Today I’m grateful for the calm smiley girl at Old Navy.

11.27.2022

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I stopped into a few stores this morning. I wasn’t really in the shopping mood, but I needed a couple of things and wanted to hit a few sales. I had an ‘in and out’ mentality. The universe, however, had a different plan. The stores were crazy and crowded.

Michaels, Home Depot and Old Navy all seemed to be short-staffed today. I think that’s kind of par for the course right now in lots of industries. It was noticeable in all 3 stores, though. Long lines were met with very few cashiers.

At Old Navy there was only one poor girl working at the register. When I got in line there were 8 people in front of me and there were at least 5 behind me within a couple of minutes.

Here’s what I noticed about the Old Navy girl.

1. She truly was a girl. She was young – maybe 16 or 17, I’m guessing, which makes her professionalism all the more impressive.

2. She was super smiley. She had a genuine, friendly demeanor about her and kept a smile on her face the whole time.

3. She was amazingly calm. This girl had every reason to be frazzled. There was a lot going on and a ton of people waiting. The lady in front of me had 2 returns from 2 different receipts, plus an exchange and a purchase. But this girl was as steady as could be. Efficient, but calm.

Her customer service was superb, especially in an overwhelming situation. Her professionalism was noticeable and her calm was contagious. I feel badly that I didn’t catch this girl’s name so I could share my praise with her supervisor.

So aside from me getting efficiently through the check-out line, why am I grateful for her? The calm, smiley Old Navy girl did more than just check me out and bag my purchases. She served as a lesson learned for me today. She reminded me of the power of a positive attitude. She reminded me that in an overwhelming situation it’s possible to share your calmness with a crowd. She reminded me that a genuine smile sets others at ease.

When I entered the line I was slightly annoyed that yet another store was short staffed. By the time I left the line, though, I was happy and calm – just like the Old Navy girl. I was both impressed by her and thankful for her. She made a difference in my day.