A grocery shopper called me a 'brat'
Miss Manners JUDITH MARTIN, JACOBINA MARTIN AND NICHOLAS IVOR MARTIN
Dear Miss Manners:
I was at a store with narrow aisles. I turned down an aisle that had two women with carts. The first woman I encountered completely ignored me, so I gently pushed my cart past. The second woman was older, in her 60s or 70s, and asked if I would like to get through.
Thinking she was being courteous, I smiled and said, "Yes, please!" Her response caught me off guard: She said, "Use your words."
I froze, shocked, because this is the exact phrase my dad used with me as a child. So she repeated "Use your words" again.
Miss Manners, I am a grown woman in my mid-30s who was being talked down to like a child. So my smile faded and I said, "You're not my mom," then walked past her.
When I reached the end of the aisle, she called out after me to call me a "brat," and I looked back and said, "Well, I can't imagine how yours turned out!"
Given the situation, how could I have better handled myself with this condescending woman while maintaining dignity?