I just finished reading Patty Luzzi’s article, “Now begins the dance of retail” and I don’t know if I should feel offended, or entertained (but not in a way that makes me laugh).

Everything was as expected until I get to her “tried and true methods of avoidance.” Pretending to be on the phone, pretending to speak another language, or straight out pretending to not have heard the sales employee? Are these traits to be passed on to others, or a serious character flaw?

I have worked in retail for eight years now and have worked my way into management, and I understand her point, I really do. There are stores out there I try to avoid because I feel their tactics are too pushy for what I consider good salesmanship, but when I find myself in a retail store being asked “Are you finding everything okay?” every 10 feet further into the store, I tell them that I am finding everything okay, smile, and move on.

Being kind and courteous, which I grew up being told is the backbone of the holiday spirit, can make the day for a retail employee. Being ignored when all they did was ask how your day was makes them feel horrible inside, and makes our jobs that much harder. We are here to help, and we do have a job to do as well, but ignoring us is a double standard because the moment you need us, and if we were to ignore you, as a customer you would be terribly upset.

Anyone who has every shopped retail, especially on the Eastside, knows how it is. If you can’t be kind enough to say hello and smile in return, then perhaps you should use Amazon this holiday season, because this is the time of the year when our jobs are the hardest to begin with.

Jonathan Cunningham