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February 21, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Paper or Plastic, by Katha Winther
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your
gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand (Philippians
4:4-5 NKJV).
"Do you want paper or plastic?"
Most of us have been asked this question. Several years ago, however,
my son and I were in Paris at a small grocery store, buying some
sandwich fixings. I noticed a very unusual thing to me -- the cashier
placed a bag on the counter at the end of the conveyor belt. She stared
at me and obviously wondered what I was doing, just standing there. I
looked at her and wondered why it was taking so long for her to bag up
my groceries. Then it occurred to me that the customer was supposed to
bag up her or his own purchases.
Several months ago, the cashier at a nearby store asked if I would like
to have a bag. I thought that this was a silly question since I needed
to haul all of that stuff to the car and then drive home. She informed
me that each bag would cost 5 cents, and she would be happy to add that
amount to my bill. She reached under the counter and handed me two
bags, while I again bagged my own items.
To be honest, I wasn't very happy to pay money for a bag that used to
be free in that store. The more I thought about the audacity of them
charging me for a bag, the more upset I became -- I decided to stop
shopping there. A few weeks later, I changed my mind and went back,
mentally prepared for the "bag discussion." That time it was different,
I asked the cashier if the bag was going to cost extra money. She said
"No!" ... as she looked at me very strangely.
At another store they sold red, reusable, bags for 50 cents. The clerk
asked me if I'd like to buy one at that price, because in the near
future they were going to start charging for their plastic bags. I
bought one to have on hand, but haven't needed it thus far. It's a bit
difficult for me to know in advance how many I am going to need for my
various errands.
[All of this may seem very unusual for our international readers, since
"free bags" are not an option in most countries, but it has all been
part of our disposable US economy. Now, however, no one is quite sure
what "bag discussion" is going to include when we go shopping these
days.]
I hope that the bags -- whatever type the stores offer -- will remain
free of charge to the customer in the future. Many of us are already
carrying around a lot baggage we paid dearly for -- anxiety,
depression, fear, frustration, guilt, heartache, and many other things.
I can assure you that these bags don't come free of charge. When we are
dealing with these "bags" we haul around, a friendly face, a warm
greeting, a helping hand, and a "free bag" comes in handy!
That's a good "free bag" of joy for us all to carry home!
You see, there's something to be said for customer service that
includes genuine interest and kindness. Most of us enjoy shopping at
places where people are friendly, upbeat, and smiling. Good customer
service encourages us to return again and again.
I recently went to my favorite coffee place and went through the
drive-through lane. She told me that they were out of coffee ... that
someone had pushed a button and it would take an additional three
minutes for it to be brewed. She politely asked me to drive into the
parking lot and she would bring it out to me. She not only brought it
out, but didn't charge me for it either, since I had been
"inconvenienced." She also gave me a coupon for a free cup of coffee to
have on my next visit. I have been back several times, because they
were so cordial and kind to someone carrying around all her "bags" of
stuff.
Isn't it nice to be greeted by a warm and friendly person? Yes, a
little customer service goes a long way, especially in these
belt-tightening, economic times. There's a clerk at the main post
office in San Diego who knows my name. Every time, he greets me with
"Hi Katha, how are you today?" I always say "You remembered my name!" A
lady at the pharmacy also remembers my name, too. I have a little
trouble remembering names, and it amazes me when people remember mine
and seem to carry about the "bags" I carry.
Simple kindness and friendliness is excellent customer service. It
makes people feel special. Some companies hire applicants who smile and
look them in the eye. Countries hosting important international events
will often hire cordial people. They want to make a good impression on
their visitors, so they actually hire "professional smilers"! It's
almost like they know we are all carrying these "bags" and want to help
us out -- maybe even give us a free "bag" of joy to carry home with us.
So here's what I want you to do right now: smile! Your next assignment
is to smile at people during the day and treat them as someone carrying
around bags of heavy and expensive stuff, and help them lighten their
load. See for yourself how much happier you'll feel, and notice that
the "smiled upon" person will in turn smile at others -- it's
contagious. It doesn't cost anything to smile. We'll bless others more
than we can ever imagine and that's a good "free bag" of joy for us all
to carry home!
---------
(c) 2009 Katha Winther <winther1@cox.net>. From her book As I Was
Saying, all rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* The Gift of Encouragement
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200304/20030409_encouragement.html
* Cutting Loose the Dead Weight
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200612/20061231_deadweight.html
* Move On!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200811/20081116_moveon.html
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200902/20090221_paperorplastic.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
3-2-1-PENGUINS!, by Big Idea
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