Acknowledgement.
A story which brought me pleasure this week. Fridays at our local Safeway the deli has two items marked down to $5/pound, one meat and one cheez, so I always check. I was second in line; ahead of me was a young mother with a very young daughter. The clerk asked the daughter “would you like a piece of cheese?” The little girl was conflicted and shy. She hemmed and hawed and kept looking at the floor, while the mother kept urging her to decide. Finally she agreed. The clerk wrapped up a piece of cheese in paper and stepped in front of the deli case.
“Now I’m giving this to your mother, and she can give it to you. I just want you to know, never take anything like candy or food from a person you don’t know.” She passed it to the mother who passed it on to the daughter. The girl was pleased, and they left.
I smiled and said “you did good.” The clerk was obviously pleased and we started talking. Well she treated me like royalty after that, giving me recommendations and free cheese and meat samples. I bought a lot. Upon checking out I mentioned the interchange to the manager who asked if I was on the internet (lol, when am I not?). She circled a website on the receipt and suggested I make a comment,
I returned home and did as directed. Terrible website which mis-directed me several times and finally took me to a place for complaints. Oh, there were many, but I wished to complement. I finally got a phone number and after holding for ½ hour (I was determined by this time) I got the right guy and told the story. I had given him the number of our store and the clerk’s name, so I trust she’ll be recognized.
I actually enjoy dealing with folks and services on the phone, so Mrs. side pocket encourages me to handle them. I am polite and patient, and when someone does a good job I am always complementary, even to the point of responding to their service surveys. Rare rudeness: PG&E kept sending me misdirected bills. I knew what the problem was, so I offered to solve it. “No, just write deceased on the envelope and send it back.” The letters kept coming, so last week I called again and got a woman who wasn’t having a bad day. “Oh, thank you, I have fixed it. Thank you so much.” Honey, not vinegar.
I have mentioned here before about dealing with Comcast and other internet service providers. They have a terrible reputation, but thus far I have been successful without blowing a gasket, though it has been close.
I know cilantro and rhubarb have been the subject of love/hate commentary here, but what about okra, y’all? I like it a lot, and don’t mind the texture. In fact, I buy mild pickled okra from Texas. It was in several dishes I had recently in New Orleans. I even grew it one year in my greenhouse. Not really sufficient heat so it was leggy, but I got enough for a number of meals. I was reminded of this because I found it in the Dollar Store and bought some. Grown in China; how do they make a profit on that?