Retail... The Thankless Job

I worked retail one summer in college.  I soon found out that such a job is not for shy wallflowers with low self esteem like myself...  After leaving nearly every day in tears, I promised myself that I would show a little leg on a street corner before I'd ever work retail again, no matter how poor I got.  Now, as a happily married mom of two, I'm still sticking to that!  In fact, I think I'd make Shawn show a little leg on a street corner before I'll work retail...  But now I'm digressing.

Seriously, our civil/public servants, and those who work retail jobs, are severely overworked and underpaid. These are very thankless jobs, and there are some people in this world who are just plain not nice.  Some are even downright abusive.

This is on my mind because while I was in line at the grocery store today, a tired Avery started giving me a hard time, my eggs broke, my strawberries fell to the floor and rolled everywhere, and some of my things got mixed up with the gentleman's in front of me, causing several voids and other problems.  None of these things were the cashier's fault, yet I started to get an attitude with her.

I felt like such a jerk, especially when I realized her day was going much worse than mine.

I did apologize to her, and when the woman behind me began to get an attitude with the cashier as well, it earned her a dirty look from me.  As I left, I made sure to tell the cashier that I hoped her day got better, that we all have bad days, and somehow it always works out (loud enough for the woman behind me to hear me, of course, because I still wasn't feeling very nice).  What I really wanted to do was hug her and treat her to lunch.

I got to leave the store after my few minutes of "bad day."  That cashier had to spend the rest of her shift there, dealing with the customers behind me, her wonky computer, and her co-workers.  No telling what she'd brought to work with her from home, or what she was taking with her when she left.  That's the thing about bad days:  We don't know what's going on in someone else's world, and someone else's bad day could be worse than your own.

My point is this--not only as Christians, but as human beings, we need to be more considerate with others.   When I see a cashier like this young girl, I always think of my dear nieces.  I love these two girls with all my heart, and I'd rip out anyone's throat who treated my girls anywhere near the way I started to treat this young cashier today.  So, stop and think--this person standing across from you is someone's sweet niece, someone's daughter or son.  The cashier might be trying to work his or her way through school, or 'just' earn a living.  She might be a single mom working two jobs trying to keep food in her child's belly, or he could be a dad who was just laid off from his regular job in this awful economy, trying to keep his family together and a roof over their heads.  Few people set out in their lives wanting to work in Walmart, a grocery store, or other retail stores.  They are simply trying to make a life for themselves, and sometimes, their families.   Everyone has a story, and every person deserves respect.

We live in a very fast-paced, "me"-centered society.  We are so focused on our electronics and agendas that we forget to look at faces.  We forget to make eye contact, and we forget to smile.  We forget to give compliments, and we forget to ask how others are doing.  We forget to say thank you.  And when things slow down just a bit because a cashier's register balks, when prices go up, when the line slows down because of the little old lady ahead of us with her 30 cans of cat food and 20 coupons...  We complain.  We get angry.  We blame to the cashier.  And we forget to be human.

Please, remember to stop and care.  Remember to smile, say thank you and be pleasant.  Remember to be human.