Disservice With A Smile

(I work in a high-end department store known for its excellent customer service. In fact, one of our mottos is, “We wear smiles, not name tags.” We’re trained to smile and ask customers if they’re finding everything all right when they’re in our department, if they’re not already being helped by someone else. I’m currently ringing up a gentleman in my department when a young woman runs over to him from the ladies’ shoe department.)

Dad: “Did you find any you like?”

Daughter: “No, I can’t stay over there. There are too many salespeople.”

Dad: “Were they being too aggressive?”

Daughter: “No, they were all just asking me if I was doing okay. I can’t stay over there!”

Dad: *long pause* “Honey, this is [Store], and that’s their job. That’s why I shop here. Let’s go to [Other Store]; they’ll ignore you there.”

(Thanks, Dad, for recognizing and appreciating the difference between being attentive and being aggressive.)