Body Language

Although I usually write about spoken and written English, I'm devoting a little space to body language today. It matters. I've noticed in the last seven or eight years that employees, particularly in the retail industry, have stopped being careful about the messages they send. Undoubtedly, 90% of communication happens non-verbally, and the messages I'm getting are in the neighborhood of I have better things to do, You bore me, and Do you actually expect me to move?. Eye rolling, lip smacking, and a good heavy sigh brought me to ask for a manager at a local fast food restaurant, and the woman about whom I was about to complain actually said to me, "When they pay me enough, I'll be polite to you."