Customer Service In Our Daily Lives

[thatspagirl]

Today I have a child sick, and I also am not feeling well (sinus headache).  I just went down to check our mail (since we're a large deveoopment, our mail is delivered to our mailboxes in one central location).  I arrived to find the mail woman (postal carrier) putting mail in our boxes?

Since my mailbox was still empty, and I didn't want to hang around too long (in case my younger one got pukey again), I kindly (yes, I was very nice) asked if she had gotten to my box yet.    I asked if I should wait ("is it waitable?") or should I come back later.  She tersely said, "I'm getting there."  Now granted, we all have our bad days, and she didn't realize that my day wasn't going really great.  But now does she realize how she made the other person feel, responding so rudely.  Does she even care? It wasn't what was said; more how she said it.

I responded by saying, in an "informing" tone (rather than matching her terseness), that the reason I asked was because I had a sick child, and I wasn't feeling well.  I didn't want to stand around and wait if she was going to be a while.  I apologized and explained that I wasn't being rude to her; rather just asking a question.  Since I got no response to this, I continued, "Remember, we all have bad days.  How you responded to me was not necessary."  This was followed by a "Here!" and her hand sticking out from behind the mailbox unit with my mail.

Now I'm big enough to realize that for any of many possible reasons, this woman was just in a "mood".  It made me reflect upon myself, and how I come across to people.  If we are overworked, worried, in a "teenager-has-us-climbing-up-a-wall" frame of mind, whatever -  we can be a little caught off when conversing with others.  I do believe though, there is no room for blatent rudeness; especially when it's so totally unfounded.  I've also been known to wish a nice day to a grocery checkout/bagger who was manhandling my groceries (you know the kind - throwing stuff in bags, hoping your fruit wasn't bruised along the way; the glass jars clinking together in harmony as they were being tossed into a bag).

By my being the "opposite", or in the case of this afternoon's meeting with the mail carrier, being informative of one's current situation, I hope that they do a self-check on themselves, and decide that, "Hey!  maybe that lady was right!"  I hope they have a better day. 

Not only was this mail carrier an example of  a bad attitude, negative person, she was also representing the U.S. Postal Service.  Not a good reflection.......

How are you coming across today?  Hope you are having a good one!  If not, changing your attitude CAN change your day - and maybe someone else's around you!  Have a blessed day!