Don’t Discount The Ability To Be Pleasant

There is a sandwich place I go to when I forget to bring lunch for work. The workers tend to start asking what someone wants to order before they have a chance to say anything.

I always like to greet people, so at first, it was a little awkward.

Worker: “What can I get for you?”

Me: “Hi! How is your day going?”

Worker: “…good! You?”

Then I started to project my greeting before I got to the counter so I could beat them to it, and it has settled into a more natural dynamic where we can do an order efficiently while still being friendly. I rarely tipped there because it isn’t really a place where that is expected, since there is minimal interaction, so I didn’t really expect the people there to like me.

So, I was surprised and pleased that recently they started giving me a couple of dollars discount whenever I go in. 

Apparently, there is a deal that some businesses do in the area. I was very clear that I’m not part of that, but they decided that since I work across the street, that is good enough.

My guess is that saying hello, making eye contact, complimenting their hair and outfits, asking about weekend plans and hobbies, all without disrupting their workflow, means more to them than a couple of dollars. This is sad to think about. It has been a long time since I’ve worked in a restaurant, but I remember enough to suspect this is the cause of the discount. 

I now carry cash so I can at least tip the difference if not more.