The other day I was riding the bus and I watched as the driver came to a stop and let passengers off. After they had exited a very disgruntled woman stepped onto the bus. How did I know that she was up set, you ask? Well, she pointed to a spot maybe five to eight feet from where the bus had stopped and loudly proclaimed "The bus stop is OVER THERE!"
Clearly she was quite distressed at having to walk a few feet. The bus driver mumbled something that sounded sort of polite to her retreating figure and our ride continued. When my stop came I did my best to thank the driver a bit more than usual.
I bring this situation up because it is one I see almost weekly. Someone is having a bad day and they take it out on some poor unsuspecting soul who might have given them reason to vent. I get having a bad day, but I really feel for that driver. I mean think about it. What if five people who got onto the bus shouted at her for something? That could make for a pretty lousy day.
I believe that we need to treat people across the sales counter from us more like a person sometimes. Try having a conversation with your grocer next time your on your weekly/biweekly grocery trip. You might be surprised. It's amazing the things that people will say once you get past "Hi, did you find everything you need today?". I have learned about art shows I should go see, peoples opinions on politics, places people have traveled to or want to travel to, and the list goes on. Many times I end one of those conversations feeling enriched.
As a side note, I strongly believe that anyone in the service industry should always do more than their best to provide the best service they possibly can. It makes a huge difference when you go the extra mile for a customer. You will have days where you are tired, or mad, or just in a bad mood, but you literally just have to 'fake it 'till you make it'.
So try talking to your cashiers or waiters/waitresses this week. See what happens. :)
