I Gotta Go....

Yesterday I was talking on my phone  as I ran into the store to grab some bread. There were no lines in one of the check-out lanes, I quickly dropped the bread and looked at the teen cashier as she greeted me. Still on the phone, I said,  "I gotta go, I'll call you back." Click. I quickly hung up on my friend. (Sorry again, Barb.)

I looked at the young casheir and apologized.
She was so gracious, she said "Oh, its Ok."
"N0, its not, its rude."
She smiled.
So I responded with "Ummm...unless you do that. If you do than I just called you rude, and so I'm sorry again."
She said, "No I don't,  but people do it all the time."

This caused me to pause and really look at her. I asked how it made her feel when people continued to talk on their phones during the check-out process. She was so honest - she said it made her feel like apologizing for having to serve them. (!!!) She also said that sometimes people actually roll their eyes if she has to interrupt them to ask for their store discount card; that didn't leave a good feeling either. She went on to say when people continue to talk on their phones it makes cashiers feel as if "We're just cashiers and so we are below them."

Wow. I don't ever want to make anyone feel like that. May I never send that message with my phone...yet if I am honest with myself, I probably have. Ouch.

She also mentioned that cashiers are scored on their interactions with customers and when people are on their phones, it makes it difficult to interact, which brings their scores down. She said that doesn't feel fair because there isnt much they can do about this.

Sometimes I really do not like that we have "evolved" to walking around with cell phones in our pockets. I've said this before, but many times I do wish we could go back to when our phones were attached to the walls....with cords. I believe, without a shadow of a doubt that we made more eye contact, spoke to each other and even just smiled at each other more often. (yes, I l do love that my kids, friends, sisters and the school can get a hold of me anytime, that I can utilize my alone time in the car for conversation...although this also leaves me with little time to just let my mind unwind, take in the view...but more on that at another time.)

I've said it before, I'll say it again, these phones of ours continue to disconnect us just as much as they connect us. Oh, that I would be aware of the power of being disconnected, and the messages I send when I am connected.

I have written previously here and here about cell phones.