Mr. Stevens Is Not Having a Good Day

I love my job for many reasons, but probably the thing I love most is that I get to mess with people just a little bit. There is something to talk about almost every day. Today, there was a lady in the store, with her mother, her husband, and her son. While she was paying (and speaking to me in English,) her mother pushed the button on one of our sound and music plush bears. It started singing and she said, "Hay, que lindo!" (How cute!) I looked at her and said, "Every time someone pushes that button, they say, 'Hay, que lindo!'" She laughed. Just about that time, the son began playing with some wind up toys. His father said, "Oh, that's pretty neat!" To which I shouted, "Hay, que lindo!" The older lady said, "You speak Spanish well." They laughed and left the store.

Yesterday, I said hello to a lady, as I do to most of the customers that walk in the door. There are several that I recognize as being regulars, and sometimes am able to pay particular attention to them. There are others who are apparently regulars, but I don't know them well yet. The lady that I said hi to was one of those. When I said hello and asked her how she was doing, her response was, "Where have you been?" It took me by surprise, because I have been working six or seven days a week for the last several weeks, but simply said that I had been around. I was flattered that she would notice that she hadn't seen me in some time. Honestly, I have no idea when I saw her last. I didn't know she was a "regular."

In most cases, when someone comes to the register, I ask them how they are, if they need anything else, and then, depending on the vibe, I may make a comment--about the weather, about their purchase, or about something I notice. Yesterday, a guy in his early 30's came to the register and I asked him how he was doing. His response? "Don't ask!" I might, normally, make a comment like, "That bad, huh?" or "Weather got you down?" But, this guy appeared to be in no mood, so I didn't ask. And I didn't tell. When he used his credit card, and did it wrong, I really had a dilemma. Should I tell him how to use it right, and risk having him get upset? Or, should I just let him figure it out, and risk having him get upset? Since the outcome of my options were very similar, I decided to tell him how to use the machine. When he swiped his card, I noticed his name was Mr. Stevens. I don't meet many people like him at my store, but I sure hope today was better for him.

One of my favorite customers was a lady just before Christmas. We had boxed Christmas cards on sale for 50% off. She came in, walked right up to the table, and said, "Now, how does this work?" I looked at her blankly for a few beats, then answered, "Well, you buy them, write in them, then mail them. I'm not sure I understand the question." She said, "Which of these cards are fifty percent off?" I said, "Oh!!! All of them!"

Every day, I get a chance to interact with people. Some think I'm crazy (I am, just a little.) Some think I'm fun (I hope I am.) Some come in just to see me and say hi. I love that. I can't wait to see who comes in tomorrow.