Working in retail has been an eye-opening experience for me. After spending about a year working for a local bookstore, I have seen it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. Anyone who has worked in retail before knows that you get to observe the best and the worst in humanity through the customers that come in. Sometimes you just want to laugh and shake your head; other times, you feel like pulling your hair out or beating your head against the wall and thinking, “Why did this customer have to come and ask me for help?”.

The “good” customers are the ones who make going to work every day fun – they refer to the workers by name, have a pleasant  attitude and thank you for your help. Even if you can’t find the product they’re looking for, they are understanding and patient.  

Then there are the “bad” customers. These customers aren’t necessarily mean or rude; they’re just...well...a bit of a challenge.  There are the customers who come into the store not really knowing what they’re looking for. They say something like, “Well, you see, there’s this book I’ve been wanting to read. I’m not really sure what it’s called, or who the author is. Or what it’s about, really. It’s just...it has a blue cover...I think?” And then they seem irritated when you have no idea what book they are talking about. And I will never forget the customer who came in asking for the book “Huck Finn” by Tom Sawyer. I’m not joking.  

But even the “bad” customers don’t hold a candle to the “ugly” ones. These are the customers that, when they walk in the store, you suddenly have an urge to dash to the very back corner of the store and work on straightening books. They come in with a chip on their shoulder, and you know from the minute you say, “How can I help you today?” that it’s not going to be a good experience.  Once when I was working as a cashier, I had a customer who was so angry that she couldn’t use her coupon to take more money off a book that was already on sale that she didn’t speak to me for the entire transaction. It’s customers like these that force you to use every ounce of your willpower to smile (albeit with gritted teeth) and say, “Thanks for coming, and have a nice day!”

Although it’s not always easy to respond to a customer’s rudeness with a polite and friendly attitude, that’s exactly what I have to do at work. Admittedly, it might be more satisfying to fire back a smart retort, but that would most likely result in my being fired (making that smart retort not really worth it). We have to be nice to all our customers and treat them with respect, even if they’re not nice to us.

That’s also what Christ calls us to do in the rest of our lives. It’s not easy to show kindness to those who seem to go out of their way to beat you down. Maybe you have a coworker who has to point out your every mistake, humiliating you in front of the boss. Maybe you have a child who mouths off to you and argues against everything you say. It’s difficult to respond with love in these types of situations. You feel your temper start to rise, and it’s tempting to become defensive and lash out at the other person.  

But Christ wants us to follow another path. In Matthew 5, he states, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (v. 5), and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (v. 9). By responding with love and humility when others are unkind to us, we are reflecting the grace and mercy of Christ.

I’ll be honest – it’s not always fun to be nice to customers and others who are difficult or mean. Sometimes being a “meek peace-maker” even seems kind of like being a pushover. Yet I’ve found peace in being able to treat a rude customer kindly; their rudeness doesn’t have to touch me or ruin my day. And my hope is that maybe my smile will somehow touch their heart.

So the next time you have to deal with a rude or difficult coworker, family member or friend, instead of returning that rudeness, respond with a smile or a kind word instead. Christ will bless your efforts, and even if the other person doesn’t have a better day, you will.