From 7:30 – 9:30am there is a steady stream of suits and skirts racing in and out of the 72nd Street subway stop in Verdi Square. Passersby are clutching their coffees for dear life, weaving in and out of the traffic with heads down and eyes fixated on the cobblestone pathway. Many are irritated and, like all New Yorkers, pressed for time. Planted at the entrance to the station is a young newsie suited up in a red am New York apron, attempting to hand out free newspapers to everyone who comes by. He acknowledges people individually, acts incredibly engaged and appears to be in a good mood every day. Most people ignore his attempts to give them a daily dose of free NY news, and even those who take the paper barely greet him. Despite their morning crabbiness, his cheer is unruffled. By the time I get to the train, he has worked for over two hours. He offers me a paper every morning, and though I decline, I look into his face to say thanks. His response is always, “Have a great day!”
No matter how thankless and discouraging his job appears to me to be, this am New York employee always has a smile on his face and never fails to wish me a good day. His enthusiasm is contagious. I think more highly of am New York because they’ve got such a sweet man distributing papers for them. It’s a demanding job with a lot of rejection, but he does it with grace. I’m left with a positive impression of the paper and his person, for that matter.
-Hannah
RED PR is an award-winning boutique communications agency in New York specializing in beauty, fashion and lifestyle.
