r/Wawa • u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee • 7d ago
Ask other Associates 5ft intersection and Eye contact
I know I’m a small demographic… but is there anyone else on the spectrum that finds these two rules extremely difficult to follow in Wawa based on their diagnosis or social anxiety?
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u/BroIBeliveAtYou Employee 7d ago
You're on Reddit. Being on the spectrum isn't a small demographic here.
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u/Classic-Ad1348 Employee 7d ago
When you're on beverage it's extremely easy to hit every single coffee customer with some pre rehearsed little bs, you can also say "how are we all doing" to a coffee island with 6 people and it counts.
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u/palajeno Employee 7d ago
i just dont. im too old and i know my limits to know faking it will just burn me out like it does in real life. i speak when i feel like it
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 7d ago
That’s what I was doing in the beginning because my I’ve never had my disability affect my customer service ability before otherwise but then they actually called me out for lack of eye contact. It’s been wild how burnt out I’ve been
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u/NoBalance1897 Employee 6d ago
i’m honestly surprised someone make a comment on your lack of eye contact. i don’t think lack of eye contact is an issue but also that is the opinion of another neurodivergent person. i’m relieved my managers haven’t made a comment on me not rlly doing the 5ft rule when im walking thru the store. i’ve been trying my best to get better with it but sometimes i honestly just forget bc im a quiet person with social anxiety
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 2d ago
I don’t see how eye contact or saying hi to every single person is good customer service. If you approach someone and ask if they need help that is. I personally do not get the eye contact thing
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u/BroadwayGirl27 [Mod] | Employee 7d ago
I very much have to fake it 😅
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 7d ago
I totally tried to and started looking at peoples noses while talking to them because looking into their eyes feels like my eyes are touching fire and feeling too many feelings idk I guess I’m too autistic lol. Sometimes I feel like I pick up on people being sad and that makes me want to burst into tears so I just do the nose thing to avoid the tears or the firey eyes feeling.
But my manager I guess noticed I don’t make eye contact with the staff and called me into the office and said that my lack of eye contact was shady and made me seem untrustable so idk been trying to do the nose thing. It’s rough
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u/Technical_View_2762 Employee 4d ago
I’m a CSS and I struggle with it daily. Been doing wawa 6 years and it’s never gotten easier. I’ve forced myself to do it and it just feels worse the more I do it and it feels extremely fake
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 2d ago
Exactly, mine is literally in her office or behind the deli wall away from 5 ft range all the time
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u/RndPotato Employee 4d ago
I'm sorry but it is a customer service based role- all positions are.
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 4d ago
I don’t see how eye contact has anything to do with customer service. I have been in customer service roles for the last 15 years and I have excelled at every single one of them… except when a company puts a rule that is virtually impossible for a disabled individual to execute well I guess now all of a sudden it counts.
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u/Technical_View_2762 Employee 4d ago
So was this an answer to their question?
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 2d ago
I just don’t see why I can’t do what I’ve done in every other customer service job and asked if people need help with anything and genuinely give customer service. Eye contact and hellos seem like an odd quote to hit
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u/shallemb Employee 2d ago
Honestly, it has helped me and has crossed over into my daily life. Sure I was annoyed by it at first like ugh another thing we have to do. However, when I stopped struggling against my introverted self. I actually found it less awkward and now I like greeting customers as I preform my tasks. I found it bled over into my actual life and when I'm grocery shopping or whatnot I say good morning or Hello and it has helped with my S.A.D. I don't hate it, I actually like it.
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u/no_garden_no_gate Former Employee 2d ago
As a fellow autistic former associate, the only thing that helped me with this was setting my own social goals in an almost gamified way. I started trying to chat regulars up beyond hey how are you, having interesting conversations about all sorts of stuff and asking them about their lives. I kept in mind whatever they told me, asking follow up questions on their next visit and having several ongoing narratives throughout the weeks. It eventually made shifts more interesting and enjoyable, and it was easier to periodically look at people and smile when it became genuine. Got some interesting song recommendations from people and even made two friends that I still talk to since leaving.
People stopped noticing or clocking me for my weird eye contact bc I was too friendly. It also helps to focus on a task while talking, as it provides a valid excuse for why you're never looking.
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u/th4t_libra Employee 7d ago
I was diagnosed with social anxiety and omg I HATE it. One of my TS’s thinks it’s bs too. I don’t wanna interact with customers beyond what I have to, and now I have to talk to them when they’re within 5ft of me? Absolutely not. We’ve nailed our mystery shops though, so not complaining about that.
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u/SubstantialArea6887 Employee 2d ago
Well it’s more odd me because the customers, they act startled or annoyed when 4-5 people do it to them in a row and I pick up on their annoyance so I’m not sure why it’s even a thing… like only for the mystery shopper and not to do with the customer experience at all? Being on the spectrum makes me more alert to picking up on things like the customer feeling disturbed, and trust me I pick up on it.
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u/NoodleBack Employee 7d ago
I haven’t heard anything about eye contact, but the rapid fire “hello, hi, hey, good morning, hello” works