A regular at the hardware store made me see the 'thank you' thing differently

He comes in every Tuesday, and yesterday he said, 'You always ask if I found everything okay, but you're the only one who actually waits for the answer.' I realized I was just saying the words without really hearing the customer. Has anyone else had a small comment completely reframe a basic part of your routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_jackson651mo ago

Yeah, that hits home. I used to just go through the motions asking people how their day was until a guy at the coffee shop said, "Better now that someone asked," and really meant it. Makes you stop and actually listen to the answer instead of just waiting for your turn to talk. What was the last thing a customer said that actually stuck with you?

hart.mark1mo ago

Okay but "completely reframe a basic part of your routine"? That feels like a lot. It's a nice moment, sure, but it's just a customer interaction. @william_jackson65, the coffee shop thing is sweet, but people say stuff like that to be kind. I doubt most customers even notice if you're really listening or just saying the line. We all have scripts at work to get through the day. Making it into some big life lesson seems like overthinking a simple nice comment.

troythompson27d ago

Read something once about how the ritual of being asked "how are you" is basically a social handshake, not a real question most of the time. That stuck with me because it's true, @william_jackson65. When someone actually breaks the script and means it, it feels like seeing behind the curtain for a second. Makes you wonder how many of those handshakes we just let slide by without really taking them.