I have long had a thing for a perfectly sacked grocery bag.
Four corners neat and square, cans on the bottom, bread on top. Light as a feather.
It's been that way since my high school days when I worked summers and holidays as a sacker and stock boy.
My employer drilled a "red carpet service" mindset into my brain from day one, and even required me to attend sacker's school before turning me loose on customers.
I still remember rules No. 1 and 2: Insist on carrying the customer's grocery bags to their car, and always thank them for shopping at the store. Heaven help you if you ever slipped up.
These are foreign concepts for many young teens toiling today at grocery store check-out stands, or for that matter, practically any other part-time job that involves dealing directly with the public.
It's another sad commentary on the state of customer service. I know, that hardly passes as news.
I don't blame the kids. Mostly, it's the employer who doesn't properly train inexperienced 16-year-olds sacking 101 basics and more important, the soft skills of customer cordialities.
That's why going through the supermarket check-out line can be an unnerving experience for me, especially this time of year with the holidays approaching when the trips become more frequent and the stores more crowded. As you might have guessed, I'm still a sack-your-own type of guy.
But enough. With scores of inexperienced high schoolers entering the part-time workforce the last two months of the year, I pledge to bite my lip and resist the urge to do the sacking job for them.
After all, I'm not doing them any favors. How will they learn from their mistakes, whether it's crushing the bread or putting the perishables in the same bag as the laundry detergent?
If the employer is not providing proper training, parents need to step up. Remind Junior, if necessary, to get rid of the chewing gum, stifle the yawns, move with some bounce in his step, and show some enthusiasm when talking to customers. It really bugs me to see youngsters on the job who look totally bored or who are carrying on a conversation with a friend about last night's party while I'm waiting in line to hand over my money.
I don't expect teens to always be model employees - bagging groceries, stocking shelves or working the cash register is not as much fun as hanging out with buddies after school.
But when there's a paycheck involved, some level of professional performance should be part of the package for young workers. That's another lesson that stuck with me long after my high school grocery sacking days were over.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Steve Rosen is assistant business editor at The Kansas City Star. Readers may write to him at: The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. 64108; e-mail: srosen@kcstar.com.
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