People have received free coffee but have you ever received free groceries?
If you have a sense of style, people got your back
I like getting free stuff. Who doesn’t like getting free stuff? You must be a difficult person if you don’t. Remember the rise of influencers? People hated them for pushing a product but deep down you wanted it too but didn’t want to pay. Ask yourself, do you have charisma to get anything free?
Free Coffee
I’ve worked in many coffee shops and when you’re a barista, other baristas can smell it on you. It’s because you are wearing the raglan from the day before and it smells like coffee grinds.
When you’re off from being a barista, the last place you want to be is the same coffee shop you work at but going to your local coffee shop is where the real work begins. You’re off to make work that matters more to you in a space that makes you feel happy, doing the things you want, plan for the future, life admin, and your creative endeavors.
If you make eye contact with another barista, they look you up and if it’s something they like, they’ll make eye contact and appreciate what you’re wearing. Next is a light conversation of where you got the piece and the rest is history. You build a small rapport, become their regular, and know each other on a first name basis. Small discounts will come here and there, you’ll be there for a second round, and may get blessed with an extra coffee or discount. That’s between you, the barista, and God.
Vibe Check
This can be applied to every situation in the real world. All you need to do is pass the vibe check. It’s not hard but it can’t happen. With a millisecond of meeting them, you both signal that you acknowledge each others vibe. We can’t be friends at first sight but we obviously share the same interest in certain topics or even politics. Once you exchange names, you hope to see each other in the future at a later date.
No Expectations
I go to Chelsea Piers to take a class or hit their gym, and I need to make sure I enhance the whole experience by supplying with high quality aftercare because why not? I’m paying for the best. I use their sauna to decompress. I shower with their Malin+Goetz. My gym attire is from ALO, where I’ve received it from my best friend Bobby Whigham, who is the Creative Director of ALO.
After the gym, I went to Whole Foods and needed to get ingredients for my weekly smoothies. Here’s what I’m getting:
Organic Blueberries
Organic Strawberries
Organic Kale
Organic Spinach
Organic Bananas
Chia Seeds
Protein Powder
5 Califia Farms Unsweetened Organic Almond Milk 48 Fl Oz
I’m also mindful of the price. I have Amazon Prime so I’m making sure that the items I’m picking out are on sale and have a deal.
I’m going to checkout and while there is self checkout I still rather go to a person. I think it’s ridiculous that we are being forced to use self check out to work for our groceries. At least give us a discount for bagging our own groceries.
I go to a cashier, he scans all my groceries and I’m on my way. As I leave and walk a block, it hits me that I paid extremely way too much. The math ain’t mathing because I remembered getting the groceries on sale or for a deal. Always trust your instincts. Grocery stores aren’t your friends anymore. Were they ever? Yes. Yes they were.
I walk back to the Whole Foods and walk over to customer service with my receipt. I pull out the Asian Karen to say that Whole Foods has overcharged me and has not acknowledge any of the items on sale or on a deal with my Amazon Prime.
Mind you I’m not going into detail yet until he goes:
“Ok but before we get down to the bottom of this. Whooooo. Where is your jacket from? This is hard.”
Him and his other co-worker wants me to literally catwalk the check out line and twirl 360 to see the whole fit.
I’m wearing a vintage Sandy Liang Puffer jacket that gets eyes every time I wear it. I’ve gotten compliments every time I step out of the house. Rappers want to buy it off me, but it’s the affirmations that brightens up my day.
I don’t give a show to everyone I meet but if it gets me one step closer to punching Bezos in the nuts. I’m down. Turns out, the person I’m speaking to is the manager. He hears me out, gets his co-worker to go check out all the deal tags of the products in the store and comes back saying this all checks out.
The manager apologizes for what has happened, gives me a new price on the produce but says the Almond Milk is on the house. We dap up, I appreciate him, and bless him with Wear Many Hats stickers.
I go my merry way home and think to myself that I still got it. Confirmed that I’ve always got a sense of style although I feel as if all of my clothes are old but I keep forgetting my vintage pieces are way better than any of the styles people are wearing today.
Just remember to always be respectful and never leave the house in sweatpants ever again.