I was walking the dog through my neighborhood recently and I started to notice something. People really go out of their way to avoid each other these days.
Folks were crossing to the other side of the street when they saw me coming and it wasn’t because my dog Webster is an ominous looking animal. Quite the opposite! (check out the picture below). Little kids run up to him all the time because he’s got that perma-puppy look.
Even when people did walk right by me, they’d avoid eye contact at all costs. And when I’d say hello – I was lucky to get a response other than a head nod.
Maybe it’s because I smell weird. Maybe it’s the neighborhood I live in now. But I don’t remember things being that way when I was a kid.
So what’s changed?
Is it that we just don’t trust each other anymore? Has the hype in the media caused us to be afraid of every stranger on the street? Do we really think that just about everyone is out to either hurt us, rip us off, or take advantage of us in some way?
Is it because we’ve become so wrapped up in our digital lives that we’ve forgotten how to be friendly in real life?
Have you ever bumped into someone who was a Facebook friend and tried to avoid them because you didn’t want to have a conversation? I hate to admit it, but I have!
Are we just in too much of a hurry to slow down and take the time to shoot the breeze with our neighbors for just a few minutes? Maybe we’ve got too much to worry about, and too much work to finish.
I think it’s a combination of all those things. Society has changed a lot in the past couple of decades and the way we coexist has changed the most.
Look at the check out lane for example. Many stores now have self-check-out where you rarely have a conversation with anyone except the automated voice that tells you what to do next. Even if you do run into a cashier, using plastic credit and debit cards makes things so fast we hardly talk.
That’s why personal checks can be a great way to start a conversation. Sure you have to slow down for about 60 seconds to write the check. But what’s so wrong with that?
When I was a cashier at a Piggly Wiggly in high school, we were trained to look at personal checks and learn the name of the customer we were serving. It made checking out a more personal experience when the cashier said “Thank you Debbie, have a nice day,” or “See you next week Mr. Jackson, enjoy your Limburger cheese!”
Now we swipe our own credit cards and about the only conversation we have is answering the question “paper or plastic?”
When you order personal checks online from Check Advantage you can choose from our wide variety of personal check designs. You’ll find everything from Wildlife Checks to Fun and Games Checks.
That’s another great conversation starter! If someone notices your cool personal checks. They just might ask you about them.
Since most of us choose personal checks based on our passions, hobbies and other things we relate to – your checks can become a great way to let other get to know you (and vice versa).
I’m not saying that you’re going to meet the love or your life because of your choice in personal checks. But you never know! (Just like the music video I posted below by Wisconsin’s own Pezzettino says)
And if you do get asked where you bought those sweet personal checks – don’t forget to tell them about Check Advantage 
!
Image: djcodrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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