A Mouth Full

I remember the first time I stood in front of a cash register, it was back in the stone age when we knew how to add in our heads. There I stood waiting for a customer and all I needed to say was, "Hi." Nothing more than the total at the end of the transaction and maybe answer a question if I felt like it. The days of keeping your mouth shut are over and bombarding the customer with a barrage of words is mandatory.

Now I'm on speed talk just to get all the crap I'm supposed to say out in one breath. I swear I almost passed out from lack of oxygen because I got stuck on a word and nearly choked to death. My words tumble out in a huge garble of blah, blah, blah and the customer usually stares at me trying to digest what just went into their ears. 

At first I was agitated at having to reel out a verbal commercial at the register, but after going to another department store I realized that I was not alone. Poor retail salespeople across the globe are being forced to "verbally market" at least three common denominators: credit card, latest sales promotion, and the all too famous "Do you have an e-mail?"

I love it when people come in and right off the back they tell me, "I don't want your credit card, I'm aware of the sales, and I don't want to give you my e-mail." I give those people a warm welcoming smile of gratitude and often tell them, "You just saved my life." We laugh and I count those as my good days.