Here's a good idea I found in Europe:

Supermarket cashiers in Europe (Spain, France, Germany)

may sit on tall chairs at eye-level with customers.

According to osteopaths and chiropractors I asked,

not having to stand for long shifts prevents back and

joint troubles and varicose veins.

However, when I suggested this health and money-saving

idea to several supermarket managers in the U.S., they

rejected it because "We always have our cashiers stand

when serving customers."  Well, then, that settles it!

(But "more formal" European customers don't complain

about this.  Apparently they understand that sitting serves

the the health of the check-out clerk.  As well, European

customers usually bag their own groceries.)

Do you have a good idea you can share with our readers?

Please submit it toloren@conversationmatters.com.

(The best ideas for readers are those that work great but

are not well known.)  If you wish, I will give you full credit; if

not, I'll just say something general such as

"A reader from Ohio"

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

Beautifully done!An in depth overview with graphics.

Q. Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read orwrite, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the Xrepresented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in thedocument. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Loren Ekroth �2010, all rights reserved

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication anda national expert on conversation for business and social life.

Contact atLoren@conversationmatters.com