I sometimes wonder if I should quit working at the drugstore and find a job in ministry since, you know, that's the field I'm supposedly going into after I graduate. But then I find myself having surprising encounters with people at the store and I realize that this is preparation for ministry. A lot of our customers come into our store when they are at pretty low points in life. Some find out their prescriptions aren't covered by their insurance and are forced to find alternatives from aisle nine. Others are trying to make their food stamps stretch as long as they can.
And then there are the tobacco consumers who know that our cigarettes are priced lower than anywhere else around. Yearning for that next nicotine fix, they come in cranky and rushed. Most aren't very polite. We have several regulars who come in with the exact amount of cash for their Kool shorts in a box or their Marlboro Special Blends light 100s. When the prices change unexpectedly and they are short of change, their crankiness builds. I think interacting with these customers is good preparation for ministry. There are going to be frustrating people who are rude and demanding and I'm going to have to deal with them. I hope I can think back to my experience at the drugstore and realize that no one can be as challenging to work with as some of these customers. Like the woman who wants the Virginia Slim menthols in a soft pack. I can never tell the Virginia Slims apart. They all look the same. So after I've reached for 4 different boxes she starts to yell at me and is ready to climb over the counter to get them herself.
There are other customers who aren't as vocal. They don't pitch a fit when the price on the register is not what they expected it to be. They are considerate and just want to make their purchase and head home. One such customer came in the other night, wearing a U.S. Navy hat. I asked him if he served in the Navy and he said he did. I told him thank you for serving our country and he paused and raised his eyebrows. I know he noticed my tattoo and he probably thought I was some liberal anti-war youngin'. Which I am. But I don't blame the soldiers for the mess our nation has gotten itself into time after time. He told me he served in Vietnam and I said that must have been very difficult and that civilians like myself will probably never understand the sacrifices he and his fellow soldiers had to make. He didn't respond to that statement but as he took his receipt I noticed tears welling up in his eyes.
Today I had another emotional interaction. A woman was approaching the register with her purchases and a younger woman cut her off. I don't think it was intentional, I think she just didn't realize what she did. The older woman sort of "tsk'd" in response which made the younger girl turn around. She started getting riled up and asked if there was a problem. From the looks of it, this younger girl was ready to start a fight. I tried to diffuse the situation by mentioning our special of the month, but she was still wanting to punch the older woman. Thankfully she left without starting trouble, but the older woman was still pretty shaken up. I rang her up, handed her the receipt and change and told her sorry about the situation. She looked at the change and was convinced I short changed her by ten dollars. I was pretty confident that it was correct, but she was adamant and so I called the manager over. The solution was for him to count the drawer and check it against the computer which took about ten minutes. This inconvenienced the other customers and embarrassed me profusely. It turns out I was correct and the change was correct. A typical reaction from a typical customer at our store would be for her to yell obscenities and then storm out of the store threatening to file a complaint. She didn't do that though. She swallowed her pride and apologized to me for doubting my mad cashiering skills. I told her not to worry about it and that I know the encounter with the crazy girl had really shaken her up.
It is moments like these that realize this part time cashiering job is a form of ministry. Sure, it is going to be hard to explain that to the Committee on Preparation for Ministry, but I think some of the most meaningful "ministering" that we can do takes place outside the limits of ministry that we have set.
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