On Thu 20 Jan 2005 07:24:19p, Damsel called across the abyss...

> Thought it might be interesting to see the flip side of this whole
> thing.
>
> One of my favorite things to do while shopping is to look "invisible"
> employees right in the eye, give them my friendliest smile, and say,
> "Hi!" They usually look confused at first, then happy, then they say hi
> back.

When I lived in NE Ohio, finding a supermarket employee to help you was
like looking for a needle in a haystack. At best, if you found one they
might tell you which aisle the product you were seeking was located. At
least it made me more self-reliant! <g>

Here in the Phoenix where I've lived since 2000, if you even look remotely
like you don't know where you're going or puzzled over finding something,
there's always a clerk around to ask if they can help. Not only will they
tell you where to find something, they will almost always take you to the
location and find the product for you. This even applies to the
"discounted" supermarkets like Food City as well as WalMart. It's a very
refreshing change.

Recently I inquired about a product that the store doesn't carry. Their
response was, "how soon do you need it?" Not only were they happy to
order it, but they took both my phone number and e-mail address and called
and sent an e-mail when the product was in the store. It doesn't get much
better than this.

Wayne