A town in Russia with the most brutal service industry

I’m glad that the country has opened up and that we all showed that Russians are not a bunch of bears walking along the sidewalks of big cities. We have a cultural heritage to be proud of. Our grandfathers showed outmost bravery during the Great Patriotic war. I like all these things about my country – but there’s one question that drives me crazy. Why do Russians – one of the most hospitable nations in the world – insult their fellow citizens when they work in the service industry? Even though things are getting better – the shop-assistants get more polite as the new chain of stores spread all over the country – there are some “brutal” examples of people yelling at you in the stores, cafes, taxis and railway stations.

Last weekend – in a small town not far from Moscow – I became a victim of such “brutality” “When I came to a café the first thing I heard – instead of “Hello”- was “Why have you come to us? Wanna have lunch and drinks? Don’t you see that all our tables are reserved?” When I heard this, I started to smile – nobody has ever talked to me in such a way before.

But that was just the beginning. The next morning I went into another café to have breakfast. When I asked for a menu the old lady frowned: “Why the hell are you asking? Things have been all the same here for a decade. So don’t ask any more questions – I’ll bring your breakfast shortly!” And the day rolled on – the shop assistant in the souvenir store wouldn’t sell me a magnet because she would have to give me the last one and without it the shop window would not look so nice. And when I was asking the way some of the people constantly told me: “Why the hell are you asking?”

I have the only explanation for this phenomenon – at all began in the 19th century when local merchants wanted to protect their wealth and influence by giving bribes for…not building the roads and rail tracks through their cities! That’s why the notion that all the guests are aliens still prevails.

But suddenly – at the end my stay – on the way to the train station I took a taxi. And then I had an unforgettable chat with a local driver, who seemed enthusiastic about life. He spoke English, he was about to start a job at a car manufacturing plant which had been built nearby and his hobby is – believe it or not – linguistics! He even helped me to carry my luggage to the station. So this is how the young taxi driver saved the face of the whole city!

I strongly hope there will be a lot more people like this in every town of Russia. They will definitely say: “No more bad service!”