I buy kitchen stuff from an online store on Amazon that, I think, is run by a woman out of her home. Whenever I get the stuff I order I curse the manner in which it is packed because I have to cut through layers of tape and cut up pieces of Tyvek packaging.

Today I had one of those episodes upon retrieving from the mailbox the latest thing I ordered and I happened to read the paper she inserts with every order, among other things it says:

“I realize I have some radical packaging methods and I love to recycle when I can. I work hard to keep shipping costs down. I pack to protect the items inside so that it gets to you undamaged.”

I actually felt kind of bad about getting frustrated with this, it made me feel like I was being petulant but through that I realized an enormous customer service lesson that is best described as authenticity. Through the simple act of acknowledging the packaging quirk and being open as to why it is done this way this merchant instantly deflated the only customer service issue that I would have raised following the buying experience I had.

More importantly, I now see the thing that previously frustrated me as an asset that I admire. We humans certainly are complex creatures.

[Editor’s Note: Jeff cross-posted this to his personal blog. –mrh]