**Disclaimer: I am a young person with only two years experience in a grocery store. This is by no means applicable to another adult with many more years of experience in another form of retail. I present these opinions based solely on my own experience and they are therefore not representative of the retail workforce as a whole.
The experience was the same every time. A few awkward moments of eye contact, followed by an unsure, "Me?" and then the process began. Perhaps unloading your items from a basket, or a cart. A tedious process, but a necessary one. Being the social butterfly that I am, I would typically offer a greeting followed by an, “Oh-I’ve never tried this before, is it good?” or, "I didn't know we got those back in stock-they're my favorite!", try to jump-start our conversation. The ball then in your cart I would wait, if I don’t get a response, or just a halfhearted, “Yeah me neither” (cue eye roll) then the conversation is over.
I can relate! Some people just aren’t chatty, we all have those days. Chances are you've encountered one too many cashiers that always seem to be having, "one of those days". However I think we can all agree this doesn't give anyone, customer or cashier, an excuse to be a dick. Please and thank you go a long way and I always remember the polite ones.
My experiences on the flip side have become just as meaningful to me. As a customer I want to make my conversation different from the rest throughout your day. Because I experienced retail as a cashier it became a priority to treat the worker with respect. Additionally, it also bothered me more than usual if I caused a problem because it would bring back memories of my own customers and how the day had all gone downhill from there. I once shut down a Target register because I didn't understand what I was signing up for. The staff was excellent, as has been my past encounters with Target, but the experience haunts me to this day.
Retail opened my eyes to the way the world functioned outside of my sheltered little view. And while this continues to expand with each visit to a retail establishment, I will never regret having stood behind that counter on a plush mat waiting to make the awkward eye contact. Each and every customer impacted me in some way, for the better, and I will treasure those lessons for the rest of my life. Thank you, customers, and thank you, retail workers.
