Page 408 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

The first thing that Herschel did was to accept full
responsibility. The customer had been told that there

were no angel food cakes. The last two had been thrown

out that morning because they were out of date. She

was upset. Why hadn’t they been marked down? My

answer would have been, “Sorry, it’s company policy.”

Herschel took responsibility. He said, “When you buy a
cake, I want you to have the freshest one available. If I

sell merchandise that is out of date, I know I’m not giving

you my best.” The woman was still not happy. “Other

stores sell out-of-date products at a reduced price,” she

said. “If I get it for a reduced price, I don’t expect it to

be as fresh.”

As I watched, I was getting a little irritated with the

woman, but Herschel explained his position patiently. He

spoke of his pride in his products and his belief that

every customer was entitled to quality. He spoke calmly
and casually, as if the customer were a friend. He leaned

forward, his body language saying that their

conversation was of great interest. “If you take home a

cake or a loaf of bread and you don’t eat any for four

days,” he said, “it should still be good when you open it.”
The customer said, “Okay, I understand,” and started to

leave.

I would have probably shrugged and let her walk away,

but Herschel took a little extra time to make her feel