How Can I Help You??

I was in a Barnes & Noble a few weekends ago with a few friends.  One of them parked his car outside and we needed to get his ticket validated for parking. Before we left we got coffee at the B&N Starbucks. While I was waiting at the "pick up" station for my Grande Iced Americano, I asked the lady behind the counter if I could get the ticket validated at their counter.   She looked at me and said, "You can go to customer service to get validation."

As I walked to the "customize your coffee" station, I replayed what she has said. I added my faux sugar, half & half, shook it up and walked away.  Still, what she said kept bouncing around in my brain.    If I needed validation, I could go to customer service.   That got me thinking. Wouldn't it be great if any time I needed a little validation I could walk into any establishment with a customer service desk and just...get it. If this was the case, the world would be a very very different lace.   Less guys entering workout facilities shooting innocent people. Less women dying on account of shady cosmetic surgery.  Fewer people mixing sleep aids and anti-depressants.  I am sure you can add to the list.

In my case, I might have been a less crazy self questioning teenager. I'd be a much more self-assured adult.  I wouldn't have put up with boys who treated me badly, just for the few times they confirmed my existence.  No more diet pills.  Fewer crises of confidence. When in a fight with a friend, I could rely on a third party behind the counter to reinforce my feelings.  Think about it, a storefront that provided the service of giving validation.   Take a number, get some sanity.  You might be the most confident, narcissistic, self-assured person on the plant, but I guarantee you'd travel to a customer service desk every once in a while if they provided even a little bit of reassurance.

Imagine entering through automatic doors, greeted by a service specialist who says, "Hi, how can I help you today?"

You say, "I could use some validation."

They'd say, "Okay great. Where should we start?"