What Is Wrong With Victor At The Cheyenne Auto Parts Store?

I stopped by Auto Zone for some windshield wiper replacements. I needed some for my son, a pair for my wife, a pair for my car and a set for my pickup truck. Victor, a counter guy, was right behind me on the way in and said he would help me after the next person in line. Fair enough.

That was the first sign this guy knows about servicing the customer. I didn’t say anything though.

When he did help me, he looked all of them up and then escorted me over to their selection and started pulling the right ones, which was a little more complicated than I anticipated. Some vehicles took two different sizes. Some were expensive, some were more than that.

Victor said, let me save you some money, sign up for our rewards card and get $20 back right away. I wanted the best for my son and wife, but I was surprised that one blade for my son was $36. Wow. But I will not compromise on their safety, so get me the good ones.

At the checkout counter, the phone rang. He answered with a friendly style that seemed to come easily, but he also included “I’m with a customer right now, if you hold on, we’ll be with you in a moment. That was the right thing to do. Put the customer who came into the store first, over the person who simply called in. I mentioned to Victor; “Now that, is customer service done right.” I didn’t even have to say any more. Victor said “I know what its like.” Bravo.

Ringing me up with all different sizes and getting me the proper discounts took a bit of time and effort on his part, but he was moving right along with a smile. During some pauses, like waiting for my chipped credit card to process, he would deal with some customers in line. Mr. Multitask, with a positive attitude.

There were plenty of things he did that just made the process of buy wiper blades so much easier and enjoyable. The day before, I asked a clerk in the mall how the customers were treating her during the busy Christmas rush. She didn’t say anything, but her smile drooped a bit and her shoulders kind of shrugged. That said it all. People can be real dicks, sometimes. Being rude to the help, does anything but help. The customer is NOT always right.

While transacting, I noticed some dashboard video cameras that have piqued my curiosity. I asked what Victor thought of them, and he wasn’t high on the cameras. He wrote a paper on their disadvantages, which surprised me. I appreciated his candor, but it was more philosophical than a comment on quality. “I wrote a paper on the subject.” He said. I was now curious and found out he wrote the paper for college but had to quit school when his mother had an accident and needed care. A deep and thoughtful man... Another call, another “I’m with another customer….” Then, there were more thoughtful actions and checking for discounts and the like.

I told the manager, “I have a problem with your counter person here… He’s not getting paid enough. He's really good at his job." Should he get limo service and a Swedish massage team? No, but he reps his company very well and made my day better.

The point of this story is two-fold.

 "I wanna talk to your manager!"

People seem to like bitching when someone is perceived to be bad at their job, whether real or imagined. I, on the other hand, prefer to recognize when people are doing things right and believe in recognizing and rewarding good behavior.

As we were wrapping up this transaction, I told him I appreciated his approach to his job and that he hadn’t soured by having to give up school. “I am fine with it. I like what I’m doing.” It shows. Now, hours later, I am still thinking about the way this guy rolls and it has me checking my own attitude and approach. I thought I would share this chance meeting with you, the reader.

What’s wrong with Victor? Not a thing, except maybe he should be paid more. . I just wanted to post about a positive chance encounter with a man who does his job well, but the story got a lot longer than I planned, but I thought I would share the value of encounters with a good Wyoming worker. Thanks for reading,