Alone Time and Random Acts of Kindness

I know a lot of people who can't dine out alone and I don't get it. Ang tanong ko sa kanila, kailangan mo ba ng ibang tao para kumain? hahaha. ;) Well, wala naman talaga akong ginagawa pag mag isa bukod sa kumain, as in mabilis na kain lang tapos alis na. Until this afternoon, I realized that it is only when I'm alone that I get to observe other people and witness random acts of kindness. :)

Isang henyo ang naka-isip na maglagay ng McDonald's branch sa may buendia station ng MRT. Pag pagod ka na makipagsiksikan at bigla kang nag crave ng chicken nuggets at coke float, ayan na ang kasagutan!

While finishing my last piece of nugget, an old man went inside the store and asked the security guard if he saw his Senior Citizen ID. The old man really looked exhausted, at ayon sa na-eavesdrop ko, galing pa daw siya ng LRT Buendia at binalikan niya baka dun naiwan yung ID. Hinanap muna ng guard sa logbook niya kung may nakaipit na ID, nung wala, naisip niya na baka nasama sa tray at natapon sa trash bin. Tumulong yung isang crew, nilabas nila yung garbage bag (as in sa labas ng McDo) at nahanap nga yung ID! After nun, nag offer pa yung guard na i-dryer yung ID kase medyo basa na siya ng coke. :)

Wow. It may sound really simple pero sobrang napa-aaaaw ako :)

And then I recalled one bad day in that same branch. I bought a sundae and french fries to cheer me up, and sat in one corner of the store. After finishing my "happy food" and on my way out, a number of crew members including those in the counter, thanked me for dining and smiled genuinely. One crew even opened the door for me smiling. Feeling ko for a time that moment, "teka joke ba to? nagpractice ba kayo? ba't kayo sabay-sabay? ako lang customer?" hahaha. And then for another split second, i thought, "chos script lang naman yan e!" I don't usually smile back at strangers, but that time, I returned a genuine smile to the strangers who sort of lightened up my day. :) At pagdating ko sa office, I visited http://www.mcdonalds.com.ph/customer_care and sent them a customer feedback. :)

A few hours later, I got this reply from them, not sure if this was auto generated, but it didn't really matter :)

Dear Princess Ramirez,

Thank you so much for your commendation.

It's certainly nice to receive an email like yours and know our efforts are appreciated.

Our operations team work hard to maintain high standards of quality, service, cleanliness and value to guarantee that each transaction you make with McDonald's is a pleasant experience.

Our number one goal is 100 percent customer satisfaction.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. Please continue to tell us how we're doing.

Amazing how these simple random acts of kindness matter a lot. Naguiguilty tuloy ako minsan sa dalas kong maging grumpy when I should have smiled instead and could have brightened someone else's bad day. :)

*image is from the web