Easter, Schmeaster.

I'm pretty much non-religious, so Easter doesn't mean a whole lot to me. I mean, sure, I'm always interested in whether or not he sees his shadow when he comes out of the tomb. That means six more weeks of guilt and fish sticks, right?

I think that's how it goes.

Anyway, given the large number of Christians in this country, I understand why most businesses shut down for the day. Most businesses, that is, except for the largest, most soulless one out there -- Wal-Mart.

Because I was lazy yesterday, I needed to go get groceries today. And, of course, the only place open was Wal-Mart. I got the things I needed and found an open register. The cashier was a woman, probably in her 70s, who was telling every single customer how horrible it was that she had to work on Easter. The lady was almost in tears. Even though I'm not religious, I empathized with this woman.

"I didn't even get to go to church!" she wailed to the mother and three kids who were ahead of me in line.

At that point, Wal-Mart had won my not-so-coveted Jerk of the Day award. But then the mother in front of me came in for the upset.

"Well," she said to the cashier, "at least you have a job. Lots of people don't, you know."

Wow. That's pretty low, even by my standards. I say some pretty dumb things, but even I wouldn't have said that. I mean, let's stop and think about this for a minute. Wal-Mart is a business. A huge business. Wal-Mart has stayed open on holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas for the last several years. That being said, it should have been no surprise to the cashier that she may have to work on Easter Sunday. I imagine if she hadn't shown up for work that day, she would have probably lost her job. After all, as the mother in front of me pointed out, lots of people are out of work. It sucks for the cashier, but she knew this was a possibility. She was probably unable to find someone to take her shift for the day. I've worked at Wal-Mart. That's how things go, sometimes. I do know, however, from my time at Wal-Mart that working on a Sunday or a holiday means extra pay. Sure, it may only be an extra $8, but it's something.

The mother in front of me, though, was out of line. As anyone who has had a shitty job will tell you (myself included), being reminded that lots of other people could be doing your shitty job and you could be unemployed is never comforting. It actually makes you feel worse.

So if you're out doing stuff today, and you come across a cashier who is upset about having to work on a religious holiday, don't be a dick and tell them they're lucky to have any job at all. Just shut the fuck up, say thank you, and be on your way. They don't need you to put things in perspective, because I guarantee your perspective is not the same as theirs.

Easter, Schmeaster.