart sometimes, and have taken other Russian guests there. You can see a huge report, with idiotic comments, here http://macos.livejournal.com/985520.html. This is Alexander's favorite store, and we always shop there during his visits. But I'm not willing to drive 20 minutes out of the way to save $5. I show all sides of Russia in my blog - good and bad. Big cities, and villages...