Can't Complain....Right?

"I can't complain" is a common response to the question, "How's it going?" I hear it often enough that I deemed it blog-worthy. I asked a friend the other day how life's been treating them (I know this is a lame question because I really didn't care)? Anyway, their response to me was, "I can't complain." But immediately they proceeded to complain about their life situation, their kids, their company, the food they were eating and how busy there were that they barely had enough time to sit there and complain (I didn't invite them to sit, they decided to do so on their own volition). All I could think about was wait.......didn't you just say, "I can't complain"? And now you're complaining? And now I'm complaining because you duped me into thinking this would be a conversation I would actually like to have, but instead you lied to me and then proceeded to share things I couldn't care less about.

Don't get me wrong, I'd listen if I he had told me "not good", but I distinctly remember him telling me, "I can't complain". As I endured the agonizing 20-minute gripe fest, I began to think, when is it okay to complain? Complaining can be valid, but everyone hates listening to complainers (I know this to be true because my wife tells me all the time, which is probably why she walks away while I'm talking).

What justifies a valid complaint? I'm sure there are many things to complain about and we probably can justify every one of them. I think the most valid complaint is when you purchase something, have expectations of the item you purchased, and then those expectations go unmet. Anytime this occurs I think your complaint is valid. But what about when it's something you didn't purchase?

Case in point: I visited my "office" and ordered my regular items for the morning. The lady at the register had given one of those items to me for free (sweet, right?). The other item I actually paid for had been prepared in a way that didn't really meet my expectations (not good). Bewildered, I paused (This seemed like an eternity to me). Do I tell her it's not the way I like it? I mean she just gave the other item to me for free. Can I complain when she gave me the more expensive item for free? I stood there for a few seconds really perplexed (you would only understand if you knew how I am with my food). I looked up, smiled, and said, "thank you!"

My question: Can you complain in this situation? Is it wrong to complain for free stuff? When can you complain? What's your take on complainers? Are you a complainer? Please...feel free to complain. :)