Posted by Scott is the rush hour until closing manager at the local Safeway. He is now probably around fifty but he has been at it for at least twenty years. Outwardly, from what I see in the store, he is the definition of officious–always there and just as predictably following the rules. Just through longevity and repetition, he seems a bit more sociable in recent years.
I have never exchanged niceties with him but, but now he is friendly. He know that I am not stealing and perhaps he even knows that other long-time employees are better at recognizing local customers. The longest engagement I have had with him was when I printed the cookies redemption and told him that the store did not have 16-count cookies. He solved that by approving it with his complete authority and omnipresence when I paid.
That incident engendered respect toward me and, if possible, a correction of the discrepancy between the store and the website. He was glad to know it. He may have realized that one customer with a problem likely foretells others.