Customer service is more than a slogan

To the editor: I wanted to share with you all an experience I had at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Monroe. I have been working with adults with developmental disabilities for two years now and I brought one of the individuals (I will refer to him as “Dan” to protect his privacy) I was working with at the time Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping last summer. While checking out, Dan noticed a man standing near the front entrance singing (if you’ve been to Wal-Mart, you know what I’m talking about). Dan asked me what the man was doing and I explained to him that this gentleman usually sings karaoke songs to get customers’ attention so they will donate some money to children in need and other various charities. When Dan heard this he immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “I want to give money for the kids,” Dan said. I immediately praised him for his thoughtfulness and was overwhelmed by his gesture of kindness. When we approached the Wal-Mart employee Dan told him, “you sing very nice.” The employee turned his head and refused to look at Dan. Dan tried getting his attention again as he put some money in the collection bucket and the employee continued to blatantly ignore him. He didn’t even say thank you. I then told Dan it was time to go out to the parking lot and put the groceries in the car. While we were walking to the car, Dan asked me why the man didn’t say thank you to him. The look on his face as he asked nearly broke my heart. I then had to explain to Dan that not every person you meet will respectful to others and sometimes people aren’t as nice as we would like them to be. I was floored that a man hired by a store that prides itself in great customer service would allow a man this rude to work in their store. And I was even more shocked that a man trying to collect donations would be rude to someone who just donated money and paid him a compliment. Now that the holiday season is upon us I just wanted to give a reminder to everyone to be kind to people, no matter who they are. Dan taught me that lesson and I wanted to share it with all of you. Kelly Tensfeldt Monroe