He went back to the Citadel where, in the guardroom, a surly clerk took down a list of the stolen property.

Manhattan grocery shoppers who venture into suburban supermarkets are surprised to find that it's possible to buy food without enduring narrow aisles, overcrowded shelves, long lines and surly clerks.

The long queues and surly clerks that have been Sberbank's hallmark can't compete with the brightly lit and hi-tech offices of leading commercial operations, such as Alfa Bank, which have been aggressively chasing new customers.

Not long ago, shopping in China consisted mostly of lining up to entreat surly clerks to accept cash in exchange for ugly merchandise that did not fit.

Not to mention rent, surly clerks, cost of capital, advertising, etc.

If we don't find a place-Rabbi Ezra may be right-can't we put up with that surly clerk until Monday?

One entrepreneur has proposed an East German Iron Curtain theme park that would have watchtowers, shopping queues, surly clerks and secret informants.

The merchants point to surveys that show a growing dissatisfaction with surly and poorly trained clerks, with the crowds, the parking headaches and other drawbacks of the retail shopping experience.

Next he phoned the York railway station and, after speaking to a succession of surly clerks, finally got put through to a pleasant woman in charge of information.

The American Society of Travel Agents has identified 286 points at which something can go wrong on a business trip - from long lines to botched reservations to surly clerks.