Imagine an unenthusiastic, monotone cashier saying, “Thank you for shopping at Bon Ton, have a fabulous day,” as she hands you your bag and doesn’t even pretend to smile. Was it absolutely necessary for the Bon Ton to require their cashiers to use the word “fabulous” in their customer greeting? If you’ve got ultra-energized Tigger from the 100 acre forest working the cash register, the greeting sounds great. Yet, when the Eeyore-like store employee delivers the “fabulous line,” it sounds more like an oxymoron. I don’t know much about customer service and sales, being that I’m an 11th grade English teacher, but I think the Bon Ton has luckily changed their prefab salutation. I always put enthusiasm into my voice when I try to sell ideas to my students like, “You’re going to love reading Beowulf; it’s a classic.” Voice modulation takes very little effort, but I suppose you have to be in the mood to do it.
Most people expect friendly cashiers because while we shop and spend money, we expect to be helped and appreciated. Waiters are almost always cheery and cordial, but they work off tips. What motivates grocery store cashiers to make me smile as I bust out my debit card to pay for wheat thins, chocolate milk, grape jelly, and frozen hot pockets? Is there a $500 check that comes with the title, “Employee of the Month?”
Well I learned something this week while grocery shopping. As I was waiting to check-out, the older man in front of me said to Linda, the cashier, “How are you?” She replied, “Not bad,” as she scanned and bagged his groceries for about three minutes while he watched her in silence. He paid, picked up his bags, and was told “Have a nice day.” I’m up next.
I went to the grocery store hungry today, and everything on the shelf looked good, especially in the bakery. Linda greeted me, scanned my chocolate-chip muffins, my raisin cookies, and I said, “I bet this job makes you hungry sometimes.” Linda replied, “When I see and smell fresh donuts in the morning, I want to rip open the boxes and eat them right off the conveyer belt.” I laughed. Linda and I talked about our favorite foods and grocery store temptations, such as the delectable desserts in the bakery. “I’m always a sucker for those ladyfingers,” I told Linda. She smiled, handed me my receipt, looked me in the eye and said “Have a really great day; it was nice talking with you.” As I walked away, the next customer asked Linda how she was doing, and I heard her reply, “great.”
I’m the kind of person who really appreciates friendly cashiers. Not everyone, including myself, likes starting up conversations with complete strangers, especially the ones who appear to have no desire to even smile. I’m sure it’s tough to stand for hours tediously scanning barcodes and watching glittering donuts glide by while waiting patiently for women to raid their purses for exact change.
It was time for me to go home and correct dozens of final exams after a long day at work, but I felt a grin come upon my face as I set the raisin cookies on my passenger seat and prepared to devour unneeded calories. Linda reminded me that happiness is truly all around us, and I found it in only a two-minute conversation with a complete stranger. I saw donut purchasing from someone else’s perspective, laughed, and perhaps made a new grocery store friend. Kind strangers have a way of surprising us, reminding us we live in a good world, and all we need to do is be willing to converse with them. I’m sure every cashier has one funny work story, and next time I go to buy some more Vitamin Water, Cheerios, and likely ladyfingers, I’m going to ask Linda or whoever else is in checkout line #3 to share their funny grocery store story. Be kind to all cashiers, they have the ability to do more than just collect your money and print out your receipt.
Ryan Devlin is a 25-year-old English teacher and cross country coach at Brockway Area High School. If you love donuts or want to contact Ryan become a fan of “Keep the Penny” on facebook. Total reader savings thus far for your piggy bank, six cents.