You smile all the time… [a Wilco song lyric]

In the retail business, your attitude is everything. If you’re having an off day, you still need to perform the “smile and wave” aspects of the job. The customers don’t need to be aware of your struggles, nor should they be. That’s for your private life. Being a cashier, or any other retail function, is about creating a happy environment for your customers. Encouraging them to buy, be more, do more, and most of all “be happy.”

So, we stuff our emotions in our pockets, behind our aprons, and under our company ball caps. We catch the words that want to come out of our angry, frustrated, and sad mouths. And we say,

“Hello, did you find everything you were looking for?”

There is an alternative. It’s not about emoting your own inner state; it’s about letting the flow of life pass by you without a lot of reflection or reaction. Like meditation, see the crystal clear and cold mountain stream passing by, the glints of sunlight making sparkles, hints of tasty fish below the surface, and your patience at putting out your fly line a lazy cast at a time.

By being open and observant, you can lose your own inner struggle by becoming more aware of your surroundings and engaging with the customers. That’s our job. Bypass our shitty day to encourage our customers happy day. It works. It’s misdirection, at some level, awareness at some level, and mindful detachment at the highest level. I can watch the river of life. I can be aware of the river of thoughts flowing inside my brain. I can choose to pay attention to the customers, colleagues, and others. I can lose myself in the flow of life.

In the day, I notice my smile becoming more authentic. As I tune into the flow of beautiful people, I lose the static and noise that was being self-generated by my moody mind. I am still aware of my own thoughts, I let them pass by, just like the customers passing through my line. “Hello, that’s a good-looking watermelon you’ve picked out.”

“I hope it’s a good one.”

“Yes, boring watermelons are the worst. Luckily, they’re on sale!”

[Listen to the Deep Dive explore the concepts of The Happy Cashier.]

The hope I see in others
becomes the hope I have for myself,
my life, and my own journey.
– The Happy Cashier

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ALT: Botisatva’s Bookshelf | The Happy Cashier Podcast

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