It Was Time To Check-in With Myself by Pennie Hunt

I am not a big fan of self-checkout. Maybe it is because I am not quick at it. Maybe it is because I would rather interact with a real person. Maybe it is because it usually takes longer than having a real person check me out. Maybe it is a combination of reasons, but I am not a fan.

Today I went to the store to buy 4 things. There was only one checkout line open with a real person and the rest was self-checkout. Since three people with overflowing carts were waiting in line for the real person, I moved to the self-check line. It was longer, but I hoped it would move faster. It didn’t.

When it was finally my turn, I punched in my phone number for the good customer discount and began scanning. Milk, bread, bananas…everything was moving fine until I scanned the pears and put them on the conveyor belt. Suddenly the system locked up. The belt wouldn’t move. The number 11 on the pole above me began flashing. I waited. Did I mention I am not a fan of self-checkout?

After some time, a clerk came over. “I am not sure what I did, it just stopped,” I told him. “You have too many items on the belt.” The clerk said, with a monotone voice, motionless face, and no eye contact. He clearly was not enjoying his job.

My bread and milk had happily made their way to the end of the belt, but my bananas and pears sat together right next to me and hadn’t moved. What? Those two things are too much for the belt? I was confused.

The clerk punched in a code and walked away. My eyes followed him, wondering if I could continue or if I needed to wait, or if I had broken the machine. I touched the pay button on the screen, put in my credit card, bagged my 4 items, and left.

On the drive home, I was growling in my mind thinking about how much I don’t like self-checkout. How rude I thought the clerk was. How 8 other check stands could have had real people working them but were closed. And why was it my job to scan my groceries, bag my groceries, and wait for the unfriendly clerk to fix a problem that I didn’t understand?

What happened to a friendly face by the register, friendly chit-chat about how my day was going, a bagger gently placing my bagged items in my cart, and then pushing my cart to my car and unloading it, and thanking me by my name? Yes, I am sure all that dates me back many, many years, but those were good times, right?

I walked into my house and the first thing out of my mouth to my husband was, “If I ran a grocery store I would put my friendliest, happiest person in charge of the self-checkout area. Every customer that stands under a flashing sign is frustrated and needs help and should be greeted with a friendly face.”  He just smiled and nodded. He knows I am not a fan of self-checkout.

I stewed about this most of the morning and then I realized I was looking at it all wrong. I did a little check-in with myself. Everything I was frustrated about was unimportant. The important thing was the happiness level of the clerk who helped me. Maybe my only job was to see if I could increase that person’s happiness.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t my job, but couldn’t it be my goal to make others happier? This is a Happiness Game I have played many times. Will you join me?

Every time you see someone having a difficult day or seems to be unhappy, can you make their day a little better? It doesn’t take much effort. A smile for your barista. A hug for your friend. A “how is your day going,” for the clerk at the self-check area. A joke with your lunch server. And try the magic of telling someone how you appreciate what they do. All of these give you points in the happiness game. With every point and every expression of care, YOU will feel happier - and hopefully so will they.

I am not a fan of self-checkout, but the next time I use it I plan to be friendly and appreciative of the clerk even if they do not return the same happiness level. Especially if they don’t.
​That is how the game works.
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                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                   When you are the most frustrated by the way you are treated,
                        it is time to treat others with compassion and happiness.
                                                     It makes a difference.
                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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#CornerofSpiritandBrave  #loveyourlifenomatterwhat  #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt  #IAmGoodEnough
YOUR TURN...        
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                                                                 Thank you!  ​
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