Red Line

Originally uploaded by Breath of Life

Back when I worked at Wal-Mart we had a practice we called “red-lining”. If we asked a cashier to “red line” we were asking them to go stand at the front of their aisle and attract customers to their register. In some stores there was an actual red line painted on the floor. The cashiers who did this when they were slow were always the most productive. The cashiers who hid next to their registers and rarely left their station to red line were the least productive.

The reason, of course, is simple. The cashiers who were aggressive and actively engaged in drawing customers to their line by standing out front were going to bring in more customers every time. Those who were timid or just too lazy to red line were going to be overlooked by the customer looking for a line to check out in.

In life, no matter what aspect, if you want to achieve much of anything you have to put forth some effort. You need to be aggressive and actively engaged. If you're going to be productive you need to work to produce results.

It's a simple and easy thing to understand, but too many choose to hide.

The thing is, in the busiest part of the day very few cashiers had to red line. The customers were lining up before the cashier could get a free moment. Economically we've had a good streak for some time now. Very few have been out of work. If you were jobless for very long, we'd most likely think something was wrong with you. It was busy and it was easier.

Today things are different. Things aren't nearly as easy or certain. You're going to need to be aggressive and actively engaged. You cannot afford to be timid, lazy, or unmotivated. If you want a job, if you want to keep your job, or start a new business you're going to have to get out there and red line.