I recently was shopping for shoes for my 2½  year old daughter. Shoe shopping for my kids is not always easy because we have strict policy about shoe laces. We only buy gym shoes and boys dress shoes with shoe laces—no Velcro, no zippers. They are not always easy to find.

I was in a chain shoe store that usually has pretty nice employees but really nothing  to write home about.   I was pleasantly surprised by a very nice and attentive young man. I would guess that he was 17-18 years old. I received a very sincere hello when I walked in. He was very nicely dressed, professionally I would say. He really caught my attention as being an excellent representation of the company he worked for.

As I walked to the back of the store where her shoes would be, he asked if he could help me find what I was looking for. I let him know that I was just going to look around, and that I usually am not able to find what I am looking for because I do not want to buy anything with zippers or Velcro.  With a sincerely disappointed look on his face, he let me know that he did not think that they had anything. Clearly determined to help me, he came out from behind the counter and followed me.  By the time he was standing next to me, I had been looking at the shelves for a couple of minutes. Then it hit me, I mean HIT me. (more…)