On Machines and People

by Miko Brillantes


Cogs in a Machine

I've been told that we have it pretty good here compared to even other Western countries. Labor is pretty cheap that a lot of services not easily attainable in the West are pertty common here. Maids, drivers, and even grocery baggers. In Europe, you have to bag your own groceries. I bet that most of you don't even notice who bags your stuff. I am guilty of that too. A lot of the time, because I normally don't have my groceries bagged, I don't even notice the bagger standing at the end of the counter. I'd just tell the cashier "No bag please" and move off.

Fast forward to JEEP

On the first day, a friend of mine came to visit me. I was pretty much just talking to the other baggers and cashiers for the past few hours when I noticed a really tall and lanky girl behind this customer who had so much stuff, we were bagging for him for the last 10 minutes or so. I immediately recognized the CEU uniform and chinky eyes and gave a bright-eyed look to my friend, who returned the favor. Then the customer who still had so much stuff to be bagged, told my friend about the other two empty lanes, and said that she could use those two so she wouldn't have to wait. My friend politely told him that it was fine, and didn't switch. After another 10 minutes or so (he seriously bought boxloads of pasta and sauce), he again asked my friend if she would like to switch lanes. Again, my friend said she was alright with the wait, and again refused to budge. Now this made the guy, and other customers and staff curious, as we had been exchanging glances and smiles ever since the first one. Then finally, the register stalled, and the cashier had to ask everyone, including my friend, to switch to other lanes while the register was fixed. The guy finally quipped "I guess you really have to switch lanes now." My friend then smiled and said "Oh, it was because I wanted 'him' to bag my stuff" looking at me. So naturally the other cashiers and the customers thought it was cute. They thought she was my girlfriend who had come to visit me at work. After getting her stuff checked out, she went up to me and said "Hey, it was nice seeing you again, even if it was here" before leaving. Everyone, including the customer, asked if she really was my girlfriend when she left. She was a former classmate whom I had not seen in almost 3 years.

As my other days at JEEP showed, it's a really dull feeling just working. Literally hundreds of people pass you by and not a single one tries to start up a conversation or even notices you. So I guess that's why a little show like what me and my friend gave to the rest became such a hit. It breaks the monotony of the day. And really, I would figure that these people would love the attention from someone, even for just a few short minutes. They literally become just cogs in a machine; working unseen in the contraption that is the grocery of Rustan's.

We are all relational beings. I'd like to bet even the most introverted person wouldn't mind company once in a while. After having almost none day in and day out apart from their co-workers, I wouldn't be surprised as to why the other workers thought so much of my little encounter with my friend. And I also noticed that they would take note of the 'regulars' and seemed to hold them in such high regard. Because these 'regulars' actually saw them as human. These people knew the cashiers and baggers by name and even struck up conversations with them, including me at one point. In the hustle and bustle of a working day, a little conversation or attention can do wonders to the mood.

We are not machines. We are people. There's something to think about next time you're in line at the grocery. So maybe next time, give a smile and see what happens. You would be doing someone a really big favor.