Counter persons are just not trained well anymore. This has happened to me a number of times this past year: I am waiting on line to pay for something when the cashier becomes so enmeshed in some time-consuming problem with a customer that she doesn't notice that the checkout line is growing longer and longer.

Yesterday it was at a local pharmacy in my hometown - a customer came to the lone cashier, ostensibly to pay for a number of items and then wanted to know the difference between one brand of lip balm and another. So here I am waiting for this idiot pharmacy employee to look around and see that customers are starting to back up while she explains the features of the various products. This went on for some time.

Normally after two minutes of waiting I would have said something but I was curious how long this would go on. After more than eight minutes of waiting, I was struck by the fact that the pharmacist and his many assistants didn't notice the accumulation of customers and the single cashier. Finally, and I do not like being rude, I called out to the pharmacist behind her that it would be convenient if he called for more cashiers. He got on the horn and was about to call for backup when he saw the lone cashier begin ringing up her customer and responded that she would be right with me. I replied rather sternly that I didn't want her - that I didn't believe she would ever be finished with that customer and demanded another cashier.

He was about to get another cashier when I waved him off and left my stuff on the counter without making my purchase. There are more than a few dozen pharmacies in my town all within a few minutes of driving time. This one seems not to need my business.