When was
the last time you thanked someone for not stealing your car from the
mall parking lot? How about for not running you over as you crossed the
street? If these seem like odd things to thank someone for, just wait,
I've got another to tell you about. Two times in the past month or so
people thanked me for being something I thought we all were supposed to
be. They thanked me for being honest.
I still
have trouble seeing why people thank me when they drop something and I
pick it up for them, or when I hold a door for them. Courtesy is all I'm
showing. It really doesn't hurt or cost me anything and I am not going
out of my way to do it. Of course, I guess, saying thank-you at those
moments is also just a courtesy. Honesty though, well, that's a
different story. Isn't that a characteristic we expect to find in other
people? I may be naive but I thought so.
It was
just about two month ago I went out to buy some clothes. I checked the
sizes, found what I thought were the size I wear, paid for them and went
home. (OK, OK, I know I should have tried them on first. But, hey, I
said I was honest. That has nothing to do with being very bright!) When
I got home I tried every thing on and either they were mislabeled of I
had managed to put on a teensy weensy bit more body anatomy on in
certain places. In either case, the clothes had to go back.
I brought
the clothes back to exchange them for my new correct size. Now,
all I was doing was just making a swap --- one size for another ---
everything else was the same. As I checked out again, I expected to get
the new sizes in the same bag I brought the wrong size clothes in. Well,
I did. But then, the cashier gave me back money! I was confused as I
walked out to my car.
I sat in
my car for a few moments looking at the tickets on the clothes to see if
I had gotten the same style as before. Maybe I got something that only
looked the same and it was less expensive, thus, I had money coming back
to me. They clothes were indeed the same. I walked back into the
store.
The
cashier was a little surprised to see me again and when I explained to
her that she had given me money by mistake she was even more confused.
Who knows why she thought she owed me money. It really wasn’t
important. What was important is that she shouldn't have given me the
money and I shouldn't keep it.
"Thank
you for being honest", she said as I gave her the money and walked
out. Other people in line smiled at me. Some gave me a look like I was
crazy. I just wondered, “why the fuss.”
A few
days ago a similar thing happened. I stopped to get gas one morning. I
put $9.00 worth in the tank and gave the cashier a $20.00 bill. She put
it on top of the register drawer and pulled out $15 in change and gave
it to me. I looked at it for a moment, not really registering, what she
had done, (it was only about 6AM after all), and put the change in my
pocket.
Then as I
was about to go I pulled the money out again to look at it. There it
was, a five and a ten-dollar bill. When I realized she had given me too
much I gave her back the five and she gave me back a one-dollar bill.
"Thanks
for being so honest", she said as I headed out the door. I just got
in my car and shook my head. I sat there for a few moments wondering how
many times doesn't she get the money back. (I also wondered if there was
a new cashier-syndrome bug going around inflicting all these cashiers
causing these mistakes.)
I don't
know the answer to that. But, if it is not too much of an imposition I
wonder if I could make a request. Would you all stop thanking me for
doing something I am supposed to do anyway? Would you all just stop
thanking me for being honest?
Thank
You!
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