This is a mid-80s story from Asimovs I think.

A woman is grocery shopping (or just finished) and in a bad mood - people are rude, her kids poorly behaved and US-USSR tensions very high. She is questioned by an alien in human form who asks her about the world and in irritation, she lies - everyone is kind, kids are great, etc. The alien says (something like) "Oh, no. Our research has degraded your planet - we'll fix it"

Next morning, the kids are behaving, peace has broken out and at the grocery store when she's a dollar short, the person behind her in line gives her money.

The alien reappears to say that he's restored the world to the way she reported it should be - and she realizes that she's unchanged as an unhappy, not-very-nice person in a world far better than she can be comfortable in.

This is a mid-'80s story from Asimov's, I think.

A woman is grocery shopping (or just finished) and in a bad mood — people are rude, her kids poorly behaved and U.S.-U.S.S.R. tensions very high. She is questioned by an alien in human form who asks her about the world and in irritation, she lies — everyone is kind, kids are great, etc. The alien says (something like), "Oh, no. Our research has degraded your planet — we'll fix it."

Next morning, the kids are behaving, peace has broken out, and at the grocery store when she's a dollar short, the person behind her in line gives her money.

The alien reappears to say that he's restored the world to the way she reported it should be - and she realizes that she's unchanged as an unhappy, not-very-nice person in a world far better than she can be comfortable in.