Addressing the Cashier That Left Me Completely Without Words – My Hat's Off to You

This occurred on a day of rest, and I felt grumpy enough, topping off the family car. The location was a common fuel stop that doubles as a grocery store, which often leads of ending up in line customers carrying goods of somewhat expensive items. This is a dreadful thing to happen when the sole aim is to complete a simple refueling. Dreadful.

Fourth in line I stood among those waiting. A single employee working, a female attendant. There was something unusual to her presence. Once the slowpoke at the head of the line had completed payment for his Viakal, a baked snack, and some breakfast items, I could have sworn that I heard the cashier bid him a wonderful day. Strange. Maybe it was a mistake, or perhaps she spoke and used a mocking tone. I wondered if perhaps she was an ally in my battle with dithering, sharing my contempt for people who hold up simple fuel-buyers such as myself.

Advancing next, becoming the third customer. The new leader of our line finished pumping gas with impressive quickness. And there it was again: “I hope you have a fantastic day.” In fact, it was “enjoy a truly great day”. An American? In Stourbridge? The pronunciation indicated it, and hardly anyone here tells people such a cheerful phrase, or even just a nice day. Quite out of place. It's uncommon to find people from America knocking around Stourbridge, least of all working in petrol stations or elsewhere.

Now I stood second. Following a senior shopper embroiled in a right old battle with her basket, her food items, her handbag and her rewards card. This took an eternity. When she was done, the woman also was wished an excellent day. Yes, American for sure. Confirming it was possible by making a witty remark at the cashier, to see if she did that reaction their typical stare, unsmilingly, and say with absolute sincerity: “That’s really funny.” But I couldn’t think of a jest to utter.

In the end, I embraced for the absolute sincerity – or a performance of it, which amounts to the same thing – as she gazed directly into my eyes, to my very core, and bid me an awesome day. I felt better for it. A positive experience.