This afternoon I have a job interview for a part-time receptionist position. After I got the call this morning, I started thinking about one of my jobs from the past: a grocery store cashier. I recalled some of the things I delt with at that store, and a memory of a certain situation came back to me.
When I first started the job, customers were left to fend for themselves as to which register they should go to, and, as a result, sometimes got stuck in the longest line by mistake. A few years later, the store hired a retirement-aged man to guide people to the shortest lines. I’ll just call him “Earl”.
Customers LOVED Earl. He was a character, that was for sure. All smiles, lollipops for the kids (with their parent’s permission), a joke or two, and always bending over backwards to please the customers. He chuckled and waved and seemed to have sun rays beaming out from his very being.
However, I saw a much different side to this man. He appeared, to me, to be a bit bitter. He would mutter under his breath a lot, sometimes swearing, when customers were not within earshot. His ’schtick’ was over-the-top and very fake to me. And his routine NEVER varied. It was pretty tiring, and annoying, to hear the same greetings and jokes, hour after hour, day after day. Needless to say, I didn’t try very hard to impress him. I was kind, I talked to him in the break room briefly; but we didn’t click and I knew it, and I’m pretty sure he knew it.
A few months later, the store hired another retired gentleman to work on alternate days from Earl. I’ll call him “Bob” because that is a common name, I’m not saying anything that might unintentionally hurt him, and his name was Bob.
Bob was quiet. He was gentle and he was nice to people. Bob didn’t try to be popular. I liked him immediately. He looked you in the eye with a sincere smile. I would talk to Bob, sometimes, as my shift was coming to an end. He was a retired schoolteacher, and I figured that was a reason that he was secure in himself and in doing the job, despite the fact that Earl had been threatened by his appearance on the scene, and would mutter things about him, angrily, under his breath.
Bob was aware of this, and he said something to me about Earl being worried about his weekly hours being cut back, because of having to share them with someone else. One time I mentioned to Bob what I thought about Earl and he agreed with me, but he never said anything nasty or disparaging about Earl.
I really don’t think I needed to explain to Bob which of the two was my favorite “greeter”, but I told him just the same. Sometimes people need to hear that others notice and appreciate them, even when they are already secure in themselves.
Over the months, Earl kept his rank as the most popular “customer greeter”. Earl wasn’t a bad guy at all; he was funny and made me laugh on several occassions. He was just trying, the best way he knew how, to do his job. And he DID his job. He did it well. He got people coming back to the store, and happily. They loved him and they loved how he made them feel. That is worth a lot.
But Bob’s quiet confidence and ability to listen and have a genuine conversation, was a highlight of my day and I’m so glad to have met him. I still think about him from time to time and hope he’s doing well. Here’s to all the “Bob’s” in this world. If you think people don’t appreciate you, think again.
A VERY HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER DAN, ON THE 25th of JAN, 2005!!
It’s ALL ABOUT the TWO and the FIVE , YO~
How’s it feel to be a quarter of a century old? ;-)
