Leaving the supermarket this evening, I was on the point of sending checkout people who are trained to chat to customers to Room 101.
Where I shop, there has clearly been some direction from above that their staff need to be open and friendly. So they appear to be trained in the art of light conversation. Anyone who knows me will probably guess that light conversation with a stranger is not something I relish. It's the main reason why my hair only gets cut about once a year (if it's lucky (or unlucky as you might see it)). So when the lovely smiley man at the till asked me what I got up to this weekend, an inner struggle ensued...
.
Of course the nice me was saying "He seems like a lovely man, he got on so well with the last lady, just tell him about your weekend and find out about his"
To which the cynic replied "Yes, and he asked that last lady the exact same question, he's just the face of a huge corporation trying to sell you cheap companionship! Tell him what you think!"
and of course the actual me was standing there desperately trying to think of some actual words to say.
So I did my best to shut down any small talk so that I could be on my way with the minimum of awkwardness. On the way out of the shop I tried to rationalize why I was so bothered by the fact that he tried to chat with me.
"You're not an old fashioned greengrocer a la Ronnie Barker in Open All Hours. I'm never going to see you again, even if I come here every week, because this is a huge place with a huge staff, so why greet me like a friend?...You've been told to say these things, it's not genuine..."
but my inner arguments got weaker and weaker as I started to really think about it. Ok, I might not have enjoyed the way I was greeted today, but surely there are lots of people who really appreciate a moment in the day when they get to talk to someone new, or anyone at all. And yes, they're told to do it, but that doesn't negate the fact that he looked genuinely happy to be talking to me, and the lady before.
I remembered my own time working on the shop floor, and how nice it was when someone would actually interact with you, rather than seeing you as a part of the machinery. Really, I am guilty of that sometimes, I'd rather talk to those infuriating self check out check outs than a real person and all I want sometimes is to be out the door as quickly as possible.
Clearly there's some room for improvement in my social interactions, and I should remember that it's not all about me, I may be the person handing over the money, but I'm not the only one who is a person. I want to be open and friendly too, perhaps at the start it will be forced or appear unnatural, but it's worth something.
So I plan to get over myself and if I encounter another situation like that, I will suck it up and be pleasant, even if I don't really want to.
