I "insure" good service at the grocery store by occasionally bringing a sweet item up with my order, then leaving it with a cashier.  Makes their day--cashiers get terrible treatment and terrible pay, and the economy hits their minimum wage harder than almost anyone else.  They have to put up with a bunch of blame for the rising price and falling size and quality of almost everything.  If their comments are appalling, tell them so, or indicate that maybe a little optimism is in order. 

My DH works at Safeway...and (yes I am biased) he is so nice to people that customers WAIT to get checked out by him.  He always remembers their names, their kids names, and even their dogs names...he teases and jokes and even the most dour ones finally will crack a smile.  I swear he could have been a politician.  He could make a rock laugh.

On the other hand I've had checkers roll their eyes when I told them I wanted paper instead of plastic.  They were chatting with each other and I had to say it twice after she started putting my food into plastic.  I never went back to that store.

Much as I normally like to support local business, I've walked out of two local stores (and never gone back) because the owners had hate-spewing talk radio going in the background. If they want to listen to that vile stuff on their own time, fine, that's their businesses, but I refuse to tolerate it in a store where I'm shopping.

You have a good openion I agree with alot but??... my politics sometimes can get me into trouble by voiceing by trying to say something then later I eat crow thats what the country is made of if not then hang upside down by our toes then capitalizim would not be worth saying nothing or the freedom to say it thats where Im going to eat crow and hang my toes I speak my openion if not then close topics like this but thats my wish but if not then I just need to deal with it.

I agree, I don't like to hear nasty talk among the clerks while I'm trying to shop - or even friendly talk if they're ignoring me!  

Another thing that I really detest is managers chastising the employees in public.  I once saw a manager sneering and mocking at an older woman employee who couldn't walk fast enough to suit her.   I didn't take time to call the store manager, just chewed her out extensively on the spot.