Stan's Market and the grocery store games

"Cathy, how's your family?"
"Hey Sal... that's probably your 5th beer in the past 2 hours.... I think you've had enough"
"Back so soon Dad?... forgot something again?"
"Would you like paper or plastic?"

I was 16. Stan's Market gave me my first "real job". It is this "Ma and Pa" grocery store in good ol' Kearns, UT. Dad still works there doing set-ups occasionally. Tali (my older brother) worked there, and David, Simi and April (who still works there... sucker) have all worked there. If Stan's were large enough to house a pharmacy, my mother may have worked there as well.

There is something to be said for good customer service. It is nice to walk into a place where the people there know you. It is also helpful for when you get to the store at 9:58 and the store is closing... It is more likely that Doug will still let you in. People are cranky enough as it is, but I am serious when I say a simple smile could make all the difference. You can make small talk at the register, while a friendly bag boy bags your groceries AND even offers you help out to your car. Some even might go as far as saying "Have a great day!" and actually mean it! AMAZING I tell you!

For those of you who are reading this wondering why I have decided to dig out this part of my past... (we usually keep Stan's Market way far in the back of our minds) You have never lived in Germany. I absolutely loathe going to the grocery store here. I could have the largest smile plastered on my face and NOBODY would care. In fact, they may treat me worse! If you have a lot of groceries to buy, you put it on the conveyor belt and you'd better have your game face on. This is not an exaggeration. People look literally afraid. I have never seen people move so fast as they do in the grocery store. It is like you being there... buying food... helping so the person at the register even has a job is a pure inconvenience.

I went to buy a sack of potatoes this morning and there was a mother\son team in front of me. They must have been having a party because they had an unusual 2 shopping carts full of food (Germans rarely seem to buy that much at once). They loaded the conveyor belt and waited for their turn... suddenly it was like I was watching one of those grocery game shows. The mother emptied her cart and went to the end while the son continued filling the conveyor belt then swiftly moved his cart to the end. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how it got back into the carts, as long as it got there. They don't bag your groceries here so it all just flew off the end counter into the carts. I was amazed. Mezmorized. The problem with that was that It was my turn next! She was pretty irritated that I didn't have my money out the second she finished telling me the sum. Tension runs high in the grocery store. They are definitely not here to be your buddy.

As much as Stan's was not the most awesome place to work, we knew our customers... many of them by name, and they knew us. We had some pretty nice bag boys (cause for some reason Stan only has bag boys) and the guys in the meat dept. were not so bad themselves. It was for the most part a happy environment. You should see my sister in action there... everyone loves the girl. I must say that it is not the same in all the world.

"Have a great day!"