Me: “Hello, how are you today?”
Customer: [On phone] [Grabs samples walks away without acknowledging my existence]
“Can I have the whole pizza?”
“Wow, people are really greedy.” [About a woman who took 2 samples for herself and her partner in a wheelchair]
“I thought we were in America.” [In response to a man speaking Arabic nearby]
“America used to be a great country.” [About a Latino family shopping nearby]
“Oh, it’s not ready yet? You’re going to have to work a little faster.”
“Lunch is on Sam's Club today!”
“I spend a lot of money in here, so I can get another sample.”
“I'm starving!”
Me: Hello, today I have…
Customer: [Grabs samples walks away without acknowledging my existence]
Man: “Hey baby how are you today?”
Man: “Thanks hunny.”
Man: “Are you married?”
“You need to tell those people not to block your cart. It’s so rude.” [In response to an elderly woman in an electric shopping cart]
When I was young I loved (past tense) Sam’s Club. Weird thing to say, right? For those readers living outside of the United States, shopping at Sam’s Club is like winning the snack lottery. Why? FREE SAMPLES!
Everyone loves free samples. Try before you buy. Feed your kids for free. Bite-sized pieces of deliciousness.
Who wouldn't be thrilled for that?
Allow me to share some perspective from the other side of the tray. As a current sample lady I have witnessed many interesting happenings.
Kindness and hate speech. Greed and generosity. Friendliness and cruelty.
The quotes at the beginning of this blog are real examples of customer commentary I overhear on a weekly basis.
So strange is American’s treatment of food service workers.
When I began working in Sam’s Club [for a third party marketing company] I was grateful for the income but also shocked. I had just returned from studying abroad in Guatemala for 4 ½ months. While in Guatemala I walked 1 ½ hours round trip to my internship, passed by many homeless and disabled individuals and families, and learned a great deal about intricately woven social justice issues rooted in capitalism. So working in a warehouse where food, perceived “necessities,” and ostentatious furniture are literally stacked to the ceiling…was a little bit of a culture shock.
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| I do not own this photo. 'Tis not me. Just an example of my uniform. |
Back to food service workers. Sure, as a sample lady I am there to provide you with a service and increase customer satisfaction. But do you really think it is appropriate to share your racist, homophobic, and/or ethnocentric ideas with me? Why do you walk by me and not acknowledge that I am speaking directly to you? I totally understand that you may be having a bad day, or introverted, or unable to reply. But when you ignore me, talk on your phone, and then stare at me after I have greeted you and explained the product in detail and ask…”Wait, what’s this?” Well…
Or my favorite, “What’s this girl got?”
Sure, I identify as female. I express my femininity more than my masculinity. But 1) I am a grown woman and 2) speak to me not at me.
Is it something about food aprons and emblem embroidered hats that send a message that it is okay to treat food servers as less than? Dehumanization in daily life, folks. And most people will demean food service workers without a second thought. Imagine if I sported business attire to work. Would you treat me different?
At this point some of you may be thinking, what if a food service worker is rude to me? I completely understand. I have interacted with many food service workers that seem irritated, aggressive, or angry. But the Code of Hammurabi (eye for an eye, or in this case, rudeness for rudeness) doesn't really work to create an experience, day, or community where positivity, altruism, and kindness overflow.
Also, to be fair, I have spoken with MANY wonderful and warm customers.
I am a food service worker. I am ALSO a wife, daughter, sister, student of culture, master of social work, reader of novels, lover of superheroes, practitioner of yoga, twirler of flags, lover of music, believer in human goodness, cuddler of animals, investor in local products, and a human being.
All I ask is mindfulness. Just try. Your free samples can be costly to the health and sanity of food service workers if you treat them, consciously or subconsciously, less than.
Until next time, folks!
