Why it’s important say “Good job!”

Last year, as part of my “year of adventure,” I started going out of my way to say thank you to someone who waits on me in a retail setting. At least once a week , I try to find an employee at some store I’m at who is doing a good job or goes out of their way to help me or make my shopping experience better.

I literally make it a point to look for someone doing a good job.

I’ve learned that when you do that, you’re likely to find someone who is doing a good job, which generally makes the shopping experience more pleasant than looking for something to bitch about. Which I think is how most of us shop. We expect to long lines, untrained cashiers, mispriced items, the wrong amount of cream in our coffee.

In fact, customers are far more likely  to complain to a store manager than to compliment. But a compliment can go a long way towards boosting someone’s day, and hopefully count when it comes time for a review.

I visit Tim Hortons fairly regularly, and not long ago I wrote a little note to Tim Horton’s corporate and let them know that one of their employees, Chris, does a fantastic job. He knows my voice when I go through the drive thru, knows the dogs, is friendly, gets my coffee right every time, and overall makes the trip through the drive thru a very pleasant experience.

I mentioned it to him a few weeks ago, because I wanted to make sure the note got to his store manager and that Chris got something for it – something in his file, you know, something from his boss that recognized that a customer singled him out for a job well done. Chris hadn’t heard anything.

Adventure girl learns the lesson, Be careful what you wish for!

Yes, I admit it. I’ve been wishing for adventure, hence the year of adventure in 2011.

So when I had the chance to buy a 2001 Jeep Cherokee for a decent price, I took it. Low mileage, decent condition, and let’s not forget fun. Just what an adventurous girl needs.

This 2001 Jeep Cherokee makes a great dogmobile!

Which is how I was feeling today driving down the expressway. Fun. Adventurous. You can’t drive a Jeep without feeling adventurous, that 4 wheel drive just itching to be engaged, although in what situation I had no idea. And I’d put my bumper stickers on the back – “Border Collies” and “Woof” (waiting for my “Wag more, bark less” sticker) – so I was feeling like the Jeep was minemineallmine.

I was headed to the mechanic to have him see why the “check engine” light was on. No worries; I’ve been driving my Altima for 2 years with the engine light on because the gas cap leaked vapors or something and triggered the emission code. Whoopee. No biggie.

After that, the plan was to head off to the StuffMart to get new floor mats, some more tennis balls and bubble fluid for the dogs, and then maybe a drive through Tim Horton’s for a coffee in my new dogmobile. Maybe I’d even go home and get the dogs, since they love Tims and haven’t had an adventure in the dogmobile yet.

So I’m cruising down the expressway, feeling upbeat after lunch with two girlfriends I haven’t seen in a long time. And then … clunk. Whoa, did I do that? I looked in the rearview mirror to see if I had run over something. Nope, so I moved to the right lane and … clunk. Rats, that was me. I turned on my blinkers, veered into the breakdown lane, hit the brakes and the clunkclunk … forward motion stopped … smell of something burning …

Dammit.

Well, what does Adventure Girl do in this situation?