Friends.
I’m working on writing my next book (and have been for quite some time - I’m on chapter 28!).
What is this book?
It’s a bit different from my other ones. Rather than a book that explores a topic, this one is a collection of (seemingly) random essays / blog posts / thoughts / learnings / ideas … words that I’ve been collecting and forming over the years to help describe some things that I’ve learned over the last 43 years about being human.
The book will include essays (written in the form of a note to you, the reader) like the one I wrote on Substack a while back about how Jesus didn’t ask us to flip over tables. But it will also include new ones like one about how the police came to Starbucks after I got into a heated exchange with the woman who was ahead of me in line because she called the barista “fat” and one about how I missed the memo on wearing khakis on the first day of seminary and another about how the elder/deacon board at the church I pastored fought with me until 2am because I wanted to put a Christmas tree in the sanctuary for Advent.
Lots of stories.
Lots of lessons learned.
I’m not sure how many chapters / stories / essays the book will include. I’ll stop writing when I feel like I’ve said enough for one book. Perhaps there will be a few books? I don’t know - I’ve got a lot of stories and thoughts and wonderings!
And then?
The next book is already brewing on the back burner of my mind, one that’s been brewing since I wrote about the idea in my final paper for the doctoral program I was in at Alliance Theological Seminary. More on that later.
The book will be self-published (both of them will). I know, I know - “why don’t you go with a publisher?” I’ve explored publishing before and even have a few publishers willing to work with me (I’ve got lots of email addresses of contacts after 7 years of connecting with authors on the podcast!), but … eh. I enjoy the process of creating something, putting it out there, and then going to work on something else.
Timing? Sometime next Spring.
Or.
Who knows - maybe sooner!
Here’s a chapter (unedited … sorry if there are spelling/grammar mistakes) - the only chapter I’ll share until it’s released. It’s about one of the angriest customers I ever had during my 11 years at Apple and what my interaction with her taught me.
Enjoy.
Glenn || PATREON / ART STUDIO
ANGRY APPLE CUSTOMERS
Friends.
I worked at an Apple Store for 11 years - at 2 different stores in New Jersey and 2 different stores in North Carolina (that’s 4 different stores in all, if you’re keeping track); and for a “retail job”, it was a pretty good place to work. I got a decent hourly wage, great benefits, and I was fortunate to work with some pretty great teams.
However.
The customers? My oh my - let me tell you one of my many, many stories.
Now.
I’m a pretty mellow guy; like, it takes a lot to really rattle me. I was always known in my stores for being the guy who could stay cool under pressure, deal with the angry customers, help more than 1 customer at a time, not get frazzled if there were 50+ people waiting to be helped (which was normal for a weekend!).
Calm.
Cool.
Collected.
... I just sort of “did my thing” regardless of what was going on around me.
In fact, one of my manager’s once said to me, “whether we haven’t seen a customer in the store in an hour or we have a line out the door from open to close - you’re always the same Glenn, moving at the same pace and getting things done.”
And another thing I was known for? - I would get the angriest, meanest customers. Like, if there was an angry customer in the store or a demanding customer or just someone who was (let’s face it) being flat out mean, they almost always found their way to ME.
And so, now that the stage is set - here’s my story.
One time I walked up to this lady and introduced myself, “hi there, my name is Glenn. How can I help you today?”
She looked at me with disgust oozing out of her eyes and said, “I want to buy this charger. Ring it up.”
Ahh, yes. I always love the “commanding customer” - not “could you ring this up for me?” or “would you mind ringing this up for me?” or even “I’d love to buy this, how can I pay? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Nah.
Just, “ring this up for me you lowly retail worker!”
BUT.
Since (at that time) we had 32 different kinds of chargers for 9,000 different products (exaggerating, of course … but not really), I wanted to make sure she was buying the correct charger because the last thing I wanted was this lady buying a charger that was for a product she didn’t have and then coming back really mad (blaming me, naturally).
“Sure thing, I can do that for you”, I said, “but before we do, may I ask what device you’re looking to charge?”
Well.
That, apparently, was the wrong question because she said, “does it look like I’m stupid? It’s for my iPad and this says ‘iPad Charger’ right on the box. This is what I want. It’s what I need. Ring it up, I need to go.”
“OK”, I said, “I was just making sure because we have lots of different kinds of iPad chargers and sometimes people buy the wrong one.” She had no response and so I awkwardly rang up the charger, took her card, gave her a receipt and she was on her way.
But.
Then?
About an hour later she came BACK to the store, demanded to see ME, and proceeded to YELL AT ME, insisting that I (you guessed it!) sold her the wrong charger.
“I can’t believe I wasted my time!”, she said, “I have things to do today, I don’t have time to come back here again, this is ridiculous, such poor service. Why didn’t you tell me there were different chargers?”
On.
And on.
And on.
And on.
This woman went all the while I smiled, internally rolled my eyes, and nodded. I got her the right charger, processed the exchange, handed her the bag and said, “umm may I ask you - are you OK today?”
Phew.
Man.
That was a dangerous question, HA! Her face turned red, her eyes bulged, and she said, “WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?” And so I said, “I was just asking if you’re OK.” She said, “WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?” And I said, “well this is a charger. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a pretty small thing. But you seem really upset. And since it’s our second interaction today and I feel like we’re becoming friends, I was just asking if you’re OK because I really do care.”
And friends.
I’m not kidding.
This lady put her purse on the table, looked at me with tears in her eyes, and said, “I’m really, really sorry. But, I’m not OK. My mom went into hospice this morning, that’s why I was in such a rush earlier when I bought the wrong charger. And then when I left and was on my way to see her, hospice called to tell me they don’t think she has very long to live. And honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do without my mom. This is just the worst day.”
“Wow”, I said. “I am so sorry. More than a charger, it looks like you could use a hug. Do you mind if I give you a hug?”
“I’d like that”, she said; and then she fell into my arms and wept and said, “thank you for being so kind to me even though I was so unkind to you.”
BATTLES
I’ve heard it said that we ought to “be kind because everyone we meet is fighting a battle we can’t see.”
And this lady?
Honestly, I wanted to put her charger in a bag and launch it across the parking lot into oncoming traffic. I spent roughly 20 years of my life working customer service and this is just one of the many, many difficult customers I had to work with ...
AND.
If you’ve worked in customer service before!
... You know that when this sort of interaction happens day in and day out, it can leave you feeling worthless, insecure, and not good enough. And so the last thing I wanted to do was “be kind”.
And yes - there are many times I wasn’t nice, of course; I am human, after all! But somehow, this time, I was. I had enough awareness inside to reach deep down into my “niceness reserve” and did my best to treat her as I would want to be treated.
And the result?
I was able to be a source of encouragement and love and grace to someone who was entering into what would be a dark, difficult, and painful season of life.
Yes.
In a very real way, she was going to leave the store and enter into a dark cave. And rather than meeting someone at the entrance of the cave who would return her rudeness with more rudeness and send her into the dark cave feeling alone, unseen, and defeated ... she met someone who returned her rudeness with kindness and grace, sending her into a dark period of life with a little, tiny bit of light.
I WONDER
And so I wonder who might cross your path today who seems angry on the surface only because their heart is about to be exiled into a dark cave or period of life that they didn’t see coming.
A divorce?
A life-shattering health diagnosis?
A loss?
And I wonder what it might look like for you to recognize their pain and allow that pain to soften your heart and soften your response to them so that you can send them into the cave feeling loved, seen, and less alone?
So much to ponder.
Much love,
Glenn
Thanks Glenn, as an insurance agent …. I’ve had almost the same story with multiple apologies from people that retuned later! Thanks for sharing!