Didja hear about the Walmart employee in Missouri?
Seems that after working for the chain 20 years, they fired his ass. And it’s got a lot of people all hot and bothered.
You see, this guy Frank, left disabled from a childhood accident many years ago, has had a life goal to “make other people feel good about themselves and to bring a smile to their face.”
So one of the reasons Frank got fired was that he’d hug customers.
“I was asking the ladies if I could give them hugs before I hugged them,” Frank says. “They said yes.”
Walmart management warned Frank about hugging customers. They didn’t like it. He did it anyway, insisting that he was respectful of people’s personal space and always asked permission first.
Walmart canned him.
OK, I’m sympathetic to Frank’s well-meaning intentions. But fact is, if a Walmart employee asked me for a hug everytime I went into the store, I’d quit shopping at that Walmart.
That’s just me. I’d find the persistent requests for hugs annoying and even intimidating. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d be creeped out.
Frank made a choice. He decided to act against the wishes of his bosses. And he was fired.
That’s what can happen when you work for other people.
Now, if you run your own business, you can hug all the people you want (at the risk of scaring away customers, of course).
Maybe “free hugs” is even the way you brand your business.
It’s better to work for yourself, huh?
