Killers

Frustration may come on easily, but all it takes to be defused is a smile. This is a short tale about how a simple smile can make the biggest difference in someone's day.

Nearing the end of my shift, I was walking the floor looking for help unloading a truck. I couldn't do it on my own and my shift was almost up, so I was in a bit of a rush. As I neared the hardware department, I saw a lot associate trying to help a woman find a specific package of drawer knobs. She had found one package but needed more.

I could tell as I walked up that the situation wasn't the best. The woman seemed upset and the associate helping her was getting frustrated. He walked to a nearby computer to look up the sku to see if we had any more on hand. With my knowledge of our products, I suspected I knew why no one could find what the lady was looking for. I approached the associate and asked to see the product. My suspicions were right.

"I know where this is," I told him. Turning to the woman, I said, "I'll take to you them."

After asking the associate if he could help me unload the waiting truck, I turned and led the customer the kitchen & bath department. I walked up to a shelf, looked at the model number on the product in my hand and compared it to the labels on the shelf.

Bingo.

"There it is," I said, handing her the item. She looked at me, smiled a very gracious smile and said, "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," I replied.

As I walked away, the image of her smile flashed in my head. It was so sincere, so real. In something so small, she found something that meant something to her. Something of value to her.

I'm not writing this to brag. The only reason I knew where that item belonged was because, in the five years I've worked here, I've put it and others like it onto that shelf hundreds of times. I only recognised the problem as I approached it because I've seen people in the same situation many times. The oddity that some knobs are kept in a different department than the rest stuck in my brain.

But it made me realise that that situation was part of why, in my five years in this company, I've put those away so often and seen others not able to find them. I had those experiences, in part, to help that lady and receive her warm smile on a frustrating day.

I've gone on too long but I really wanted to share this story to any who care to read it. Just remember that everything happens for a reason but also remember that the simple things you do can make the biggest difference in someone's life.

Go on. Smile like you mean it.