Be a good employee!

I had worked on campus both at boarding school and Bible college, but my junior year of college I arrived on campus with a brand new drivers license and a tank of a car. Happy to finally be mobile for a change I applied for a job at a Mister Bulky candy store at a near-by mall.

As a part of our job we were supposed to sample all the candy in the store so that we were prepared to answer people’s questions. I loved this job! What college kid wouldn’t? I worked hard at being the best employee that I could be. Ha ha. No really, I did and not just the candy sampling, although I quickly found out that decorating and store displays were not my thing.

One day I was walking around cleaning the outside of the candy bins when a man walked in. I slowly followed him around the store telling him about the candy he looked interested in and offering to give him samples. He wasn’t the most responsive customer, but I smiled and tried anyway. I would walk away and let him look, and then come back and try to help him make a selection. This went on for several minutes until I began helping another customer.

From across the store I watched my manager come from the back room and begin talking to the very aloof man. It seemed like they knew each other! Eventually they both walked into the back room. I asked my fellow employee who the man was. She looked at me like I must be a complete idiot. He was the store owner! I was so embarrassed! I kept replaying all the things I had told him about the candy over and over in my mind. He hadn’t let on at all! I felt like a fool.

He didn’t say anything to me when he walked out or even acknowledge me, and I wondered what my manager would say, but no one said anything. A couple of weeks later I received $15 in gift certificates for the store! I no longer felt foolish!

I’m linked with Time Warp Wife.