To the Store Clerk Who Made Me Totally Speechless – My Hat's Off to You
This occurred on a Sunday morning, and I felt grumpy enough, filling up the family car. The location was a typical gas station that also functions as a grocery store, meaning there's a chance of waiting behind customers carrying goods of pricey provisions. This is a dreadful thing to happen when all you want is to get gasoline and leave. Awful.
My position was fourth in the queue. A single cashier operating, a youthful clerk. There was something unusual in her demeanor. After the ditherer at the first position had at last settled for his Viakal, his pastry, and a carton of eggs, I was certain that I heard the cashier bid him an excellent day. Strange. Perhaps I’d misheard, or maybe she did say it and meant it ironically. I wondered if she could even be a comrade in my fight against faff, echoing my disdain for individuals slowing down straightforward customers such as myself.
Advancing next, becoming the third customer. The new leader of the queue discharged her fuel-only transaction with notable efficiency. And there it was again: “I hope you have a fantastic day.” In fact, it was “have a wonderful day”. An American? Here in Stourbridge? Her tone suggested it, and hardly anyone here wishes anyone such a cheerful phrase, or merely a pleasant day. Highly unusual. You don’t get people from America knocking around Stourbridge, certainly not working in petrol stations or other places.
Now I stood second. Behind a poor older woman embroiled in a protracted effort with her shopping cart, her food items, her wallet and her loyalty card. The process dragged on. Once completed, she too received the wish an excellent day. Definitely from the US. Confirming it was possible by making a witty remark to her, to see if she did that thing their typical stare, stoically, and state very earnestly: “That is quite humorous.” But I couldn’t think of a jest to utter.
Ultimately, I accepted for the absolute sincerity – or a mimicry of sincerity, essentially the same as no different – while she stared me right in the eye, to my very core, and wished me an awesome day. My spirits lifted. Beneficial indeed.
