Wait, it's my fault??

It started with a really bad day.  For whatever reason, things just weren't going my way.  All I wanted to do was just finish the day at home with my family.  I had to make a quick stop on the way home and the traffic wasn't exactly making my mood any better.

When I walked into the store, I was greeted by a smile from an elderly gentlemen who it appeared was solely employed for the purpose of welcoming customers.  I am normally a friendly guy, but on this day, I gave him a half smile and nodded my head as I quickly walked past.  I was on a mission to get in and get out.  As I arrived at the section of the store where my item was located, I was then approached by another associate asking me if I am finding everything I need or if they could help.  I gave them a quick glance and then responded with a standard response like "I'm just looking" or "No, thank you".  Their reply was a gracious "well, if I can help with anything, just let me know".  I just wanted to do what I came to do and leave.  I was in a hurry, so I didn't want to interact with anyone or even be stopped for a second.  Can't I just shop in peace?  Do I really need assistance picking out the right brand of toilet paper?  Am I not capable of doing that myself?  I mean, no one knows my butt better than I do, so how could they possibly help me anyway??

When I arrived at the register, it was the typical scene.  There were short lines, but the people in them must have been stocking up for the next two winters.  The self check out had a line around the corner, so my only other option was the "express lane".  I took a look at my watch, let out a big sigh of frustration and stepped in line.  The woman running the register was making conversation with the patron in front of me as she was scanning their items.  This, for some reason, frustrated me even more.  Do they not know I am in a hurry and only have one item?  I had already calculated the sales tax in my head and had the right amount of cash in my hand ready to complete this horrible delay in my day.  Why was this taking so long?!

After giving my cashier a generic "thanks", I made my way for the exit.  I successfully completed my "pick and roll" maneuver so I wouldn't have to say goodbye to the elderly gentlemen on my way out.  When I got back in my truck, I took another look at my watch expecting the worst.  It was only about 5 minutes from when I first stepped into the line, and only about 12 minutes from when I first pulled into the parking lot.  Wait, that didn't seem right?? I was sure all of those people in the store kept me from being with my family.  Then it hit me.

There are so many websites, review boards, and social media posts where people rant and complain about the customer service they received or the horrible customer experience they had.  What if we realized that we were partly responsible for this customer experience?  I know there are bad companies out there and it actually happens, but I wonder how much of it could be avoided if the attitude of the customer was different?  In my example alone, there were multiple opportunities where the employees did their best to make my experience as enjoyable as it could.  In fact, they went out of their way to approach me and ask if they could help.  But in this situation, I was too self centered to even notice that.  All I could think of was the mood I was in.  What if their day wasn't going so well and I just added to it?  I mean, it really did only take 12 minutes out of my day and I still got what I needed.

Why is it that we sometimes have a mindset that we are entitled to people looking out for our interests when we often times don't return the favor?  In addition to stores, we do it at our jobs, at our churches, in our marriages, and to our friends and family.  The employee that says "I deserve..." or the husband that says "I wish she would...".  All we want to do is complain when many times, we aren't putting in the right amount of effort ourselves.  We can only control what WE can control.

As for things in my control going forward, I will be that customer that smiles back.  I will be that husband that puts his wife first.  I will be that worker that is grateful for his job.  It's not always about me.  And I'm guessing I will have some better customer experiences in my future.

                                                                                                             -- Jason Dickard