Give 'em the Pickle!
We’ve been fortunate to work with many very nice Park Rangers here in Zion National Park. One of the nicest is a retired US Army military policeman who is “super chill” (as younger people might say), and very funny (we trade Dad jokes, e.g. Q: Why is six afraid of seven? A: Because seven eight nine. Q: Why did seven eat nine? A: Because you’re supposed to eat three squared meals a day! Hahaha).
Early in our stint here, checking passes at the pedestrian entrance to the park, our Ranger friend shared with us the Give ‘em the Pickle story. (Watch the video; it’s pretty funny.) It’s really helped us embrace the customer service aspect of this job.
We have observed that most people are polite, friendly and genuinely humble and contrite when asking what they should do when they have arrived at the entrance without their pass. (It’s either forgotten in the hotel room, left in the parked car, they didn’t know it was needed at the pedestrian entrance, their Dad has it and he came into the park earlier, etc.) We believe most people are honest, and really didn’t understand the unique situation here at Zion, which is different than other national parks. So we explain, remind them to bring their passes with them next time, and generally let them in. We give ‘em the pickle! Why? Because we trust that they are being honest, we respect them, and we want them to have a nice experience in Zion National Park.
However, a small percentage of visitors approach us with “attitude”. They are pushy, entitled, and sometimes nasty. These people often don’t respect the line, barging around others. These people demand to be let in, despite not having a pass. These people do *not* get a pickle. They get politely directed to go stand in the (sometimes, and hopefully, lengthy) line to speak with a park ranger, where they (hopefully have to) buy a (another) $35 pass.
Kindness goes a long way in life. When you have a choice, choose to be kind, polite, and humble. You may even get a pickle!