When someone is in a rush to get to an appointment, they may find they just have to arrive a little late if they first stop by the store where Eileen works one of the cash registers. While Eileen is hands down a master at the register, the customer won’t want to miss a word or moment of the “Coupon Conversation” and everything that leads up to it.
Besides, everyone recognizes that coupon conversations take up real live human time.
No one may be exactly certain how many years Eileen has been holding down her post as Coupon Connoisseur, but, by observed responses over some years it appears that she has earned a high level of customer and coworker respect because of how well she carries out her role each week. Eileen is a Golden Years' Woman who appears to believe that the phrases, “the customer is always right” and “we’re here to serve you” are part of our nation’s Constitution; and must be upheld to the highest extent of the law.
Cash register sales for Eileen are not just about the financial transactions taking place. Instead, they are about the importance she places on the human interactions being nurtured; and the work she is doing to help build caring and interactive citizens and responsible consumers. The customers' appreciation and acceptance of this can be seen in the faces of customers of all ages as they eagerly wait on Eileen’s line to be “next.” It can be heard in the lively conversations taking place all throughout the paying area. Customers have been observed smiling and engaging in light chatter about coupons as they wait on line. Some teens have even been overhead saying things like, “she’s such a cute and friendly little old lady.”
By contrast, days that Eileen is off duty are quiet days in the paying area of the store. Very quiet days.
But when she’s there, and the moment each customer has been waiting with baited breath for finally arrives – actually being at the register to pay for the items being purchased – the best description might be sheer joy seems to enter the customer’s heart.
There is always the greeting with a huge smile and sometimes a friendly interrogation about how the customer and his or her family are doing. If the customer is lucky enough to have chosen really interesting things to buy, there’s an added bonus of commentary and discussion about the products being purchased.
The store discount and savings’ card has typically been scanned by this time during the transaction. If it happens to be a day when the customer decided to walk to the store instead of drive and does not have the key ring with the store card on it, it’s never a problem for Eileen or for the customer. Because she has spent so much time getting to know her customers and their families, all the customer needs to do is rattle off his or her phone number which is the link to the card, and Eileen will plug it into the register. Eileen actually appears to know which customer name goes with which customer face. This is always followed by that unforgettable wide smile and those melodious words, “we wouldn’t want you to miss out on your coupons during these economic times.”
For any customer unsure about how to easily read the scroll of paper spewed out from the register, the customer need not worry. As the coupon scroll is leaving the register Eileen has already begun to study it, sometimes peering over her glasses whenever a huge future savings is being detected. Everyone seems to like when Eileen peers over her eyeglasses…
The "coupon handover" is joined by a verbal description detailing exactly how much the customer will save and by what expiration date. Those “redeemable immediately” savings’ coupons seem to get the best response from customers as Eileen encourages them to “go ahead, do a little more shopping now if you have time so you use this coupon before you forget about it and it expires.” Customers have been seen completing their transactions and then returning to the merchandise area to select additional items to pay for with those coupons!
Guesses might be made about the hundreds of dollars Eileen has helped her hundreds of customers save over the years. Believe it or not, that is only part of it. The other part involves one ordinary citizen doing extraordinary good deeds each week to help as many people as she can to not only value their discount savings during financial transactions, but to place high value on the human interactions that are certain to go along with them.
More and more customers in the store have been observed happily taking coupons out of pockets or handbags before they reach the register to pay. Eileen gets really happy when this happens and the “Coupon Conversation” that takes place that day rises to another level, with genuine congratulations being extended from Eileen to the customer.
Besides, everyone recognizes that coupon conversations take up real live human time.
No one may be exactly certain how many years Eileen has been holding down her post as Coupon Connoisseur, but, by observed responses over some years it appears that she has earned a high level of customer and coworker respect because of how well she carries out her role each week. Eileen is a Golden Years' Woman who appears to believe that the phrases, “the customer is always right” and “we’re here to serve you” are part of our nation’s Constitution; and must be upheld to the highest extent of the law.
Cash register sales for Eileen are not just about the financial transactions taking place. Instead, they are about the importance she places on the human interactions being nurtured; and the work she is doing to help build caring and interactive citizens and responsible consumers. The customers' appreciation and acceptance of this can be seen in the faces of customers of all ages as they eagerly wait on Eileen’s line to be “next.” It can be heard in the lively conversations taking place all throughout the paying area. Customers have been observed smiling and engaging in light chatter about coupons as they wait on line. Some teens have even been overhead saying things like, “she’s such a cute and friendly little old lady.”
By contrast, days that Eileen is off duty are quiet days in the paying area of the store. Very quiet days.
But when she’s there, and the moment each customer has been waiting with baited breath for finally arrives – actually being at the register to pay for the items being purchased – the best description might be sheer joy seems to enter the customer’s heart.
There is always the greeting with a huge smile and sometimes a friendly interrogation about how the customer and his or her family are doing. If the customer is lucky enough to have chosen really interesting things to buy, there’s an added bonus of commentary and discussion about the products being purchased.
The store discount and savings’ card has typically been scanned by this time during the transaction. If it happens to be a day when the customer decided to walk to the store instead of drive and does not have the key ring with the store card on it, it’s never a problem for Eileen or for the customer. Because she has spent so much time getting to know her customers and their families, all the customer needs to do is rattle off his or her phone number which is the link to the card, and Eileen will plug it into the register. Eileen actually appears to know which customer name goes with which customer face. This is always followed by that unforgettable wide smile and those melodious words, “we wouldn’t want you to miss out on your coupons during these economic times.”
For any customer unsure about how to easily read the scroll of paper spewed out from the register, the customer need not worry. As the coupon scroll is leaving the register Eileen has already begun to study it, sometimes peering over her glasses whenever a huge future savings is being detected. Everyone seems to like when Eileen peers over her eyeglasses…
The "coupon handover" is joined by a verbal description detailing exactly how much the customer will save and by what expiration date. Those “redeemable immediately” savings’ coupons seem to get the best response from customers as Eileen encourages them to “go ahead, do a little more shopping now if you have time so you use this coupon before you forget about it and it expires.” Customers have been seen completing their transactions and then returning to the merchandise area to select additional items to pay for with those coupons!
Guesses might be made about the hundreds of dollars Eileen has helped her hundreds of customers save over the years. Believe it or not, that is only part of it. The other part involves one ordinary citizen doing extraordinary good deeds each week to help as many people as she can to not only value their discount savings during financial transactions, but to place high value on the human interactions that are certain to go along with them.
More and more customers in the store have been observed happily taking coupons out of pockets or handbags before they reach the register to pay. Eileen gets really happy when this happens and the “Coupon Conversation” that takes place that day rises to another level, with genuine congratulations being extended from Eileen to the customer.
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Educational Leader
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