The Grocery Clerk And The Barbecue Sauce

I used to be a bagger in the local grocery store

, and that's where I met Mark, one of the cleverest people I know. Whatever question you had, Mark had an answer, immediately, sometimes before you finished asking the question. It was this talent, this ability to think fast on his feet, that made him into a local legend, and it started with a bottle of barbecue sauce.

It was late in the afternoon, just before quitting time. I was walking down the condiments aisle, on my way to the employee lockers, when I passed Mark, who was talking to a rather irate shopper. Mark had his usual "make the customer happy" face on, but it wasn't working on this lady. She kept insisting that the small bottles of barbecue sauce were too small, and the large too large. Although Mark had suggested she buy the large bottle, and save some for later, she replied she only bought what she needed, she didn't want extra. She wanted half of a large bottle of barbeque sauce. Mark explained very politely that we didn't sell half-bottles of anything, and maybe she should get a small one, maybe add a little water to increase the amount. That didn't work, in fact, it made things worse. Apparently watered down barbecue sauce was a travesty, and she heatedly repeated her request for a half a large bottle of barbeque sauce.

Anybody else would have resorted to rudeness or worse, as the lady started to verbally assault him, but not Mark. With a big smile, he told her he would clear it with the manager, and return with a half a bottle of the barbecue sauce of her choice. She handed him a bottle, and he proceeded to the back room, with me right behind. Once there, he poured half of the barbecue sauce into a cup, and was just screwing the lid back on the bottle, when Tom, the manager walked in.

"Some idiot wants a half of a bottle of barbecue sauce," he explained to Tom. Immediately after he said the word idiot, he noticed that same customer standing right behind the manager, "and this young lady wants the other half," he finished with a smile.

She went merrily on her way, Mark got a raise from our very amused manager, and I got my first lesson in customer service.

by: John Schnieder

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