Living in a tourist town sucks once summer comes around. Believe me! Simple things like driving, ordering a cup of coffee, or doing errands are made TEN TIMES more difficult. Make way for all of the entitled tourists, who do not understand the concept of patience, respect, and kindness. For anyone who works in the customer service/ client service industry, prepare yourselves for a wild summer.
Sometimes common sense just isn’t that common, unfortunately. There are seasonal residents that want to brag about their wealth, and that genuinely think (in their small mind) that they are the only person in the world and everything should be catered to them. News flash: I am not on YOUR vacation! I work hard, and I have a life. My life doesn’t involve driving around in a Mercedes with a New York license plate treating everyone around me like they are a personal servant. I mean, you would think someone with so much money would be SLIGHTLY happier, but no, the majority of the tourists, despite their varying ages, are filled with resentment and misery.
As someone who has worked in the customer service industry in the past, it is hard. I always say to myself, each summer it gets worse: because in my mind, that’s true. Where are all of these people coming from? To say the absolute least, it is frustrating, when you have your plans for the weekend or the evening and you are driving, only to get stuck behind 10, 20, maybe 30 out of state license plates. The only thing that would make it worse is if my car was overheating. Oh wait, I’ve been there too! But that’s just it, the tourists are so consumed with them and what they want, they don’t care that they make traveling so difficult for the locals. My best advice, get ‘ways’, an app that shows you alternative routes. Sadly, the tourists are finding out about those too. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it has been my personal experience, that people on vacation and people who come to Cape Cod for their summer are not pleasant. I have heard the same from many of my friends and loved ones! Don’t get me wrong, there are some wonderful seasonal residents. But just like anything, there are always going to be miserable people.
This one may be hard, trust me. I have encountered some pretty horrible, awful attitudes both as a customer, and as an employee, or just minding my own business. Tourists can be very rude! Today I overheard a woman tell the employees that one of their co-workers was “lazy”, and that the person “did not want to do their job.” That is a situation where you have to take your emotions out of it, there is something not right with that woman! Nobody deserves to be talked down to or treated poorly. ESPECIALLY at work! I mean come on woman, take your miserable attitude elsewhere! Maybe right into a counseling office? There are certainly some underlying issues if you are taking it out on a stranger. I, myself, have been treated horribly by tourists as well. All biases aside, there is a widespread negative connotation that surrounds the younger generation. Typically, older people, as well as the elderly, have some sort of bone to pick with us Millenials and Gen X’s. Or whatever we are calling ourselves these days. For all practical purposes, the older folks have some sort of entitlement, and truly believe that they are owed something. I had this woman continuously repeat to me, “we’re very unhappy.” Almost directly getting at the fact that she wants something from me. At the end of this, the point remains the same: breathe.
Many, if not all of these people are struggling, and they are looking for someone to take it out on. Multiple houses and fancy cars can’t buy their happiness, and they are realizing that. I was on a plane, as everyone was getting in their seats and getting settled, and a younger couple in their 20’s wanted to sit next to each other, and a short line formed as a result of the seat change. I overheard an elderly woman who was grumpy, say out loud, “this is absolutely ridiculous.” This is something that took maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and this woman was clearly agitated. BREATHE!
Like I have mentioned, none of this is personal, and none of it is directed at you. Many of the tourists are so consumed with themselves, their money, and well, THEM. It is frustrating living in a tourist town. I have seen around Easter weekend a bunch of them come in and order coffee, and spell out their order as if someone can’t understand what is being said. NOPE, not while I’m on shift. Get your horrible attitude out of here, please and thank you! Living in a tourist town is not fun, and we all dread the months where they think they own the roads. Newsflash: there is a lot more to life than MONEY.
I have had to deal with tourists many times while working customer service jobs. Coming from my experience, I have witnessed it, they want everyone to know that they have money. They think the rules do not apply to them, some of them have even flat out said, “I am rich. I have a very high profile job.” So many people in the room have starred at each other in disgust. People who have wealth do not announce it!
One of the most important things to do while living in a tourist town is to stick to the local’s spot. If there is a beach that you go to every summer, keep that tradition. Don’t let the tourists find out! Keep your life as normal as possible, and don’t let them ruin it. Memorial Day weekend marks what we all dread to be the start of their season. May- September is pretty annoying, but hey, it shouldn’t ruin our experiences with our loved ones, and the BEST season of the year! Enjoy your summer without the overcrowding and condescending attitudes breathing down your neck.
Again, this article is not to point the blame on particular residents or place negativity on my surrounding area. There are, and there will continue to be, friendly and genuine tourists. There just haven’t been too many of those that I have met! It can be frustrating living somewhere where you constantly have to deal with rude groups of people who create traffic, even when it is 8 AM and you are on the way to work. So in all honesty, it is the locals vs. the tourists. Who’s team are you on?
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