Sometimes I'm a Robot at Work

I work in a busy retail store, and sometimes I feel like a machine, just moving items around without really thinking. Today, an elderly customer came in looking for something specific but was having trouble finding it. Instead of helping him out with the warmth and patience I should have, I went into autopilot mode, quickly pointed him to the aisle, and said my rehearsed lines about availability before rushing off to another task. Later, when he thanked me and left, all I could think was how robotic I'd been, missing a chance to connect with someone who needed more than just a quick fix.