I was looking over some of my posts and realized I should look at the other side of things or at least even the playing field.  What I mean is I don't think of myself as a demanding customer, but I do expect some level of politeness.  Human nature is to tell 10 people your story if it had a negative impact (like my WalMart & Best Buy experiences), however when it is something positive, we probably don't tell as many people.  I read a few years ago that the ratio is something like 10:2.

Over the past week, I encountered some really nice people in a few places I shopped.  On Black Friday, after leaving WalMart (see previous post), my son and I went to Sears in Ala Moana.  The hardware department and electronics were busy, but there wasn't a single sales person with an attitude or chip on their shoulder...at least the ones I encountered.  They never made me feel rushed or act as if they had better things to do.  What was very noticeable was all of them came across very genuine.  Thank you SEARS ALA MOANA.

Today I forced myself to go to Office Depot-Kamake'e Street.  Many of the sales people there, including some managers, are not very friendly or helpful.  Too often I am made to feel some had a higher ranking priority like strolling down aisles, touching up their coiffed hair, or getting into some mindless zone.  HOWEVER, today I encountered a sales person who worked in the copy/print/business service area who actually made my experience very pleasant. Her name is Tawna (like Tanya).  I needed a custom stamp and OD can make certain self inking stamps while you wait.  She was very helpful,  knowledgable, and took the time to answer my questions...all the while with a genuine smile and personality.  Thank you TAWNA at Office Depot-Kamake'e St.

(One side note...a department manager who often cops an attitude and is condescending---I know, I've encountered him---was helping in the same department and obviously knew very little.  One example was trying to figure out how much postage he should charge for a package he was weighing...It was a prepaid FLAT RATE box.)

So I will still *itch & moan about less than desirable and bad service, but I am going to really tout those individuals and businesses that deserve a gold star!