The quiet guy at the coffee shop who always smiles

I was at The Daily Grind on Elm Street yesterday, getting my usual black coffee. There's this older man who works there, always has a huge grin and asks everyone how their day is going. I saw him on his break, sitting alone in the back corner, and his face just looked so tired and sad. He was staring at his phone, not smiling at all. It hit me that he probably has to act cheerful for eight hours straight, even if he's having a bad day. How do people who work with the public all day keep that up without feeling totally drained?

4 comments

4 Comments

jade5173mo ago

Yeah, it's like that everywhere now. I see it with cashiers and bank tellers too, that switch from customer service smile to blank face the second they think no one's looking. Makes you wonder how much energy that takes.

grays133mo ago

Ever tried it for eight hours straight?

mark_carr71mo ago

Read a study once that said your brain uses more energy maintaining a fake expression than it does solving math problems. Always stuck with me when I see people flip that switch you're talking about, @grays13. Eight hours of that sounds like running a marathon in concrete shoes. No wonder people crash the second they get a break.

seth_shah3mo ago

Worked retail for years and you learn to build a wall between the public face and your real self. It's not even acting after a while, it's just muscle memory. The real trick is finding small ways to reset during the day, like that quiet minute in the back. You have to let the mask drop when you can or you'll burn out fast. People don't realize how much focus it takes to be "on" for that many hours straight.