Jane and the Heartwarming Zappos Surprise

A True Tale of Kindness and Care in Customer Service

In the early 2000s, there was a super awesome online shoe store called Zappos. Jane, the friendliest team member, worked there. One day, a customer called to return shoes that she had just purchased. Her mom had passed away and she didn’t need them anymore. She felt so out of place returning the shoes.

Jane listened carefully and did her job with a big heart. But she wanted to do something special! She sent the customer a surprise package – a bouquet of flowers and a sweet note. The customer’s heart skipped a beat! She felt like she was walking on air! Everyone applauded Jane’s kindness.

Vocabulary & Idiom Expressions

  • Super awesome: This means extremely great or fantastic. It’s used to describe something that is really, really good.
  • Return: When a customer “returns” something, it means they bring back or give back a product they bought because they don’t need it anymore or want to exchange it for something else.
  • Out of place: This is an idiom used to express feeling uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation.
  • Passed away: This is a gentle way of saying someone has died or is no longer alive. It’s used to talk about someone’s mom who is no longer with them.
  • Big heart: If someone does something with a “big heart,” it means they do it with a lot of kindness, compassion, and care.
  • Surprise package: A “surprise package” is a package or gift that is unexpected, given as a pleasant surprise to someone.
  • Bouquet of flowers:
  • A “bouquet” is a bunch of flowers arranged together, often given as a gift for special occasions or to express emotions like love or sympathy.
  • Sweet note: A “sweet note” refers to a kind, thoughtful, or nice message written on a piece of paper.
  • Heart skipped a beat: This is an idiom used to describe a sudden feeling of excitement, nervousness, or surprise that makes your heart feel like it’s beating faster.
  • Walking on air: This is an idiom used to express extreme happiness or joy. When someone says they feel like they are “walking on air,” it means they are very, very happy.
  • Applauded: it means they are showing their appreciation or admiration by clapping their hands together as a way of saying “well done” or “good job.”

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About The Story

  1. What was the name of the online shoe store in the story?
  2. Who is Jane, and where does she work?
  3. Why did the customer call the store?
  4. Why did the customer want to return the shoes?
  5. How did Jane feel when she heard about the customer’s situation?
  6. What did Jane decide to do to make the customer feel better?
  7. What was included in the surprise package that Jane sent to the customer?
  8. How did the customer feel when she received the surprise package?
  9. How did everyone react to Jane’s kind gesture?
  10. What do you think about Jane’s actions? How would you describe her character?

About You

  1. Have you ever heard of the super awesome online shoe store called Zappos?
  2. Can you imagine being the friendliest team member like Jane at Zappos?
  3. How would you feel if you had to call to return shoes that you just bought?
  4. Can you understand why the customer felt out of place returning the shoes?
  5. What do you think Jane did when the customer called and shared her situation?
  6. If you were in Jane’s shoes, how would you have handled the situation with the customer?
  7. Imagine receiving a surprise package – what would you hope to find inside?
  8. How do you think the customer felt when she received the bouquet of flowers and the sweet note?
  9. Can you think of a time when someone’s kindness made your heart skip a beat like the customer’s?
  10. What would you do to show your appreciation if someone did something as kind as Jane did?
  11. If you were part of the audience, how loudly would you applaud for Jane’s kindness?
  12. Do you think acts of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s day? Why or why not?