there must be an angel with a smile on her face

[evilpnkbunnie]

i am all set for a day of routine boredom, manning the entrance of BJ's with my stack of verizon flyers and facade of happiness. it's a slow day for the wholesale club; i guess everyone has already done their returns

Comments

[allegro1020]

you know, i feel exactly the same way when on the register at starbucks. we as baristas are supposed to exemplify 'star skills', meaning complete and comprehensive customer satisfaction for one thing. so when someone walks up to me for their food/drink, i always smile, and greet them with one of the well-worn catch phrases that every single barista uses as their default (ex. 'hello, how are we doing today? *smile*', or 'morning! what can we get started for you?*smile'). for most people, i can just smell the whiff of impatience, and catch the look of contempt. to them, i'm just another annoying link in the chain that they must pass through to get their damned iced mocha. and so it goes, everyone fakes a smile back, averts their eyes, and makes it clear they want nothing but to leave the store. that's my day on register in a nutshell. yet every once in a while, someone actually answers back genuinely... it might be something a bit crude like 'jesus, i'm so tired right now, what are you brewing that's caffeinated???', or some other variant of this creative thinking. but just to know that these individuals are taking the time and effort to give me the time of day as an individual who places value in honest communication and exchange (even if it is because i am there to wait on them), makes the job that much more tolerable. it's like a breath of fresh air after driving through new jersey for two hours. so when i think of your story, i say, cheers, for this is a beautiful piece of writing.
~a