Through the Eyes of a Delivery Goddess |
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I had another story planned for today, but since I had an experience yesterday I'd like to share - the other can stay on the back burner until next week or the week after. Bob and I were talking earlier in the week, that we have decided we are no longer employable. Neither of us can stand to work with people any more - it just seems like eveyone has become as un-Leave-It-To-Beaver-Like as possible. There's no compassion, no consideration, no empathy, no humility. We are tired of self-centered people. Oh, I know ... we are all a little self-centered, afterall, if we don't look out for number one, who will? But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about people who cross into your own "space" ... cross that invisible boundry line. Yesterday I ran to the grocery store immediately after I finished my paper route. Bob's daugther and grandson were here for the holiday weekend, and I thought I'd take home pre-made breakfast sandwiches, like from Jimmy Dean or Bob Evans or one of those big names. I assumed they'd be close to eating anyway, so I was hurrying. I picked up lunch items to cook at the junkyard while I was there; I must say I was proud of the eleven minutes it took me to get what turned out to be $76 worth of food. Guess that's really not much to be proud of any more, a couple pounds of lunch meat or lobster and some frozen gourmet veggies, and you've got your seventy five bucks all wrapped up. I got to the grocery line, and at 6:00am, I don't expect to see another soul. But, yesterday, there was only one check-out line open with one customer already being "checked out". I pulled in line behind him with my twenty-some items and two other fellows got in line behind me. The gentleman immediately behind me had two bags with six bagels in each. As the cashier ran my package of paper towels across the scanner, the gentleman about twenty years my senior spoke up, "How about you lettin' me go in front of you since I only have two things?" The cashier's mouth hit the floor. She is usually the gal working early in the mornings, so we have a casual friendship. I could read her mind, "Oh my golly, what do I do about this?" I looked at the fellow, and said, "Why, sure - go ahead." I pulled my cart aside and she cancelled my paper towels. Of course, he had some kind of problem with his banking card that made his transaction as long or longer than mine would have been, but that's OK, it was only two items. He walked away, thanking me, and she ran my paper towels back through. I offered for the fellow behind Mr. Bagel to go through, too, since he only had two bags of ice, but he smirked and declined. Good thing - I'm not sure she would have been happy about cancelling my order twice. At any rate, the cashier sounded suprised and said, "I have NEVER had anyone do that to me before." I told her that, as a customer, it was not the first time it had happened to me; I've had a few customers ask to go in front of me when they had one or two items and I had several hundred dollars worth in my cart, and I've also had cashiers aske me to step aside to wait on someone with fewer items than me. She was absolutely appalled at the thought. She bagged my stuff, remembering that I like paper-only, and bid me a good morning. I walked away thinking how nice it was to know someone who still believed in Customer Service, since she remembered I only like paper bags, and thought how sad some fellow with a dozen bagels found the need to ask to cut line. Who knows - maybe he had someplace really important to take those bagels!? Adding to my hope for humankind, I loaded my groceries into my truck, and began to return the cart to the store. It's RARE that I leave the carts in the parking lot, and I ALWAYS take one in with me. Bob says that picking up carts is someone's job, but I argue that there is NO reason that type of job needs to be created if adults would clean up after themselves. It's an ongoing arguement. I was about ten feet from my truck, and another woman walking toward the store said to me, "If you're done with that, I'll take it in for you." I smiled and thanked her graciously. Each time I think I'm losing hope for the human race, a couple people do or say a couple little things that make me think, "Gee, there is STILL hope for us afterall." Please spend this Thanksgiving Holiday thinking more of other people than yourself - do something or say something that makes one other person smile, or makes a few minutes of their life a little brighter or easier. You know that woman across the street who dropped her whole bag of Black Friday bargains? Go help her pick them up... it will make you feel better than it makes her feel... trust me! |