Just Don’t Ask Me To Sing

I stopped in at Whole Foods today to grab a salad on my way to needlepoint. Right there in that one sentence are so many things that make me happy. First I was going to sit at the stitcher’s table and catch up with my friends. Second, I was getting a yummy salad that I did not have to cook, just pick and buy.

After I had gathered my roasted vegetables and seafood salad in one earth friendly container I went to the express lane that amazingly had only one other customer in it who was really only buying two items. I felt like the gods were smiling since despite this Whole Foods being in a well respected-college town and being expensive enough that only people who could read and count to 10 usually shop there, the express lane is often full of people with upwards of twenty items. I guess that these are overly educated and entitled people who feel like the rules don’t apply to them. All this being said I have never heard a check out person once admonish these rule breaking customers.

The express lane employees must be a special type of person who can keep people happy all the time. I was already happy, but my checker threw in a little comment that brightened my already good day when she said to me, “Do people tell you all the time that you look like Julie Andrews?” True to extra nice customer service training they get to run the express lane, when I must have had a very puzzled look on my face, she quickly added, “A very young Julie Andrews.”

“Oh my gosh, no,” I replied. No one has ever said I look like Julie Andrews, but thank you. I love her.” Another devoted Whole Foods customer walks out the door completely ignoring that her take out lunch cost as much as a white table cloth restaurant lunch.

The old saying, “flattery will get you everywhere,” could not be truer. Next time you need to ask a favor of someone start with a compliment. I promise you will get more than you would without it.