a plea for a raise

This is a follow-up post to my previous article, Food for Thought.
Every job has its good and bad days, and my hours spent cashiering and making fast food are no different. Sometimes I love my job - I enjoy interacting with my customers, laughing with my coworkers, and providing an excellent experience for those who visit my restaurant. Other times my job is rough - I make mistakes, guests are rude, and the day doesn't seem to end. But one disturbing trend I have noted since I began working in the fast food industry nearly two years ago is the dehumanization of those behind the counter. 
Maybe you think "dehumanization" is a strong word, but please hear me out. 
Double Standards
I first came across this realization when I met one of my relatives. She is an exceptionally well-mannered preschooler - she almost always uses, "please" and "thank you", and when I said, "Ow" she immediately asked, "Are you okay?" 
We teach young children simple manners. If a grown-up asks them, "How are you?" our children are instructed to respond. If they do not respond, we will prompt them with something such as, "Aunt Bertha asked you a question." 
Yet when I work at the cash register, an example of a typical interaction is as follows:
Me: Good afternoon, how are you doing today? Customer: Combo #7.
By answering in this manner, we are inadvertently teaching our children that when Aunt Bertha asks them how they are, they have to respond. But if a cashier asks how they are, then it is perfectly acceptable to ignore the question. 
The same goes for customers who talk on the phone while ordering. Many of these customers are parents who probably would not appreciate their children or teenagers talking or texting on the phone while trying to give them instructions. Yet it is perfectly acceptable to talk loudly on a phone while ordering food, even if it disrupts the interaction so that communication is strained. (As a side-note, this is a potential lose-lose for the customer since it is hard to understand what they are ordering when they are talking to someone else at the same time).
Another time I burned myself while making food for a customer. Though she saw what had happened, she didn't ask me if I was okay. Instead she said, "I'm going to need more sauce on that item."
These things may seem small to you. You might say that I am simply too sensitive. But believe me, day after day of these interactions are tiring. Because when you ignore me or treat me as if I am only a machine no matter how subtle, you are no longer treating me as a human. 
One of my worst customer experiences took place recently. I was asking the customer's name for an order when he refused to give his name, instead shouting, "No! That is a terrible idea anyway." He proceeded to loudly complain. I was so flustered that I forgot to ask the next customer's name. he disruptive customer shouted out, "Good! No restaurant should ever do that anyway." Perhaps he didn't mean to be rude, but I do take pride in my work. I delight in getting to know my "regulars" and memorizing their orders; I like meeting new customers too. I am happy to hear when a guest has enjoyed their meal. I am always excited to try our new food (unless it's spicy). The fact that this man who didn't even know me would be so discouraging was appalling to me. 
See Beyond
The instance mentioned above also took place on a very emotional day for me. This particular day happened to be the birthday of a family friend who had passed away, and I was already very emotional. Amongst many other stressful customers that afternoon, this particular interaction broke me. I managed to finish out the work day, but went home and cried. Getting up to go to work again the next day was one of the hardest things I've done in a while.
Most customers don't see me as a person; they simply treat me as the cashier at best. They rarely "see beyond" the hat and name tag. Yet there is a powerful saying that says, "Be kind - everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about." This is true for us all, even those who wear hair nets and fold burritos. 
All of the people that make your food are fighting battles. Maybe they're dealing with an abusive relationship. Maybe their relative has just been diagnosed with cancer. Maybe their car wouldn't start that morning. Maybe it's their first day on the job. Maybe they're just having a really rough day. (You might say I'm being too imaginative, but all of these examples have happened to my coworkers). 
Mindless
We tend to think of fast food / service related jobs as "mindless" jobs because they don't require a college degree or a great amount of skill. While to some extent I agree, I think that the danger of this belief is that we begin to think of service workers as mindless, too. We begin to think that they are just a means to an end - they are burger-flippers or coffee-stirrers. We stop thinking of them as people and we start thinking of them as objects. While we might not show this dangerous mindset by throwing coffees or Chicken McNuggets, we show it by failing to listen and use simple manners.  Maybe the small instances I mentioned above are not enough to cry about. Maybe I just need to toughen up a little. But I would like to encourage you to be a better person simply by being a better customer. Negative interactions can be enough to send my spirits plummeting down, but positive interactions can bring them back up again. It's not hard to be an awesome customer. By smiling and listening, you might be able to brighten someone's horrible day.
Most of my customers, I believe, truly mean me no harm. Before I started my job two years ago, I was an ordinary customer too. I did not realize how much my words and small actions could discourage a stranger. This is ignorance, and I believe that ignorance can be cured by education.  Maybe you don't agree with this article, and that's okay. But I would like to challenge you, however, to try it - smile at the cashier. Ask him or her how their day is going or how long is left on their shift. Tell them to have a good day. I challenge you to try it for 30 days. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
1. Listen to what the cashier is saying. If they ask how you are doing, answer them. Don't interrupt, just listen.  2. Put down your phone. Please don't use your phone while ordering (or checking out). It makes communication hard and is frustrating to the cashier. Also, if you are dining out or shopping with friends, simply pause your conversation. If you are listening to music, please take your earbuds out.  3. When ordering, say "please". When finished, say, "thank you". It will brighten their day. 4. Smile! When I see a customer smiling at me, I can't help but smile back. You will be amazed how many cashiers and waiters will be cheered up by your friendliness. To give you a short example, my boyfriend and I were dining at a restaurant over Christmas break. He was being his usual friendly self. One of the workers stopped by and told us that our waitress had mentioned that we were some of the nicest customers! We hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, but simply by being kind and polite, we were some of their nicest customers.
* * *
We look at how rich people treated their servants in the past, and we think it is awful. We think, "How could they treat another human being like that?" Then we treat another human as if they were a machine simply because they are on the other side of the counter. 
Please see beyond my job description. I am fighting an inward battle, just like you. I have struggles in my life, just like you. I am human, just like you. 
As your cashier, I am not asking for more money. I am not asking for tips. I am not asking for favors. But appealing to you as a fellow brother or sister in Christ, please remember that I too am a human made in God's image. I am not asking for a raise in minimum wage; I am simply asking for a raise in minimum human dignity.