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Enthusiastic Meijer greeter puts smile on people’s faces

Posted at 9:41 AM, Dec 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-18 10:41:53-05

IONIA, Mich.-- It's the time of year when the weather and last-minute holiday shopping can be stressful for some people.

But, there's one Meijer greeter that's putting a smile on shoppers' faces.

Walk through the front door of its Ionia location, and the friendly voice you'll hear first is that of 22 year-old Kian Bednarz.

"Truth be known, you don’t have many people of Kian’s age come in and say 'I want to be a greeter," said store director, Scott Flanagan.

Kian started working at Meijer three years ago stocking shelves, but he couldn't hide his love for making people smile.

“I just really like talking to people," Kian said. "I try to joke with them. Humor is probably one of the best cure all’s we have.”

It definitely didn't take long for people to notice his infectious personality. It even drew praise from shoppers and people in the community.

"The highlight of my trip here is to see Kian," said shopper, Nancy Haga. "He is so kind, especially to us old folks."

“I would tell you what, you could have a very, very bad day and you will come in, he will put a smile on your face," added shopper, Kristie Misner.

It even prompted some members of an Ionia County Facebook group to post about the "super nice , enthusiastic greeter/ cart kid," which drew dozens of comments.

Kian doesn't do it for the attention, but he does have a purpose.

“I want [shoppers] to have a better day than what they came in with," Kian said. "I want to see them, some sort of smile or light in their eyes that tells me they're doing better than what they were, even if they were doing somewhat poorly before.”