In November a furry little bundle of claws joined my household. Because this was my first kitten, this meant deciding everything from what food to feed her, to what litter to use. Fortunately, there is a small pet specialty retailer store about a block away from my apartment. 

Over the past few months I’ve become a regular customer there and I’d like to share one of the things I’ve learned, as a new pet owner. Attitude really matters. 

My regular retailer has several employees – two in particular directly affect how many products and how much money I spend in the store on any given day. One of his employees has a rough manner. He never asks me if I need help, and I feel like I’m imposing on him if I ask for it. I’m not particularly tall, and the store has tall shelves – if something is on the top shelf, chances are an employee is going to have to get it down for me. By contrast, another of the store’s employees, a young woman, is exactly the opposite. Upon entering the store, she greets me and asks if I need anything. 

When my kitten outgrew the smaller of the two litter boxes I initially bought for her, this employee spent some time talking to me about the different litter boxes the store carried and suggested litter liners as an up sell – along with a lesson she learned from owning her own cats, that involved beginning with liners early so that the kitten would learn it wasn’t a toy. Needless to say, by making this personal connection, when the young woman is working I’m much more likely to spend a few extra dollars or make an impulse purchase then when her co-work is there.