In all things, remember to be kind

After years of working with kids, working retail has taught me patience on a new level. I'm a  pretty patient person in general and I already know how to be patient with kids. Kids are the ones who truly don’t know better because they’re so new to this world! I can’t expect a child to know how to act, especially because you can’t control what goes on in their home, but I can try and show them how to act. But in retail, I’m having to learn to be patient with the adults who do know better, who think their time is more valuable than mine, who think that I’m not a real person because I’m behind a register, that I’m out to get them when really I’m just following rules from corporate.

 Retail is such a different world and I never thought of any of this before I started this job, I never realized how much people belittle the person behind the counter. This is not my forever job, just one to get me through college, but for some people it is their forever job, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. So to all people who shop, AKA EVERYONE, please treat retail workers like you would treat your friend. You wouldn’t demand things from them you would ask politely, and if you would then I feel bad for your friends! Don't be snappy and rude for no reason, just chose to be kind. It’s also taught me to not take things personal and to give people benefit of the doubt. I had one customer who walked up, threw (quite literally) her clothes on the counter and proceeded to ignored me when I asked if she was a reward member while texting furiously. Once I asked again if she had rewards (it's policy) she told me to just get on with the transaction and that she was in a hurry and didn't even have time to be here. I was polite and simply went on with the transaction and at the end told her I hoped she had a great day, she then looked up from her phone and apologized for the attitude and unnecessary rudeness, she said she was going through some personal stuff but shouldn't have projected onto the cashier. I told her to not worry about it and have a good one. I appreciated her apology and that she recognized her mistake but I hope that she learned from that and is more mindful in the future. But at the end of the day I don’t know if they had the worst day ever, if they lost a loved one, or if they had some kind of accident. We never know what people are going through so why not treat everyone with kindness. Even if I have a customer from hell I make sure and tell them I hope they have a great rest of their day, because that might be the only kind thing they hear or the kind thing they needed to turn it around. 

The way I see it is that it’s always better to be kind then to not, what did being rude ever get you? I challenge everyone to choose kinder words, think before you speak, and remember you never know what that person is going through. By no means is anyone perfect and you might let your anger get the best of you sometimes, but always try to act with kindness and remember that an apology can go a long way. And that’s just one of the slices in my life, always trying to act with kindness.