The weather is changing, rain becoming more frequent as the temperature continues to plummet and rise each day with indeterminable intervals. As the heat of summer has slacked off, more and more customers have started to arrive at the little shop I work in and, to my unfortunate discovery, the customers that come with the winds of fall tend to be more gabby than normal.
Every day whilst in the lull between groups of customers I run through my head what I will say to the next people that come in, trying to think of any plausible (or even highly unlikely) scenario so that I can be able to comfortably chat with the clientele like the older, more seasoned students that I work with. But, despite the number of times that I run through these senarios in my head, as soon as a customer comes in, everything I thought of disappears, all my carefully worded welcomes and conversation pieces fly out of my head like a bat out of hell. All I can manage to stutter out is a semi-friendly “hello” or “hi” and sit there in an awkward silence until either they or a coworker starts a conversation or until they make their quick get-away. I cannot explain why I am unable to speak when a customer comes in, but all I do know is that I feel a tightness growing in my chest, my shoulders tensing, and anxiety filling my stomach.
Now, this reaction doesn’t happen all the time, like what happened at the beginning of this week. A friendly woman from Michigan and her friend came in, and as soon as she saw me she exclaimed “Oh! Look at you making brooms!” and so she began her flurry of questions about where I was from, what I’m studying, and general questions about the broom making process, her enthusiasm slowly coaxing me out of my shell. Customers like that amiable lady are a favorite of mine, they quickly wipe away the awkward silence and fill the air with a strange type of warmth. Before she left, she complimented the store as well as my work (which honestly isn’t that grand) with the upmost sincerity. I can only hope that I will one day be able to start conversations the way that woman did with customers, but perhaps that is a skill that only comes with age.
I like the analogy at the beginning of your blog. : ) Sounds to me like she didn't give you time to think about the discomfort of conversing with a stranger, what with the flurry of questions and her genuine warmth. Sounds like you were no match for her mad conversational skills. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it age that gives us confidence or simply experiences?
ReplyDeleteAnd, I think it is wonderful that you have customers who treat you with their utmost sincerity.