Today, I learned something new at the supermarket.
It is a no-brainer to tell if a hand of bananas is ripe, but which ones are sweet? I do not usually bother about taste since they are already nutritious, until I met a middle-aged sales lady, the supermarket auntie, while scrutinizing some green unripe bananas at the supermarket.
Auntie: These are ‘tails’, they are not sweet. Take those there, they are ‘heads’.
Me: Huh? What heads or tails? How do you tell?
Auntie: The big long ones are heads and they are sweeter. Here, this one, it is cheaper too.
Me: What brand are these?
As if brand matters.
Auntie: They are the same, they are all from the Philippines.
Me (with a straight face): Really? They are sweeter? If not, I will come back for free seconds on you.
Auntie (blushes and smiles): But do not eat them today.
Me: Tomorrow?
Auntie: Tomorrow night.
Me: Okay.
And I headed for the cashier, looking back to find her smiling widely from ear to ear. Was she pulling my leg? I did not really care because I had just experienced rare good customer service.
Why did that supermarket auntie impress me more than the smartly dressed sales staff I had encountered in glitzy shopping malls with the same smile or frown permanently plastered on their faces?
Well, she knew what the customer needed over and above what was wanted and delivered her advice in a genuine, warm and spontaneous manner.
She knew that the customer was not always right.
