Last week I went shopping at my local Trader Joe’s store on 9th Street in San Francisco. I was a little harried, very tired and probably not in the best of moods since it was the end of my day and I’m not loving my job so much lately.
I got on the shortest checkout line and prepared myself for an impersonal interaction since it seems everyone is not loving their respective job so much lately. Instead I encountered a very cheerful and very helpful cashier named TC.
Now, being the HR person that I am, I asked him how he liked his job. He told me that he loved his job and described quite eloquently why TJ’s is a great employer (good benefits, good vacation, etc .). We chatted for awhile and I walked away feeling better than I had when I first walked in the store.
As I walked back to my car, it occurred to me that my interaction with TC was the epitome of good customer service. Make the customer feel better walking out than they do walking in.
It’s so refreshing, particularly in the SF Bay Area, to find people who love their jobs, particularly those working in customer-facing roles.
Thanks TC, for making that day a little better for me. Job well done.
You know, I’m surprised that the TJ’s on 9th doesn’t have a rep for having friendly cashiers. I’ve always been pleasantly surprised over how outgoing TJ’s employees are in Southern and Northern California.
Anyway, I just found your blog and look forward to reading the rest of your entries!
Don’t you just love walking into a store and find an employee that just makes you smile? I was in a Macaroni Grill the other night and the waitress just made you smile. She obviously loved her job and took pride in it. Isn’t that the real goal for all of us in HR? To match people with jobs they will love. To help them find that little piece of heaven most of us call job satisfaction.
Your experience at TJ and mine and Macaroni Grill are the exceptions I imagine. Most people have a job and not a career. I actually try to test to find people who will be happy in a job. I firmly believe that anyone can do any job. However you must look to find someone who is happy with the tasks that a particular job entails. For instance, we could all be a garbage collector, but some people are actually happy doing that job – and take every opportunity to make those around them happy.
I began using the Myers-Briggs test to look for this. Specifically I use their Career Report. If I can find people who will be happy in their job, then they will feel more fulfilled and work harder in their task. It seems simple enough right?!? I don’t know if the MBTI is the answer, but it was a starting place.
Share more stories like yours at TJs. I do the same thing, when I find someone who goes out of their way I always ask if they love their job. The majority of the time they say yes. I want to find those people to work in my company.