Have you ever thought about throwing your whole life on stage, with no regrets and no concern for the reactions you might encounter? Have you ever thought to yourself, listening to a conversation, “Why are they talking about that here?” Have you ever forgotten you were in public and decided to air your dirty laundry? Well, imagine owning a store, with a captured audience, and the customer decides to speak freely and openly about the many “problems” he is having. I’m not talking about your run-of-the-mill back pain and arthritis, but a deeper appreciation of their lives. Personally I am a very open person, I talk about practically anything, but always in an environment appropriate to the subject. So, can you imagine your client telling you about the last person he slept with and how he was out of control?

Maybe I was born in the wrong era, but what happened to not speaking out in public about our most intimate experiences with strangers? Where are the old days when you don’t walk down the street and meet the indignant “dad in ankle-length pants” yelling into a cell phone about his limited liability to an unexpected child? How come when I open my door to the public, the public thinks I’m interested in their menstrual cycles, the stranger they went home with, or the husband who cheated on them? Trust me! No employee, store associate or store owner wants to hear these things, do us all a favor and keep your personal experiences intimate for your family and best friend.

Now, it is true that we as representatives of the store want to meet you, we want to have conversations with you and we will even allow you to contact us at home, but please understand that we are not your counselors, your probation officer or your attorneys. We are just merchants trying to make a living just like you. We don’t know the answers to all of your health questions (unless you’re a doctor), and we can’t advise you on how to best control your spouse’s household habits with strangers on the Internet. You may think I’m kidding, but I assure you I’m not! In a given period of time I have heard these things and worse from clients, for each one I had to stop and redirect the conversation. I haven’t found an answer to why some people have verbal diarrhea, but fortunately the vast majority of clients I come across do not have this phenomenon. As I’m sure I’m not the only person this has happened to, this would be a great and absolutely fun time to share what you’ve heard or experienced.

Fortunately, in recent months these events have generally subsided with the sweltering heat wave. But sometimes, because I work in a client-related field, I am gently reminded of its existence. So while there will always be a colorful person in my life, I hope some decency returns along with a common sense approach to how we all conduct ourselves.

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