My ongoing experiment/goal

Lately I've noticed that most staff that work retail look pretty down in the dumps. Not all of them, but the vast majority for sure. I don't blame them, they probably get some pretty annoying customers, and I don't think a lot of them really want to be there. So I started a little experiment.

Now, when I'm going through a check out, I make a point of making eye contact and giving them a big smile and greeting. My goal is to get them to smile back and look happier. When I leave, I always thank them and tell them to have a good day, and for the most part, I do manage to get a smile.

My thinking is, that if I can brighten one person just a little bit, maybe they'll smile at the next guy in line, and maybe he'll smile back. Maybe that guy will smile at the next person he sees too, and maybe, just because I gave that tiny little bit of effort, I can make several people's days just a little bit better.

I love their surprise as I tell them I actually do want them to have a good day. They sort of blink at me like "oops, that was my line" and then usually give me a stunned "you too!" and often a bit of a smile.

This worked especially well for one grumpy Subway employee who was working alone one afternoon. She was irritable from the beginning, but with just a little bit of small talk and lots of smiles, by the end she told me to "Take care, sweetie!" and had a big grin on her face. We probably gave her at least 10 minutes of smiles in the middle of a nasty work day.

So smile! Bring them that little bit of cheer! It'll make them happier, and it'll make you happier too!

~Dorothy