Hello ma wee blog,
I'm standing in line to buy something at the bookshop, idling the waiting time away in people watching as per usual. The girl behind the counter is obviously a student, possibly working on a summer job . It's obvious that she's not having a good day. She's slim, blonde and trying her very best, but somehow it's just not working for her. Her face is flushed and she looks exasperated. Everything she seems to try is turning into a bit of a disaster. Clearly technology is not her forte and the till is not being a friend. Customers and customer service is perhaps something of a training need, but maybe I'm being unkind, perhaps it's just that being so flustered she can't seem to do anything right. She looks on the point of tears.
As the lane slowly moves forward and I get closer, things aren't getting any better for the young girl. By the time I'm at the head of the queue it's clear that the next person she's going to be serving will be me. As I step forward she puts her hands on the countertop and blows upwards across her flushed face, making her fringe flick outwards for a second. Yep - definitely not a good day!
I look at her and without smiling and say, "I'm looking for a book that helps me cope with rejection without resorting to violence. Do you have it? "
No, I don't say that. But it's on the tip of my tongue.
I'm cruel, but I'm not that cruel.
(Not today anyway)
See you later.
Listening to.
12 comments:
Alistair, you could have been more helpful. Couldn't you at least have offered to give her a whole body massage to make her feel better?
or even mention casually that there's 100 pence in a Pound, and so help her strained calculations?
Dang. I would've loved to hear her response to that.
Ha! Good job with self control.
TSB - I could have - but I'm happily married!
Postman - I think her brain would have fried, she would scream and run away.......
It's nice to be nice sometimes dbs......
Poor lass - I hope her day improved with keeping. Was that the book you bought? Looks fascinating. My starter for ten is the symbolism of the Picts . . .
Hullo BB - No it wasn't but I thought symbols and omens fitted with the post........
I hope her day got better too. I did have a bit of banter with her to try and cheer her up
Bless, it's not easy working behind a counter
LOL, i always try to be nice and help folk like her who are havin an `off day`...
a bit humour and banter often makes things a bit better for them,
i esp make that effort if there blond and have a nice smile -:)
I worked a big event at the store last night, ringing hundreds of people up for a triple-bill of 3 best-selling Young Adult authors. I had a blast being out of the office. What a difference, looking at people's faces rather than computer screens.
Funny, because when being stuck at the register all day was my job, I hated it.
But the few folks who truly seemed to see me always made a difference. It's a shame, because as merchants we should be brightening the customer's day, right?
Thanks for the comments folks. I try never to under-estimate how hard someones job is despite how badly they might be doing it, after all we've all exerienced something like this at one time or other right? As long as they're trying that's good enough for me.
And that old adage of 'customer first' sometimes is just nonsense - we're all human and need to show it and I agree it's nice to be recognised regardless and it's also nice when someone takes the time to say 'I see you and I understand'.
Like I say - I did have a bit of banter with her and hopefully left her with a smile that day.
cheers!
Alistair, Alistiar... technology is nobody's friend. It is the final biblical plague. Roth
That sound like the voice of an afflicted one....
{A handbell rings}
'Bring out your dead. Bring out your dead.....'
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