What inspired me to write this post?
A day of running errands, which included going to two different Walmarts in search of towels for our new apartment.
And a Walmart employee who did their fair share of making a difference in my life.
Let me give you a little background…
Last month I got a new phone at Walmart. A week after the return policy expired, I noticed a huge crack through the phone’s camera which left a big line through every picture I took. Obviously this was frustrating to me, especially because I don’t remember dropping it, so I was hoping Walmart would at least still be willing to exchange it. This was on my to-do list for the day, along with stopping at nine other stores, which turned into six hours of running errands.
Throughout this busy day, I learned a little something about myself: I care a lot about customer service. If I feel like I am wronged by a company, I’m not afraid to tell them. But on the other hand, when an employee goes out of their way to help me and make me feel valued, I appreciate it A LOT. Probably more than most people do. I will go out of my way to thank the employee and try to tell the manager about my positive experience as well.
Let’s just say that the lady I talked to at the first Walmart was not one of those people. She wasn’t rude, but she definitely did not plan to help me more than she had to. Basically she told me the return policy had expired so there was nothing she could do. Understandable, right?
Until I went to the other Walmart. The employee I talked with there spoke as if he understood that I was a real person with a frustrating situation at hand. And when he realized that there really was nothing he could do to help me even though he wanted to, he took the time to call another Walmart to see if there was anything they could do. He gave me helpful advice on how to move forward. And he said to follow up with him if needed.
Although the phone still isn’t fixed, what matters is that he cared about little ol’ me and my little ol’ situation.
I want to be like that.
I want to be a person that CARES. I want to be a person that loves other people and is making a difference in their lives, even if it means giving of my time or not getting any recognition in return.
I want to be a person who can brighten the day of a person I don’t even know and may not ever see again.
But I’m not. If I’m honest with myself, I do love to help people…if it means that I get some sort of recognition or payment in return. I’m still working on being that person who genuinely enjoys giving of my own time and money to serve other people. I want to make a difference in people’s lives.
So to David in the electronics department…you probably didn’t even know you made a difference in my life, let alone that I would blog about it…but thank you. You inspire me.
photo credit: Ben Fredericson (xjrlokix) via photopin cc (edited)
