Hopefully all or at least most of us donate clothes that are in good condition to shelters or organizations. I’ve been fortunate to work in the fashion industry for a long time, so there’s lots of items that are in great shape and need a better home than I could provide. Therefore, I often drop off bags of clothes, shoes and accessories to Salvation Army, Goodwill or shelters.
A Salvation Army center is not far from where I live, so this is the main one I drop off to. There’s one woman that is always at the donation area accepting product. She doesn’t wear a tag, so I’ll call her Lana. No matter the season of year, time of day or day of the week, Lana always has an attitude. The first time I went in there I thought maybe she’s just having a bad day, I understand how frustrating it can be. The following time I decided to drop off, I was met with an even worse attitude. Still not trying to give what I get, I met her with a smile and an even tone of voice. Last week was approximately my seventh time donating to that location and of course Lana was there with a scowl and a side eye on her face. I proceeded to hand her my bags and wait for her direction. In an annoyed tone she said “It’s just clothing right”? I told her yes there’s clothes and also shoes for men and women. She responded in the driest tone “so it’s not just clothes then”. Again, not wanting to give her the attitude she was giving me, I simply said “well no, you assumed it was just clothes without me telling you what was in the bags first”. Lana’s upper lip snarled like Scar’s in the Lion King (watch it, if you don’t get the reference) and in the snappiest tone said “if you want an itemized list you do it yourself, I don’t have time and that’s not my job”. She turned and walked back into the donation abyss behind her. Not wanting the last of our exchange to be negative, I ended it by shouting to her back, “try and have a good rest of your day”, before I walked out.
Whenever I encounter Lana I want to yell at her, “If you hate something so much, why are you here”! Lana makes me see red every time she opens her mouth. It’s the Salvation Army! The meaning of salvation is deliverance from harm/ruin and the way she acts is the opposite- her attitude is harmful and it could ruin your day if you let it. We’ve all had crappy days due to whatever circumstances and then had to do our jobs, some of us are better at hiding it than others. Clearly Lana needs an acting class or something to figure out the best techniques to handle it. Don’t let the Lana’s out there who hate their jobs and give horrible customer service, negatively affect you, especially when you're doing something positive. Continue to work on your patience and compassion so you know how to react when met with someone like her. Although I may have wanted to snap back (and I almost did on more than one occasion), I wasn’t going to let her take me out of character. I know she’ll be in there the next time I decide to go, so until we meet again Lana...
Go through your wardrobes and donate. It doesn't have to be just clothing, donate houseware and decorative items that are in good condition too!