Be Kind Please Rewind

Twenty five years ago I worked at Blockbuster Video. I was notorious for selling previously watched VHS tapes to myself and for erasing late fees. I worked at Blockbuster when “Be Kind Please Rewind” meant something. It wasn’t until I won a DVD player in college by guessing the outcome of the Super Bowl that I transitioned from videotape.

It was here that I carried on an entire conversation with someone who sifting through our catalogue of films. He made direct eye contact with me, spoke clearly and concisely to me, and I returned the gesture. After many minutes I realized he was actually speaking to someone else through an earpiece. I had never seen that kind of technology before, and I’ve had a disdain for it since.

I had my own space on the wall, “Andy’s Picks”. It included classics like Flight of the Navigator and the Shawshank Redemption.

I loved people almost as much as I loved movies. I remember a student came in late one night with a flat tire and was in need of help. I had never changed a tire before but I learned by changing hers in the rain. She was very grateful.

Many people, young and old, had exorbitant late fees and I often struck a few keys and entered a manager’s code and made them forever disappear. Blockbuster late fees were a nemesis to so many. Imagine the embarrassment of being out with your partner on a date and being denied at checkout. Imagine having your renting privileges revoked while facing hundreds of dollars in fees…it happened.

But I learned something about those who asked for help with their overdue charges. Some were kind while others were demanding. I gave preferential treatment to the kind while simultaneously saying “NO” to the obstinate and entitled.

It felt like the right thing to do as a teenage Assistant Manager - but it actually wasn’t.

It’s expected that you’ll respond to rudeness with more rudeness - what’s unexpected is responding with a kind heart. Do the unexpected.

What’s unexpected is putting yourself in the shoes of the humiliated. Even if it’s just for a moment. Even if it’s for something seemingly trivial like a corporate policy.

“Be Kind Please Rewind” may sometimes just involve hitting the rewind button on our own experience until we understand what it’s like to be in the position of the person on the other side of the counter.

How often do we only do good when it’s comfortable for us? How often do we only do good when it pleases us? How often do we shut the door on empathy when empathy is needed?

I carry this lesson with me in my profession today:

1. Treat people better than they expect to be treated.

2. Do good when it doesn’t seem justified.

   
   

3. Be cautious when talking to someone with an earpiece.