Standing in line today to pay for a Pepsi, the customer in front of me started chiding the owner who was working the register. Shaking her finger at him she explained that all three of the customers before her had told him thank you but he not once told them you’re welcome. His wife hearing what the woman had said kindly spoke to the lady explaining that she was sorry and that they were having a rough day. To this the customer chided the owner’s wife telling her that despite their rough day they should still appreciate the business of their customers. Then she rushed out of the store.
I don’t know what you would have done or thought if you were me and had witnessed this incident. I took a moment to step toward the counter and smiled at the owner. I thanked him before I left and smiled at his wife. Walking out of the store I had the inclination to march up to the car of the harsh customer and tell her how wrong she was. Ha. Wisely I chose not to but instead sat and thought about what could have happened differently.
Tasha and I were at the beach last year and in the late afternoon entered a store that had a going out of business sale. We picked out two nice fleeces and headed for the long line which wound through the crowded store. When we got nearer to the counter we noticed that the guy working the register wasn’t making too much eye contact with any of the customers. His eyes didn’t shift much from the counter. When he was ringing up the fleeces I asked him how his day was going. He said it wasn’t that great and he looked forward to getting done with the day. He told me the total which seemed less than what I had figured so I asked him if he noticed we had two fleeces. He said that he had but was only going to charge us for one because we were the only people that had been nice to him all day. Wow, how sad.
I read a quote some time back which said that each person we meet is fighting a battle. We never know what a person has experienced before encountering us or will afterward. Are we going to act in such a way that dumps on their day? Or are we going to act in such a way that encourages them and brightens their day?
1 comment:
Preach it, brother! We've had MANY such experiences! I have them REGULARLY now that I am the 'girl behind the counter' at work. (You'd be amazed at what we see there from customers!) The most recent was at the LAX car rental. The woman behind the counter was less than chatty. After a little time passed, we eventually learned that she had just returned after being off for a few days...IN THE HOSPITAL. Her car had been totaled after leaving work a few days before. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E has a story. Does it give them the "right" to be crabby or "less than chatty"? No. But, it does give us the reminder that all God's people need His love...all the time! Really nice blog. Thanks for sharing!
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