I encountered Crystal again early last Saturday morning when I shopped at the Safeway store where she works. When I approached her checkout station she smiled and said “It’s great to see you. How have you been?” She seemed genuinely happy to see me. Every time I’m at this Safeway I make sure to get in her checkout line. I’m always impressed by her upbeat demeanor, efficiency, and professionalism.
As Crystal was scanning my items I noticed that two of them did not ring up 2 for the price of 1 (which is why I selected them). I explained this to Crystal. She said, “I understand. Why don’t we walk over there together and check this out.” Wow, I thought. I don’t think I’ve ever had a cashier take such a personal interest in rectifying a problem without getting an “attitude.” Sure enough she saw the sign and mentioned (very nicely) to a fellow worker in that department that for some reason, the product was not ringing up the sale price. When we returned to her registry, she explained to me how she was going to ring up the product and that I would see the deduction at the end of the bill.
During our time together I found out she had a legacy of a praying mother like I do. We talked about the difference our mothers had made in our lives. Later I asked her, “How long have you worked for Safeway?” She said, “This year it’s 25 years.” I asked, “Did you get anything special for your length of service?” Crystal answered, “Yes, I got to choose a gift from a catalog. But you know what? It wouldn’t matter to me if I didn’t get anything, because I am so thankful to have a job.” All I could think was, What an excellent attitude! No sense of entitlement here or I’m doing the company a favor by coming to work every day.
When she finished with me and was on to the next customer, Crystal asked, “Can you wait a moment, I want to share something with you.” I said sure. When she graciously said good bye to the next customer and no one else was in line she said to me. “I decided a long time ago, not to sweat the small stuff. Life is too short. And even if I’m right and the other person is wrong, I let that go too.”
I had my sermon in word and action for the day.
Excellent Living's Blog 
June 9, 2011 at 10:40 am |
Crystal rocks! Thank you for sharing this vignette about the power of a positive attitude. With so many people whining that they don’t have the job they want, Crystal is out there working the job she has. She’s blooming where she is planted, having an impact, making a difference where she is right now in her life. Some people with the best jobs in the world never embrace their power to do that. Thanks again for this great reminder. I’m sure Crystal felt appreciated by your positive attitude as well.