Treat People the Way You'd Like to be Treated - Seriously

During our trip across the US I regularly frequent the walk-in manicure / pedicure businesses one finds popping up all over. I would like to call them spas but they are usually very bare bones type of places and most of the time the employees are Asian women. The services are always, in my opinion, satisfactory and the price is more than right - normally about $30 for a manicure and pedicure. The experience can't be compared to a high end or hotel spa with all of their fruit-infused water, organic teas, soft music etc but that's a trade off when you are being charged 75% less. It is also difficult at times to communicate with the staff but they are all hard working and efficient so, again, this is the opportunity cost of very affordable services. Well, for the second time this past week I have experienced adult women behaving badly. In the most recent incident, a woman claimed that the little white flower painted on her sister's big toe was "prettier" than the one painted on her big toe. She insisted it be redone. Redoing this means redoing the entire toe then painting a new flower. The manager tried to say that the customer should have made her specific flower wishes (God, how old are we? I can barely write this without thinking the complainer is just a spoiled jerk) known before the nail technician began but Ms. Complainer was having none it. Like a child she whined that she had no idea what kinds of flowers the technician could paint so how could she know what she wanted? Honestly it was embarrassing to watch and I had to fight to hold my tongue. The polish and flower was redone which of course meant the nail studio made nothing on this transaction. This is hardly an isolated incident. I was in a similar business in Denver and experienced women discussing the technicians and their limited English skills as if these women weren't even present. Clearly the experience could be improved but I would guess a lot of women, myself included, wouldn't be booking these services so frequently if the price was 75% more. I also doubt that most high end spas would put up with this nonsense - or that these women would have the guts to try it. Instead of seeing it as a "win win" situation, these women use it as a chance to see themselves as superior. Sad.