Addressing the Cashier That Left Me Completely Wordless – I Salute You
The scene was a weekend morning, and I was grumpy enough, filling up the family car. The location was one of those petrol stations that doubles as a grocery store, which often leads of ending up in line customers carrying goods of somewhat expensive items. This is a dreadful thing to occur when your only desire is to pay for some fuel. Dreadful.
Fourth in line I stood in the queue. A single cashier operating, a female attendant. Something stood out in her demeanor. After the ditherer at the first position had at last settled for a cleaning product, a baked snack, and a carton of eggs, It seemed to me overhearing the cashier wish him a wonderful day. Unusual. Perhaps I’d misheard, or possibly she uttered it and meant it ironically. I wondered if she could even be an ally in my fight against faff, reflecting my irritation for individuals slowing down straightforward customers including me.
Advancing next, now third in line. The new leader of our line completed her gasoline purchase with impressive quickness. And there it was again: “Wishing you a marvelous day.” To be precise, it was “may your day be absolutely splendid”. Someone from the US? Here in Stourbridge? She had the accent, and no British person says to others such a cheerful phrase, or simply a good day. Quite out of place. You don’t get many Americans frequenting this area, and definitely not employed at gas stations or anywhere else.
Now I stood second. After an elderly lady embroiled in a lengthy struggle with her basket, her food items, her purse and her loyalty card. This took an eternity. When she was done, she too received the wish to have a fantastic day. Definitely from the US. I could have confirmed it by cracking a joke in her direction, to check for that thing their typical stare, unsmilingly, and say with absolute sincerity: “That is quite humorous.” Yet no idea came of a funny comment to express.
In the end, I embraced the genuine warmth – or an impersonation of it, that equates to no different – as she gazed me right in the eye, to my very core, and bid me a wonderful day. It improved my mood. Beneficial indeed.
