This week as I was running errands around town, I stopped by a local Starbucks to pick up a few gift cards for a Random Act of Kindness I planned to do later this week. There were two baristas in the shop, Angie and Hunter, and both chatted pleasantly with me while I made my purchases. (For those of you dedicated readers, you might remember Hunter from my 41st birthday RAK where in the process of giving a RAK to a stranger, he went and RAK’d me back! For those who missed the story, click here and here.)
As I was leaving the store, a small pamphlet caught my eye titled, “Share your thoughts with us.” Now I’m sure you’ve seen similar comment cards in businesses you frequent, but for whatever reason, it occurred to me that I rarely take the time to share my thoughts with a business. Good experience or bad, I tend to continue about my way without a second thought.
Today was different. 🙂 What better way to show my appreciation for great customer service than letting their boss know? So I took the pamphlet and wrote an email to the District Manager. I also left a few extra dollars in their tip jar, too!
My next stop was OfficeMax and I had to laugh at the sign outside their door: “Now Hiring. Friendly. Happy. People.” It made me chuckle at the placement of the periods, emphasizing each word individually. My visit there was quick, I only had one item to buy, and as I made my way to the checkout, there was no one in sight. Obviously there’s not a mad rush of people buying office supplies at 4:30 in the afternoon, lol. I walked towards Customer Service and the lady working there caught my eye.
“Do you need to checkout?” she asked with a smile. I said I did and she immediately stopped what she was doing to walk towards me. “I can take you on this register over here.” She continued to chat pleasantly as she rang up my purchase, then when the receipt printed, she circled the back and wrote her name. “Here’s a survey you can complete if you like to let us know how we’re doing.”
A survey to complete. How many times have I heard THAT phrase? Seems like everywhere you go, someone wants information from you. How do you like this, how do you like that. If I was a pessimistic person, I might have crumpled the receipt in my pocket, refusing to share any information at all. But thankfully, I’m a Pollyanna. 🙂 Despite never having completed a survey before, I took the time to complete it today. I was thrilled to have an open text box where I could compliment Ms. Rae on her great customer service, too!
Was this random act of kindness difficult to complete? Nah, not a bit. Did it cost any money? None at all! (Excluding the money I already spent on my purchases, lol.) Did it take time? Yes, but less than five minutes. I spend more time trying to shut down my computer and place it in my laptop bag than I did completing both of these RAKs. So in that regards, it really didn’t take much time at all!
I hope you will look around you as you complete your errands this week/weekend and take the time to say “thanks” to those in the retail industry who work tirelessly to make our transactions a pleasant experience. It may not seem like a big deal to many, but those employees have been smiling ALL day long… it’s the least we can do to give them a reason to keep on smiling!
Be blessed my friends and pay it forward!
