The day I realized my canned greeting was pushing people away

I worked the returns desk at a big box store in Akron for three years, and every single shift I started with "Hi, how can I help you today?" without ever looking up from the scanner. Last spring, an older lady handed me a busted blender and said, "You know, you sound like you're reading a script, honey. You don't even see me." That stung because she was right. I was so focused on processing the transaction fast that I'd turned into a machine. After that, I forced myself to make eye contact and ask one dumb question like "Did this one last you long?" before touching anything. The line moved slower, sure, but people stopped treating me like furniture. That lady's comment changed how I talk to every customer now, and my shift complaints dropped by half. Has anyone else had a stranger point out a habit you didn't even notice?

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christopher_coleman1724d ago

Honestly, once you say one real thing to a person, the whole vibe flips.