I'm friendly, goddammit

I am in my office. It's the busy season. The phone rings off the hook, walk-in traffic is steady all day, and appointments flit in and out constantly. And yet, I am multitasking: handling all the project-based work at the same time as dealing with constant interruptions. A man walks up to my desk and says, "Um...hi....I'd like to sign in for a walk-in."

"Okay," I say. "Just sign in right here on this clipboard."

"Well....how long do you think the wait is? I have a class at 2:30," he says.

"Well it's 2:20 right now and there are people signed in before you, so I don't think you can get seen before then."

"There's no one I can just talk to for a second?"

"No," I say while I try to stay patient as both phone lines ring. "We're booked up through next Thursday, so walk-ins are your only option if you don't want to schedule an appointment."

"Well when are walk-ins?"

(Let me interrupt the conversation to add that as you push open the door to my office, a sign at eye level tells you when walk-ins are. When you stand at my desk, a sign right next to you on an easel tells you when walk-ins are. When you check your e-mail inbox, e-mails from our office tell you when walk-ins are. You get the picture.)

As I point to the sign on the easel right next to him I say, "Walk-ins are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1-3."

As he walks out the door he says, "Wow. You're so friendly. Thanks."

Blink.

The guy behind him gave him a dude what's your problem look as he left. Later I thought a lot about what happened. He's probably right; I may not be the friendliest little bobble head after a very busy day at work, but no one can argue that I'm not efficient at my job. If I walk into an office to schedule an appointment or ask a question, I'd rather be met with polite efficiency than have to deal with someone acting like they're my friend. I posed my dilemma to The Huz:

"Let's say you're talking to a receptionist somewhere, on the phone or in person. Would you rather the person is quick and efficient in helping you with what you need, or would you prefer that they're very friendly and take an interest in you?"

He replied, "I guess it depends on my mood. If I'm just wanting to get in and out and get done what I need to, I'd prefer efficiency. If I'm in a talkative mood and feel like being friendly, I guess I'd want that."

I told him about the situation at work, and he quickly replied, "Oh no one likes a competent woman."

"WHAT?!?"

"Well think about it," he said. "Nothing is more threatening than a woman who's got her shit together and knows what she's doing. People would certainly prefer a cute and friendly idiot."

I'll leave the fact that my husband thinks I'm not cute or friendly for tomorrow's post, but for now, I need to ruminate on the fact that not only do I have to cater to the needs of whiny college undergraduates, I now also need to gauge the amount of friendly they desire me to display. Shit.

EDIT: I do not actually think that my husband thinks that I'm not cute or friendly. I understand that he was implying that I am competent and not an idiot and possibly even have got my shit together. Which is a big compliment in my book. I also like being called classy and witty, in case you were wondering. Just to clear things up.