Member-only story
Customer Service as a Way of Life
No matter our job or circumstances, we all have customers, and serving them is our most important and beneficial work
My first job was as a bagger at a grocery store about a mile from my house. Every day, after clocking in, I had to check in at the front desk to receive my day’s assignment. Once I got there, a manager on duty would look at the schedule, see what needed to be done, and assign me my work for the shift.
But that big front desk was also the customer service desk. It was where customers would bring returns, haggle about wrong prices, and generally look for help. Because of this, at any given time when an employee came up to check in, there’d be a customer there, wanting help right away.
There were so many times I punched in and went to the desk, only to be whisked away on a mission to help a customer. I’d go on journeys with them to find an obscure product. I’d find someone from the bakery to help with their cake order. I’d reunite them with their lost grocery-shopping companions. On many occasions, I’d help one customer, only to be intercepted by another on my way back to the front of the store. There were times when it was nearly a half-hour before I could even check in with my manager after clocking in.
