Perspective

So the strawberry farm that I work and live on isn't just a home for strawberries..we have many a fresh produce option. We grow a lot of different fruits and vegetables..strawberries being one of our biggest crops..but we also grow raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, black currants, red currants, peas, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and amazing sweet corn..amongst other things that I know I'm forgetting.

So to deal with this produce..we have a store that I work in on most days (when I'm not at the farmers markets with Shop Girl*) to sell things that we grow..and over the years we've expanded to include things from other local farms that we either don't or can't grow here...peaches, plums, lettuce, onions, beef, cheese, etc.

The emphasis that we've always tried to put on the things that we provide for other people is fresh, local produce with friendly service..and we've grown a lot over the years to make this work...and continue to put in unmeasureable amounts of time and effort in an attempt to make the farm that we love successful, all the while providing a quality service to the people of this area.

This being said..I've grown up on this farm. I moved here when I was four..and have thus lived here for the last 18+ years. I have an immense connection with it..I've always been in the 'front' of the operation..while my brother and my Dad focused their energy on growing amazing produce..my job has always focused more on the service part of the job..and displaying and selling the produce to the public...and after years of fielding questions and providing information about produce...and running our store (Which, by the way, started out with my first sale off of a picnic table on our front lawn, and has now grown to be a full fledged store with a variety of products).

Now, I often have 'stories' about things that happen in my day to day existence within our store..and this particular one happened the other day..

A woman came in..and I greeted her with a friendly hello as I do with anyone who comes into our store...she seemed rather reserved and a little bit..cold...but I went about doing what I was doing while she looked around..I recognized her as someone who had been in the store before..and always has had a sort of..sour personality...always grumbling about something..and just generally not a very happy person..regardless..I tried to be my normal happy self.

After a few minutes, I could hear her humming and hawing and sighing as she looked at the green and yellow beans..

I asked if she was finding everything okay or if there was anything I could help with..and she said "well, I would get some of the beans..but these just aren't any good"....I was surprised, as I always try to keep pretty tight control over the quality of whatever we're selling, especially at the store..and had been looking at the beans not less than ten minutes ago..and didn't find anything wrong with them.

Now, I don't consider myself an expert on produce...but I do know a fair bit. Living and breathing produce every summer for the vast majority of my life has given me a little bit of an edge on the subject matter...but I'm far from knowing a TON of stuff, let alone everything..and I know this..but I do attempt to share my knowledge whenever possible..because..well..I'm a produce dork...AND..knowledge makes the world go round..everyone needs food..so you might as well be as educated as possible about it.

So, that being said..I was like..oh..what's wrong with them..and went over to look...the woman mumbled something about them not being 'good'..but couldn't seem to explain to me WHY they weren't any good. I was a little confused, as they looked and felt perfectly fine to me...but over the years..I've become pretty use to people who like to pretend that they know what they're talking about...and like to pretend that I don't..because I'm not as old as them or I'm not as experienced in life as them or whatever..

And it had been a kind of 'blah' day. So I smiled sweetly..and told her that I'd go and grab some other beans out of the cooler for her to have a look at and walked into the back room and grabbed a bin of beans. I brought them out into the front of the store..and showed them to her.

Upon seeing them, she instantly exclaimed that these were 'much better' and 'exactly what she wanted' and quickly filled a bag with them, paid for her purchases and left.

As I was putting the beans back in the cooler..I couldn't help but laugh a little to myself..and wonder why it is that we do the things that we do...why some beans aren't good enough..and others are just perfect...

Especially since this woman had no idea..that mere minutes before she had arrived in the store...I had taken the beans to put on display...from that exact same bin which was 'much better' than the exact same beans that was on display. I never said that either beans were fresher, they weren't any different..infact..they were exactly the same...yet she somehow believed that the ones that I brought out of the back..were somehow superior to the ones that I had just before put out for display...even though they looked, tasted and WERE the exact same.

It's funny how perspective can change so much. How we can make assumptions about things..and although we often make assumptions based on appearance...this one wasn't even based on that..it was just based on perspective....and in this case..was based on an assumption which was completely and totally inaccurate...and only confirmed to me that she didn't know what she was talking about.

So that was my little game for the other day..had she actually balked and said that the bin of beans I brought out wasn't up to the quality she desired..then I *may* have believed that there was actually something wrong with them..despite them just having being picked..but now I'm content in knowing that she was just being nit picky and didn't actually know what she was talking about.

Today's Lessons? A) Don't jump to conclusions or make opinions based upon assumptions. B)Know what you're talking about..or else I may prove that you're actually full of it...and then I will think you're probably an airhead who doesn't really know anything but likes to pretend that they do :)

And yes. Just in case you're wondering..the woman was back in the next day..raving about how good her beans were..and asking me to get more out of the bin from the back.
Sometimes..it's all about plastering a sweet smile on your face..and letting them pretend that they know what they're talking about.



Disclaimer: I'm not USUALLY a person who likes to trick or decieve people..I'm actually...usually..a pretty good(ish) person. I just had this funny gut feeling..that this woman knew absolutely nothing about what she was talking about..and was complaining just for the sake of complaining..and it gave me a smug sense of satisfaction to sell her the exact same beans which were on display..but had somehow magically transformed into produce which was suddenly 'good enough' for her..because they were 'different' from what was on the table. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them..and in fact..I ate the same ones for dinner myself that night. You can always ask Shop Girl* about difficult customers if you'd like to know more..we don't usually have too many..but she can confirm that sometimes..they're just plain stupid...and also..that sometimes..there are days..when you've somehow been magnatized to attract every stupid, nit picking idiot on the face of the earth..LOL.