i was at the pharmacy earlier this week and i had to actually talk to the pharmacist about a prescription and discuss some insurance related stuff. i was the only one in the 'drop off/counsel' line while the pickup line was easily 20 deep.
so im waiting and the pharmacist is kind of right in front of me and is on the phone with what was clearly an elderly person with lots of questions and issues with their meds, and the pharmacist has repeated the same thing at least four times, and is answering the same question again and again, and offering the same reassurances and instructions multiple times... and she kept looking at me and holding up a finger and maybe slightly rolling her eyes... but on the phone she was polite, calm, helpful and never once betrayed any frustration or impatience, even on the fourth or fifth repeat. i easily waited 8-10 minutes...
and i also was totally calm and patient, and when she finally hung up and turned to me she immediately said 'i am so sorry for the wait!' to which i responded 'no problem at all... you're doing a great job, you were so good on the phone! your patience and politeness made me want to be patient and polite!' and she ended up being super helpful to me as well.
i mean... it's really not that difficult to not be a complete asshole all the time.