Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Friendly or Not?

So this morning at Wally World (Dad?), a most unusual thing happened to me. The kids behaved, but that wasn't it. It was during my check out. You know how those little credit card swiper thingies ask you questions? It is no secret that I'm one of those who usually has a sunny disposition. I can't help it, I declare! Well, what happened next made me lose it. The sunny disposition, that is.

The question I was asked was "Was your cashier friendly today?" What's a girl like me to do when the cashier never spoke to me or made eye-contact with me until she handed me the receipt. Seriously. I'm in the south, y'all. EVERONE greets you. Just last night at Rodney's softball game, the little old man heading to his car (or truck, rather. I'd bet $10 it was a truck) spoke to Carter in his little stroller with the sweetest, "What do you know, li'l buddy?" Nobody made him do it. Nobody was paying him to be friendly. It just happened. I can't forget to mention that Carter's reply was, "Not much, friend, but one day I will." :)

Back to Walmart. My answer was "no." Now I feel like the unfriendly one. You see, it's true! What goes around definitely does come back to bite you in the butt around. I guess I've learned my lesson. Next time, I'll lie.

10 comments:

Tricia said...

Funny thing is, I used to answer those things honestly too because I always had such a negative experience at Wal-mart, but since my "recovery" begain I just choose not to comment. Momma always said that if you can't say anything nice....;)

Tiffany Nelson said...

I love you and enjoyed our weekend. love you and we'll you kiss the boys for me. lvoe you

Anika said...

Ha! I always answer "no" when the credit card machine asks me if my cashier was friendly (only at Walmart). Cause let's be honest, the sole purpose for those questions is to distract the shopper from keeping track of how much they're spending. After you're done answering questions about your local store, selecting what type of card you're using, whether or not you want cash back, if you have a Walmart card, and you look up to discover that your total for 18 items is $180, do you really want to go through that process again to remove one or two items to lessen the grocery bill? Me either!

nelsonjeneen said...

Oh I would totally not lie. Maybe it is b/c I am so blunt. But I don't like it when the cashiers don't greet you. They are evaluated on how they do, so the management must know if their employees are friendly or not. That might be one of the only ways the employees are evaluated.

Anyway, that is my opinion but who cares if you are being negative, the cashier should be polite.
Take care Leah,
Jill
PS Haven't had the babies yet.:)

The Robinson Family said...

I love this Wal-Mart story b/c I have never been asked that question. Now I am so excited about being asked that b/c I love rating customer service. Unfortunately I boycott the Wal-Mart in Greenville, due to the shootings, shoplifting and did I mention shootings. It is horrible and I refuse to go there. I am glad to see that you are still sweet, sweet Leah. Miss ya!

Joel said...

For some reason I always answer the question as if it's asking

"Was the cashier at least NOT RUDE?"

When I think of it that way, it's easier to answer "Yes"...i.e., yes, he/she was better than rude.

That may mean he/she was "neutral"...but at least they weren't rude.

Erin Marriott said...

That same thing happened to me, and I just pretended like I didn't see the question, and just ran my debit card through! She didn't look up once, and quite honestly seemed annoyed that I had a huggies coupon! Anyway, I just love your blog, Leah, and had to read all of your posts! Your little boys are so adorable, how fun to have boys!

Emily said...

I wouldn't feel too bad, but I do like Joel's thinking on this matter. I have done the very same thing. If the cashier doesn't even acknowledge me or just gabs to a coworker the whole time without ever looking me in the eye, I'll answer it honestly. I care a lot about customer service.

The Education of an Island Boy said...

I never hear what they ask me, so I just smile and say, "Yes, please!" PA

Wendi said...

RITFLMBO at your Dad's comment.
What a hoot!

You are so friendly.
Don't feel guilt.
Think of it as helping the consumer fight for better customer service.