This Christmas Will Bomb But In A Good Way
I work at a store whose employees are known for being very social — often probably too much! — and making connections with customers.
It is less than a week until Christmas and our area is in lockdown, so this means we can only do curbside pickup. My coworkers and I are tired, stressed, and dealing with a lot of angry phone calls from people who are upset they can’t come into the store to shop or are having trouble with the online ordering process. Our store phone is dying, making everything difficult, we’re surviving on coffee, and we’re definitely not feeling any kind of holiday spirit.
Near the end of the day, we get another phone call. We worry it will be someone else upset with us.
Customer: “Hi! I know you’re only open for curbside but it won’t let me order online because I don’t have a credit card. Could I come by the store and purchase a few things at the door? I know I can’t come inside and that’s fine!”
Since we have a card reader we can bring to the door and still social-distance, we are able to do this in scenarios where it’s needed, so we tell her yes. A while later she comes by and immediately makes all our days by being the sweetest.
Customer: “I just wanted to say thank you for working during this time! I know it’s really hard on your mental health and I really appreciate you being here.”
Coworker #1: “Oh, my gosh, thank you so much! You have no idea how happy that makes us.”
Coworker #2: “You know, you’re the first person I’ve heard that from.”
Me: “Yeah, we really don’t hear that kind of thing very often; it really means a lot!”
Customer: “I just wanted to pick up a few things for me or some friends, and I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions? I’m really not sure what to get. What are each of your favourite products so I know some things that are good?”
I am starting to suspect what might be going to happen, so to hedge my bets, I recommend a bath bomb that I DO love but also isn’t too much. My coworkers recommend a body scrub and some soap that they use and like.
The customer happily takes our suggestions and buys those as well as a few other items. My coworker goes to put our suggested products in a bag for her but she stops him.
Customer: “I wanted to know something that each of you likes so I could give it to you! I know things are tough right now. You’re doing great. Happy holidays!”
She wouldn’t take no for an answer and left us literally hugging the products she had gifted us in some kind of shocked joy.
We spent the rest of the shift just happily talking about that encounter over and over. My coworkers had had no idea what was coming and I was surprised that it had actually turned out how I suspected because customers that nice are rare. She had already made our days just by being kind and then did something so amazing on top of that! I still haven’t used the bath bomb I got from the girl we have dubbed “an actual angel” because I kind of want to keep it forever, but even more so, I want her to somehow see this or otherwise know how much joy she brought us!