Don't Push Me 'Cus I'm Close To The Edge
March 23rd, 2007 at 07:23pm Keith Hemstreet 8
It’s that time of year again. The end of another season for the Aspen service industry. A time when frustration is high, morale is low, and fuses are short. Four months have passed since the slopes opened and tourists began pouring into our quiet little town. We’ve all encountered our share of pompous, condescending vacationers. Under great duress, we’ve often bitten our tongue, forced a smile and done our best to be accommodating. Some of us, however, have had enough. We’ve been pushed over the line. We are past the point of no return. Simply put, some of us have gone mad.
For sake of illustration, I’ve listed a few quotes below. All of which were recently overheard around town.
INT. SKI SHOP – DAY
A Ski Technician slams screwdriver down on the table after being insulted by a customer.
SKI TECH: If we lived in mid-evil times, I’d challenge that dickhead to a dual and kill him.
(Please, someone toss this man a sword).
INT. COFFEE SHOP – EARLY MORNING
Tourist enters coffee shop, typing on his Blackberry.
TOURIST: (to Barista) What’s going on with the weather? Are we going to get any snow, or what?
BARISTA: I don’t know. Why don’t you email God and ask him?
INT. HOTEL - AFTERNOON
A vacationer stomps away from the front desk after claiming a concierge screwed up his dinner reservation.
VACATIONER: You people are incompetent!
Vacationer exits through door.
CONCIERGE: How about I punch you in the throat, Asshole?
So, there we have it. It seems we should all book flights to some far away island in the south pacific, settle on an uninhabited stretch of beach, and befriend a coconut. (As we all know, coconuts are rarely condescending).
To all of you out there teetering on the edge of the abyss, I offer my support. Remain strong. Take a deep breath. We’ve almost made it.
Entry Filed under: Comedy, Aspen, People, Pitkin County

















2 Comments Add your own
1. Lost Sailor | March 24th, 2007 at 8:50 am
brilliant!
there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train. these last few weeks are exponentially longer than the rest.....
2. Lost Sailor | March 25th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I've been thinking about your post Keith - and the ultimate customer service FU would be to have a bomb belt on, and blow yourself up right in front of that difficult person - it would send a pretty sobering message. bad for business, perhaps. but it would be effective. and it'd probably make the ap wire.
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