Deb, Brody and I went to Famous Footwear store for shoes for Deb for work. We walked around looking at Deb got the attention of the available store clerk and she responded by saying…”What’s up”? Needless to say a red flag went up as my first A.R. I noticed my reaction and considered why, observing my own state but also staying neutral in considering could there be a good, proper place/situation in this store for this type of response…Deb asks the questions and shopping continues…

Whatever was going on later, I get the attention of the store clerk and she says…”What’s up”? So I ask whatever it was that I needed answering…She was polite and a good help but I couldn’t leave “What’s Up” alone…So I asked her my typical question…”If we automatically react to any stimulus, specifically negative, is there choice, freewill in that moment”? She thought for a bit, a couple seconds and her answer leaned to “no”.

I complimented her and we spoke about choice etc while I addressed her way of engaging customers in general. She seemed to be very engaged and open to talking about it. At one point I asked her what the average customer age was/is? She said “Middle aged”. Not knowing what that meant to her, I said…”30’s”? She said more like 40-50’s…

That was a major revelation to me, supporting my curiosity of the acceptability of “What’s Up”? I was having fun at this point learning a lot and told her that “she only had one chance to make the right impression”. Which in and of itself was a new thought/concept…I was amazed at what had come out of my mouth and we talked a bit about that…

I told her about the typical type cliché of “We only have one chance to make a good impression” but to make the right impression is even more critical in a store like hers. It’s a brick and mortar store…and since she knows that her average customer age is 40+ then maybe changing it up and observing the customer as they walk in she could make a quick read of the person and consider a different welcome and reply to an inquiry.

She agreed. I used the example of a 55 year old woman who dressed Old…vs the same age woman who dressed modern or new…I watched the clerks facial expressions and body language to see if she understood and she did. I said…”If/since you only have one chance to make the “right impression” would it makes sense to alter your responses?” She understood and even lit up a bit…

I said “brick and mortar stores are dying, trying to compete with the internet, would you agree”? Yes definitely understood and said “Yes”. I mentioned,  “you have a great opportunity to not only make the right impression but to also make a groupie out of a customer by simple, consciously being engaged and not in A.R.

She said she tries hard to not be the same and not fake as she mocks a typical fake sales clerk that we both understood what she was saying and implying…She said she hates it when she feels and knows that people are fake…

I mentioned to her that although she may have not been fake to us and to others…saying “What’s Up” as a default is not being genuine or truly engaged in the experience…She saw it and felt it and agreed.

It was a great (for me and hopefully for her) experience and I told her that I will blog about it. She asked for my sites…I gave them, but not sure where it would go…

I told her the point of what I do is simply to help people become better people…By the way she is 19…