Retail Manners #5

Give your "go-backs" to the cashier. If you change your mind about an item, there is no shame in that. All of us change our minds occasionally either because we just don't want it or decide we can't afford it at the moment. Don't leave things where they don't belong. Salespeople find stuff in the shelves all over the store all the time, and we cashiers have tried to figure out why people put their unwanted items into the impulse shelves when we're right there, but we find all kinds of things shoved in with the candy and beef jerky on a daily basis. Please, just hand it to the cashier. We don't mind....really. A cashier a few weeks ago at my store was smelling something bad near her register and after searching diligently, she located some raw meat that had been shoved way back behind the candy that had gone bad...who knows how long it had been there! On a similar note, please remember that if you change your mind on many refrigerated or frozen items and hand them back, we have to send them to claims and take a loss on them. By law, we can't put those things back, even if you assure us that you just got them out. Just so you know....

I have to talk a little more here about this subject, because it really is a sore spot for me. To me, there are so many ways that people show poor manners in stores, but treating the store and merchandise badly is so common today. People leave their Starbucks cups on the shelves instead of finding a trash can. They leave unwanted items EVERYWHERE. If a piece of clothing falls on the floor while they are looking through the racks, they just leave it there. Didn't your mother teach you any better than that? Visiting a retail store is like visiting someone's home. That's the way I feel about my store...this is my "home" and you are trashing it. When I visit your home, I don't toss my used paper towels on the floor of your kitchen or bathroom. I don't shove my used dishes behind your books on the bookshelves, I don't knock something off your table and just leave it and say nothing. Please try to think of the underpaid workers who have to deal with the messes you leave in your wake....honestly, they really have other work to do besides cleaning up after you. Little things mean a lot. Find a trash can for your trash (and if you miss the trash can, for goodness sake pick it up and try again). Try to put things back the way you find them (the attempt is worth something). I could say so much more on this subject, but I will leave you with this....I have thought for many years that EVERY person in America should have to work in a "service industry" job for at least a month between the ages of 18 and 21...either a retail store or fast food or housekeeping or waiting tables or something. I know it would make consumers more thoughtful of the people that do work in those jobs...I know it's made me use better manners toward others, because I know what it's like...I've walked in their shoes. Think about it.

Let's talk!

I haven't posted in a while.....again. I want to blog, I love to write and I like to talk about stuff, but you know, I don't particularly want to talk about me much, about what's going on with me. It's not that interesting, and I either sound whiny or boasting. But I have come up with something that I DO want to talk about.....good manners. "Oh brother," you might say to yourself, "who cares about that." Well, if you don't care about manners, then from what I've seen lately at my job, as a cashier with a VERY large worldwide discount store which shall remain nameless, you're not alone. It seems that manners are passe', people are definitely not teaching them to their kids, that's for sure. Now I have to insert here that I live in a very conservative, religion-concentrated city, and there are a lot of nice, friendly, polite people here....it's one of the reasons that I love living where I live, one of the reasons we chose this area. So if there are lots of rude, ill-mannered people here, I make the assumption that there are plenty of places where it's worse, much worse.

I have read different books and articles on good manners, and in this blog I will occasionally, maybe even often, quote other sources. But I will start today with my own feelings about good manners, after all, it is my blog. From my observations, true good manners come from a person's genuine desire to make others feel comfortable, at ease, and to show respect. Manners flow from kindness and goodwill toward people in general (and it used to be taught to all children at home and in school, along with other ancient relics, like good morals from Bible stories). Now, being polite (again, to me) is a different matter. Our society pretty much demands politeness from its citizens, at least in public settings, if they want to live and function within the society. You can be perfectly polite and still drip your contempt for another person. But if you're using good manners, you at least make the attempt to hide your ill-will, and slap a smile on your face and be nice. Personally, I prefer good manners.

Whether you agree with my definitions or not, it's a fact that society was just a nicer place when people used good manners more often. Yes, it can get a little ridiculous if taken too far, but isn't everything like that? So, I'm going to give a little free advice on my blog. Oh, I'll probably address other bees in my bonnet, but several times a week, I'm going to be giving manners lessons....short little tidbits about treating others nicely and with respect and dignity. I'll probably be stepping on some toes....including mine.