Gork,
I was doing some remodeling at home recently, which included resurfacing the front stoop. I decided to go with an aesthetically pleasing, heavy slate material for its great looks and durability. I figured out how much I needed and went straight to the Floor Store to pick some up. I loaded a big push cart to the gills with big heavy slate tiles, paid the man his money, and headed for the car. As I was pushing the very heavy cart (at least 500 lbs of slate alone) across the parking lot to my car, I came across a Floor Store associate who offered to help me load the heavy tiles into my trunk. I was overjoyed because it was a really hot day and I did NOT feel like loading these things. I stepped aside and let the guy do his thing. After he loaded the second block, the guy started giving me dirty looks. By the 10th or 11th, he was covered in sweat and looking very angry. "Geez" I thought, "this guy hates his job...better him than me though." When he finished, I thanked him and he just looked at me, said nothing, and walked away in a huff. "I'm not tipping a floor guy", I thought, but then I started getting mad. How dare this jerk give me dirty looks? I didn't make him become a floor store guy. I decided to go back in to give the manager a piece of my mind (and maybe get a sweet discount off of my expensive slate). The manager informed me that it wasn't their policy to assist customers unless they were parked in the loading zone so he asked me to point out the employee that helped me. I walked around a bit and found him, pointed to him and said, "there he is Sir. That's the rude, lazy jerk that hates his job." The manager then informed me that the man that had helped me was not an employee but, in fact, just another shopper that happened to see me struggling in the parking lot on his way into the store. He had offered to help me simply out of the kindness of his heart. I shot out of there like a banshee and didn't look back. I don't have a question, I just needed to tell somebody. The slate looks hot on my new front stoop.
-Alvin Wantonio, Stump's Ferry, MD
Alvin,
Thank you for sharing. That story is super great. If you have any more experiences like that, I'd love to hear them. Maybe try to pay it forward if you get a chance. Whatever happens, keep on livin' large, Big Al.
-gvd