I didn't get the call in the queue, but my friend, who was taking orders in the station next to me did. She told me about it, tears in her eyes, after she qualified the call. We always commented to each other about how the shipping and handling prices were so outrageously high, and a large part of the catalog company's profit came just from that expense alone. And when the customer requests to have the order expedited for quicker delivery, we just charge them more. Given the quality of the products sold, most of the customers don't flinch at the cost, but others do. And at $7/hr., it is fair to say we aren't paid nearly enough to listen to their complaints, despite the fact that we wholeheartedly couldn't agree more, but are not in a position to say so or even do anything to appease the customer without a supervisor's approval.
Regardless of the volume of calls that come in and the number of orders one person takes in a four hour window, there are a chosen few that will be remembered, including the very rude customers. Even though I didn't take this particular order, I will remember it, and most likely at every Christmas.
The gentleman called to order a cool mist humidifier and the Reader's Friend, which is generally a high quality back support pillow. His order total came to just under $200 with the standard shipping and handling costs, but he wanted to have the items delivered quickly, as soon as possible, no matter what the cost. Given the weight of the items, his location, and the extra cost, his request resulted in an additional $100 for this 'shipping and handling'.
He wasn't celebrating Christmas early. He wasn't traveling somewhere else and needing to take the gifts along. He merely wanted to make his ailing wife as comfortable as, as soon as possible. She was dying of cancer, and this would very likely be her last Christmas, if she even survived that long.
It didn't matter what the cost was. He didn't care. He just wanted to provide as much comfort to his wife as he could for the remainder of their time together, for the remainder of her time left to live.
So while she is resting against the pillow, breathing easier with the cool mist humidifier there beside her, who but the owner of the catalog company will be smiling at his outstanding profits and the inflated percentage from the shipping and handling alone? And oblivious will he be to the story behind the purchase of these two items, and the tragedy in the fact that he probably will never know why the items were ordered, for whom, and why they were expedited for quick delivery, nor will he even care. There can be no heart in a business, or else the company surely will fail. But those of us at the bottom of the pyramid, earning our meager wages, taking and processing the orders, have hearts. And although I cannot speak for other TSRs, I would have gladly sacrificed my entirely earned paycheck to this wonderful gentleman and his simple request to have his items arrive as quickly as they could get there. Because the owner of the catalog company, even if he was told of this story, probably wouldn't make such a sacrifice.
May God look down on and bless this gentleman and give him one last Christmas with his beloved wife.
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