Sunday, June 08, 2008

The Compassion Connection

Outreach today consisted of providing over the top customer service to a woman who found our system of receipts troublesome and confusing. I have this theory, you see, that if every chance I get to demonstrate compassion and empathy gives me a chance to demonstrate, by example, that vegans are vegans BECAUSE of the compassion connection. We are more compassionate by nature, and our vegan lives cause that compassionate side to expand as we live a more peaceful existence side by side with all creatures, and indeed, Gaia herself.

The lady is working with a difficult client. There have been lots of changes which translate into lots of trips to see me and my contemporaries in action. She tried to explain to me what she meant, but our vocabularies are a bit different – she is not at fault there. I thought I understood, and for the largest part of her return she was thrilled. Then I asked her a question, and she really didn’t understand, but answered “yes,” and I proceeded to do something she’d previously found confusing. She’d told me the recent experience had caused her to take a 20K sale across the street to our competition. This made me sad. I wanted to fix it. I got others involved, and by the time we were finished, she was glowing and heaping praise on us. She left her paperwork for us to sort out, and said she was going to Starbucks, and what would I like…..

“Thank you. That is very kind. I’m vegan.” I said.

“Oh, no dairy!” She said. I was thinking YES! We have someone who may have a smattering of knowledge!

“That is correct.”

“They have a chai tea thing.”

“No, thanks very much. We’re not supposed to have anything up here but water.”

So, after all was said and done, she got our full names, store number, corporate addy, and is intending to write a letter and make some calls. She got to see (and with luck connect my compassion with my veganism.) YES! My review is imminent. What could be better?

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