(I have been using the same garage for years; they give a good discount and are really flexible. There hasn’t been a problem until today.)

Mechanic: “Well, the car has failed the MOT.”

Me: “Oh great. What for?”

Mechanic: “Well, you had a bulb out on one side. If both sides were out it would be okay, but they need to be the same.”

Me: “Oh, okay, that is easily fixed. I will unplug one of the others.”

Mechanic: “Yeah, you could do that… Oh, it failed on light alignment. They have been fitted really poorly. Did you do it yourself?”

Me: “No, you guys did it.”

Mechanic: “Ah, okay. Give me one second.”

(I wait 15 minutes.)

Mechanic: “If you leave the car here it will be retested within the hour.”

Me: “Okay. How much for the retest?”

Mechanic: “Oh, I, err, don’t worry about that.”

(True to his word, the car was re-tested and even cleaned well before the hour was up and for free. I never got questioned about the lights again.)

(I am a PhD student in a program that is fully-funded, which is not at all uncommon in our field of study. This means that none of the PhD students in my program pay any tuition, and they give us a yearly salary for living expenses. Technically, for accounting purposes, we all have “full tuition scholarships,” and then the university has us on the payroll for our living stipends. The coordinator of our program talks to me the day after class registration.)

Coordinator: “I see that you aren’t on the list for dissertations. Did you have a problem registering?”

Me: “I did. But it should be getting taken care of. I had a hold on my student account.”

Coordinator: “Why?”

Me: “Well, I apparently didn’t pay my tuition.”

Coordinator: “What tuition?”

Me: “My tuition of $0.00. Yes, I had to go through the online payment system, put in my credit card and stuff, so that they could process a payment of $0.00. Hopefully, the hold will get lifted today.”

(It did get lifted and then I could register for my classes, but I still had to laugh at the fact that the computer that created holds on student accounts didn’t realize that $0.00 is… well, nothing.)

(I go to the register and ask for a half-dozen doughnuts. The cashier looks at her manager.)

Cashier: “She wants six, right?”

(The poor manager had a look of pure shock on his face and just answered “yes.”)

The hospital I work for lets patients leave comments about something good that happened to them during their stay. Once a month, the best stories are picked and shared with everyone. This story really stuck with me.

A patient who was doing an extended stay at the hospital came running out of her room in tears, screaming for help. [Nurse #1] happened to be nearby and ran to the patient’s side checking for injuries; she seems to be okay, but she is begging the nurse for help. The patient explains that she’s just gotten off the phone with her sister and it is her sister that needs help. Her sister had been having a rough go at life recently and could no longer take it; she had called to say goodbye. [Nurse #1] immediately calls for another nurse for help as she helps the patient back her her room. She briefly explains the situation to the second nurse who pulls out his phone and dials 911 as the patient attempt to get her sister back on the line.

For the next 20-30 minutes the two nurses never leave the patient’s side. [Nurse #1] is keeping a close look at the patient’s health while giving her suggestions on things to say to keep her sister on the line, as it would mean more coming from a loved one rather than a stranger. Meanwhile, [Nurse #2] is on the phone covertly getting the sister’s information from the patient and passing it along to the dispatcher.

Unfortunately, it seems that the sister catches on and swallows a handful of pills before hanging up the phone… mere minutes before the paramedics pull into her drive. Since [Nurse #2] is still on the phone with dispatch, he is able to convey to them exactly what had happened inside the house — they even know what kind of pills she’d taken! The paramedics rush the sister to the emergency room where they are able to save her life. The paramedics and dispatch are in constant contact with [Nurse #2], relaying information through him to our patient, up until the point when the sister is admitted.

The nurses went above and beyond for the patient. They could have simply called 911 and reported the situation, but they stayed by the patient’s side and treated her sister, who lives in a completely different city. A huge thank you also has to go out to the paramedics and 911 dispatcher who kept the patient informed through the entire ordeal.

I am happy to report that at the time of me writing this, both sisters are doing well.

(Our store has a team of about 20 people who come in early in the morning to unload the day’s shipment and restock. They work their way around the store like a wave, always within a few aisles of each other. Right before the store opens, we have a meeting.)

Store Manager: “We’ve been getting low survey scores lately, and we think that part of the problem is that the unload team isn’t customer focused. From now on, our policy is that you offer to help every customer you see. I’ll be working with you this morning so I can watch how well you do.”

Unload Team Member #1: “What if someone else has already asked?”

Store Manager: “Unless you were standing right next to them, go ahead and ask again, just in case.”

Unload Team Member #2: “Won’t people get sick of being asked over and over whether they need help?”

Store Manager: “The surveys say this is the kind of service people are looking for when they shop here. You’re just being helpful! What could be wrong with that?”

(About 15 minutes later, a customer wanders into the aisle where Store Manager] is working.)

Store Manager: *loudly, obviously trying to set an example* “Can I help you find something?”

Customer: “Are you f****** kidding me? You are the sixth person to ask me that already, and I haven’t even been in the store ten minutes yet. In the last aisle, I got asked by three different people! Why can’t you people just leave me the f*** alone and let me do my shopping on my own like an adult? If I hear one more employee asking me if they can help me find something, I’m gonna drop my basket right there in the middle of the aisle and leave. No! No, I do not need help!”

(Oddly, the new policy was never spoken of again.)