curse you, bethlehem bus terminal!
I got up at 5:15 this morning so I could get in to work on the 6:30 bus. When I got to the terminal, I tried to purchase a new ten trip book of tickets. The clerk, however, didn’t understand how they worked.
It is very frustrating when you, as a customer, know more about how the transaction should proceed than the clerk or cashier does.
It is even more frustrating when the clerk or cashier does not believe you.
First, she tore off the front ticket, which is supposed to remain no the booklet and serve as a receipt. I didn’t realize this until I’d asked her to please date the booklet – the tickets expire after 30 days, and if not dated, some drivers will not take them. When I realized that she’d just dated one ticket, I asked her to date the rear ticket, and explained why. This got her even more exasperated, and she tore off the rear ticket and dated the front receipt and handed both it and the tickets to me.
Fortunately for me the receipt has the serial number of the tickets on it, so it is clear that they belong together. I imagine I’ll still get some grumbles from one or two of the drivers, though.
Once I got in to Philadelphia, I headed over to RTM to grab a croissant. While there, I realized that I only had a dollar. In the confusion, I must have left my change with the cashier. Did she fail to notice it, or did she just say nothing? Given the fact that they don’t keep cash on the counter, and that I sat in the terminal for at least five or ten minutes after buying my tickets, I am inclined to suspect the latter. I am out six dollars, and had to eat a hunk of white bread instead of a nice croissant.
Argh!