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Attitude
Off the Wall
June 26, 2008
When it comes right down to it, I believe attitude
fits into most everything we say and do. Sometimes we may comment
about something without realizing we are stating these things
because of our upbringing or habits our peers imposed upon us
that instilled in us ways of behavior.
Having received a psychology degree back in the
late 60's, I still tend to want to understand why people act
certain ways and what motivates them to respond to others.
For example, recently I entered a place of business
and asked to speak to a certain individual. In my mind, I had
already assumed he would greet me warmly with a "Hi, how
are you?" type approach. Instead he approached me, and when
he got within a couple of feet he quietly muttered, "What
do you want?" I'm going to put it bluntly. I do not like
that type of attitude, plain and simple. I was there to do something
for him and his response was uncalled for in my opinion. I could
have turned around and walked out and pretended I never was there,
but instead, I ignored his statement and continued with business
as if I never heard his remark.
Some people will use humor to display their attitudes.
I was directed to a sign that hung in a veterinarian's
office waiting room. The owner had to step out for a few minutes.
Instead of leaving a note on his door stating that he would be
back as soon as possible, he posted these words "Back
in five minutes. Sit. Stay." I could pick up on the fact
that his sense of humor played into the fact that he knew the
people may be somewhat annoyed, so he used an approach that may
less disturbing to those who expected to meet with him at a particular
time.
My daughter, Kelsey, reminded me of something she
had said when she was approached by a friend of the family as
a small child. The gentleman had come up to her and asked her
if she was athletic. Her reply? "No, I'm Catholic!"
Cute. When small children don't have the answer one may expect,
they always come up with something many times answers unexpected.
Their attitudes are always to be treasured.
Recently, I needed to purchase a product to replace
one that had malfunctioned. The wife and I traveled to a large
chain outlet in Greensburg. Since I was unfamiliar with the store's
layout, I decided to go over to customer service and ask someone
behind the counter. I walked up and a man said, "May I help
you." I told him what I wanted, and he nonchalantly walked
over to some shelving and said, "It's here. You could have
got it yourself."
That type of attitude one can do without. I explained
to him that I needed assistance, smiled and left. When I got
home, I found he had given me the wrong product after all, and
we had to drive all the way back to that store. I was not a happy
camper! I confronted the manager, and he was most courteous and
all problems were resolved.
The other day, my wife was shopping at one of the
larger food chains in Latrobe when she noticed ice cream on sale.
I never figured out why women have to always buy something because
it is on sale, particularly if they don't need the items anyway.
That could be a story in itself, I guess. Anyway, back
to the facts of the matter.
As she went about her business she saw in front
of her ice cream was on sale. A half-gallon was on sale for $4.99.
Maybe that's no big deal for some of you readers, but here's
the catch. The normal price was $4.99. Just because the word
"Sale" was posted, the sign attracted customers to
this product. Could it be that the management knew what they
were doing? I think so. Buyers would not be looking for an original
price as much as they would the sale price.
What I have here is just a small sample of the many
types of attitudes that could play into our daily lives. May
we play down the negative ones and accentuate those which are
positive. Left will be a favorable lasting impression that will
benefit everyone!
Paul J. Volkmann
6/18/08
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