Thursday, October 31, 2013

A Smile and an Act of Kindness Cost Nothing

Hello everyone!  A very warm welcome to you all!  Happy Halloween!  :)  It is very chilly and rainy today here in Montreal!  :)  

The video I have chosen for this post is a beautiful and soothing 3 minute clip of falling leaves and soft, tranquil music.  Enjoy!
 

I decided to make a post today about a smile...and an act of kindness.  I had TWO incidents today at two different stores where I was treated unkindly and without a smile by two sales clerks.  In one case the clerk gave me my change so abruptly, and in the other case the clerk looked at me as if I was from another planet.  I could have let this hurt me and ruin my day but I decided to let it pass.  I will pray for them. Thankfully this isn't the norm and doesn't happen every day, but I am finding that it happens a lot more frequently nowadays than it did in the past.

It saddens me because it costs nothing to say "thank you", "Merci", or to smile at someone, yet it would be so nice if more people did this.  I always try to be polite and courteous with people I meet and I smile as often as I can.  How about you...have you received poor customer service?

The photos I am sharing today are ones that I took on June 26, 2013.  You just need to click on the images to see a larger view.





Thank you all so much for visiting me here!  I always appreciate and enjoy reading your kind thoughts, which you are always welcome to share by clicking on the 'comments' link at the end of my post.

26 comments:

  1. les gens souriants sont plus agréables, vous avez raison d'avoir laissé passer.
    Bravo Linda, les photos de fleurs sont très jolies. Joyeux Halloween.

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  2. The flower photos are gorgeous, Linda!

    I had a recent experience with bad service, and my internal reaction was one of anger. I was polite on the outside, but I was angry on the inside. Later, though, I felt a bit chastised by the Lord for my attitude. He reminded me that the woman who had treated me poorly may have had difficult things going on in her life that I couldn't even imagine. So I prayed for her. That made me feel a little better, but I still wished that I'd tried harder to be kind to her.

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    1. The funny thing is that I didn't respond in a bad way at all today.

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  3. Beautiful shot of the Calla Lilies! Yes, I bet we have all had rude clerks, and it is hard to not be resentful. But I try to think that maybe they are having a really bad day and do not want to be at work.

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  4. Yes, it does seem like good service has gone by the wayside these days. But I still make an effort to be pleasant to the folks who run the register, get my coffee, or serve my food. Hopefully my attitude will rub off on them!

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    1. Hi Linda, yes, myself as well.

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  5. Thanks, Linda!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    =^..^=

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  6. You're certainly cheering up our autumn with your flowers!

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  7. Mild and rainy here today. No trick or treaters came our way this Halloween... we are too far off the beaten path, put I was prepared nonetheless.
    One never knows what troubles a person is dealing with. Yet simple courtesy in a service job is so necessary. I don't know the answer... just continue to be courteous anyway.
    Say, I have just begun reading Louise Penny's C.I. Gamache mysteries.... what a joy!

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  8. Ditto for the Calla lilies, and service, in my next blog post an update on...YES, another new modem, and excellent staff, who did not hesitate to do another replacement, with a different brand... so far, so good. You are so right Linda, a smile costs nothing, and makes everyone a lot happier. Maybe they did have a very bad day with other things happening outside of their job. Cheers, Jean.

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  9. I had a great experience today. The compiuter crashed and I had to get through to the manufacturer's call centre. The gentleman dealing with the problem was a real gentleman...kind and patient...and we had time to chat a little while waiting for the computer to do whatever it was doing.

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  10. Lovely music in the video--very soothing.

    I'm sorry you had two rude encounters. I have found that customer service seems to have gone downhill. Sometimes I feel like I'm bothering the clerk in the store by being there. Oh, well, I will try not to let it bother me, either. All I can do is try to be kind. Thank you for the reminder! :-)

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  11. Beautiful photos!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  12. So sweet flowers!! beautiful close up..

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  13. i can empathize with what you wrote. i do understand that sometimes the cashier or waiter might be having a bad day, as we all do from time to time, but it's worth the reminder that our smiles can brighten up each other's day especially when we're in the service industry =)

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  14. Great title, I support that. Have a nice weekend.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  15. I discover your blog that I like so much! adventures and very beautiful photographs, great work !
    I am amateur photographer; I was registered to follow your publications.
    Do not hesitate to visit to me over my blogs, thank you at you, have a nice day!
    Cath.

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  16. Beautiful flowers. I love the pink petunias.
    When I encounter unfriendly cashiers, I smile and say something nice to them anyway. You'd be surprised how many times they return the smile!!

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  17. I send you 'thousand smiles', Linda, and a big hug !
    Lie(f)s.

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  18. Anonymous1:29 PM

    Speaking of smiles, your photos always make me smile. All those wonderful splashes of color brighten the day. I've had some bad customer service experiences too, and it's always discouraging. I've also had experiences where a smile or simple kindness from a stranger turned a bad day around. You're right: it doesn't take much, and it can make a big difference in someone's day.

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  19. takk for video , god helg :-)

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  20. I always say that too--it costs nothing to be pleasant and it can mean so much!
    We can't help running into irritable or distracted people, it's just too bad that you had two of them so close together.

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  21. Niin kauniita kukkia ja musikki kaunis. Linda kiitos sinä piristät meitä näillä kauniilla jakamisella.Halit Hyvää pyhää:)

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  22. We had a happy string of kind encounters with salespersons and waiters recently. I wish you the same... By the way, our way to say thank you is 'grazie'!

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  23. Hello Linda, your flowers are so beautiful :)
    Greetings, Ela

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  24. Desgraciadamente son muchos los comerciantes y más aún sus empleados que no han tomado conciencia de que son los clientes quienes sostienen sus negocios, generan sus beneficios y pagan sus sueldos. No creo que sea mucho pedir un gesto amable, al menos educado, para con aquellas personas que ponen la comida en su plato y en el de sus hijos. Un abrazo,

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