History Is Never Old News
(I am working in the print department of an office-supply store. An older customer comes in with a folder of very old newspaper articles.)
Customer: “Hello, young lady. I was just wondering if you could make some copies of these articles for me. They are getting old and I would like to preserve them.”
Me: “Of course!”
Customer: “Thank you very much. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go look around while you do this.”
(I agree, and he hands me the articles. I can see that it is an article about a man who was killed during World War Two. In one of the articles, it shows a picture of the deceased man holding a baby. As the customer has requested, I make copies of the articles that are beginning to fray, rip, and yellow. After making the copies, I quickly laminate them in order to keep them really preserved. The customer comes back.)
Me: “So you know, sir, I noticed that the articles you had were starting to rip, and I assumed that was why you were making the copies. When I finished the copies, I laminated them for you.”
Customer: “I appreciate that young lady, but I can’t afford the lamination.”
Me: “I like history, and I think historical documents are very important to keep. The lamination is free of charge!”
(The customer begins to cry.)
Me: “Sir, are you alright?”
Customer: “Yes, yes. Do you see this baby in this picture? This was me when I was just a few days old. This was the only time my father ever held me before he died. This is all I have to remember him by, and you just helped me to keep them preserved so I can keep his memory alive. Miss, please… can I give you a hug?”
Me: “Of course!”
(He gives me the warmest hug I have ever experienced.)
Customer: “Thank you, miss. You have no idea how happy you just made an old man.”
(I am also crying, due to the joy I gave this customer by taking two seconds to laminate his articles. After pulling away from him, I notice that my manager is also beginning to cry.)
Manager: “Sir, these copies are on the store. Have a nice day, and come see us if you ever need anything else.”
(The customer leaves with a huge smile on his face, and my manager and I are both cheery for the rest of the day. When I arrive at work the next day, I find a small bouquet of flowers sitting on my desk with a note from the customer.)
Note From The Customer: “I picked these flowers for you from my garden. They aren’t much, but I was hoping I could brighten your day as much as you brightened mine.”
(I still have that note, along with one of the flowers that I kept and pressed in a scrapbook. I will never forget that man, and the father he never knew.)
This story is part of our celebration of Not Always Right publishing over 100,000 stories!
This story is included in the roundup of Not Always Inspirational stories to toast this achievement!
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
