The Good Ol' Customer Service

My first job, besides pulling weeds around my dad's work properties, was at Pier 1 Imports as a Sales Associate. I know the pains of working truck days, I know the stress of trying to force a customer into a credit card to save 15% on their purchase, I know the smell of cardboard, candles and more cardboard, and I can certainly spot a pissed off customer from a mile away. My second job was working as a Barista and cute little coffee shop (slightly outdated) called Moxie Java. This is where I learned about amazing foam, picked up a few steam wand burns, knew a crazy train the minute she/he spurted off an essay of a drink order, and wanted to vomit every closing shift when the dirty mop came crawling my way.

In the midst of these two customer-service based jobs, I knew one thing was true > The only way to get by each day was to smile, laugh at the little things, and remember to set the alarm when leaving. Easy Peasy! I actually love customer service. If the pay could pay my bills and guarantee me a few vacations every year, I'd catch my last breath doing something customer service related. I love people. I love talking to people. 

Here comes the catch - I find it more difficult every day trying to walk away as a satisfied customer. Workers these days are either 1) not happy, 2) stressed, or 3) just lacking the necessary skills to work with people. Here comes the next catch - This customer service-free world I'm currently witnessing seems ever-so bumped up a few notches in Baltimore. That's right. Call me the Grinch from the West, but this town is a rough one to find a smile and a "please come again."

But, I found a gem, an outlier, a little treasure tucked away here in Charm City. I found a place that needs to set the standard for the rest of the customer service world out there. I'm talking about a little place called Trader Joe's! Oh My Amazing! This place is too good to be true. It's also right next to my office, which makes it a convenient stop when trying to figure out what's for dinner, but also the perfect fix for my disappointment in every other people NOT pleasing stores. 

No matter the time I walk in (somedays it's 8:00am, somedays it's 8:00pm), I am always greeted with a smile, encouraged to try their demo of the day, made sure I found everything I was looking for, always prompted to move to a smaller check-out line, and my favorite thing of all - the only place that doesn't sigh when I asked for $10 in quarters. It's rough paying for every load of laundry, but it's life. Trader Joe's employees know about life, they appreciate their customers, and quite frankly I think they sincerely love their job!

So if you're finding yourself swimming in the same world that I am, a world lacking in customer service, then please drive, bike, walk, blade (however you get around) on over to a Trader Joe's. I promise and pinky swear you will walk away with a smile and of course some of the most amazing treats around town.

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