Dear siblings,

I love you both and I’m so proud of you. As your big sister and a customer service associate of a retail establishment, I feel it is my duty to say some words about being a good customer. You see, my dear siblings, how you treat the people around you is a direct display of your character. When you treat a customer service associate like a decent human being, you tell people that you, yourself, are a decent human being, and you value people, as well, which will make you more likely to be treated decently in return. I hope you learn early on how to be a good customer, because there's more than enough bad customers. I know that you are both already ahead of the game when it comes to being a good customer, because you have seen how it affects retail workers who have to deal with bad customers. It's not enough to just not cuss people out when they make mistakes, although that’s an excellent start! Being a good customer is also about being kind. Your words, tone of voice and even your body language all communicate things about you to other people. Are you rolling your eyes while someone is taking the time to get your order right, or are you waiting patiently, appreciating that they're going the extra mile for you?

Because allow me to share a secret of the retail biz. The people who aren’t totally awful to us get bigger smiles, more patient assistance and a little bit more accommodation. The people who treat us like people and not just as their own personal retail slaves receive a lot more above-and-beyond kind of service. We will spend hour on the phone to track down an item for the customer who makes it clear that we’re appreciated. We bend over backwards for the customers who thank us politely and are happy with their service. We will do just about anything for the customers who appreciate our efforts (and especially for those who have established a positive relationship with us by being good customers many times in a row!)

So, dear siblings, please be those kind of customers. The kind of customers who make comments to the cashier about how helpful the floor associates are, and who say sincerely, “Thank you for helping me out. Thank you for knowing where the thing I wanted was located.”

Be the kind of customers that sales associates want to do those things for. Be the kind of customer that leaves a smile behind them instead of bitterness. Be someone who leaves happiness behind and not stress. Be the kind of customer that doesn’t make a retail worker want to tear their own heart out and quit their job. Customer service is all about the people. Be good people; you’ll get good service and make the workers’ day better. Simple.

Thanks for reading this letter, my siblings. I hope you’re always good customers.

Love,

Your Big Sister.