Sweet as Cheri: Lessons in employment from a jolly elevator girl

Cheridel Alejandrino is your average elevator attendant—her cap leans stylishly to one side atop her well-kept hair, her makeup is even, her uniform neat and pressed. She even has a ready smile for you.

And then she greets you. “Yes ma'am, sir, good morning. What floor po?” And depending on where you need to go, she'll reply: “Okay po, I'm going down na.”

See if you won't be overcome by a giggling fit by the time you get to your floor—if you get to your floor, that is. According to an interview on Kape at Balita, Cheri's elevator at SM Olongapo is often full of people doing roundtrips just to hear very common phrases uttered in her cheery, lilting intonation. “Doon tayo sa elevator girl!” some kids have been heard to say to their parents.



"The elevator girl" has been immortalized in a now-viral video that, as of this posting, has 511,466 views and 3,052 likes on YouTube.

As of this posting, too, her elevator is already out of order. “Kasi nga po, wala po silang ginawa kundi sumakay po, nagra-ride po sila pabalik-balik,” says Cheri of the matter. She smiled when Susan Enriquez joked that the management planned to get customers to pay for riding in her elevator.

Service-oriented

Quicker than a SWAT agent defusing a bomb, Cheri can turn your frown upside down in spite of her claustrophobic elevator—without fail, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. She can even tell you what stores are on the floor you need to be at.

When asked if she really did memorize which stores are on which floors, she said, “Yes po, para pag may customer na pumunta po sa mall po...masasabi ko po sa kanila kung saan sila pupunta.”

She says that the mall's requirement of its employees is to welcome and always smile, but the memorization of establishments, as well as her in-elevator chattiness, is her initiative.

“Ano yun, gusto mo ba talaga silang aliwin?” asked Mariz Umali in the Kape at Balita video.

“Opo, para bumalik at bumalik po sila,” answered Cheri. “Kahit nung nasa CR po ako dahil iyon po yung dapat—mag-welcome nang customer para mawili po sila pumunta sa...kung saan man po ako nagtatrabaho.”

Part of her appeal is her unique voice, which Cheri describes as "malambing" in her interview on Unang Balita.



Cheri first started out manning the ladies' room at the very same mall where she has been an elevator attendant for over a year now. Though originally from Laguna, she ended up working in Olongapo because that was where her husband worked as well.

And what does she say when the elevator is full and more customers need to come in? “Yes, ma'am, sir, don't worry, 'cause I'll be back.”

Good sport

But, true to her famed cheerfulness, Cheri doesn't think she's being made fun of. When the YouTube poster returned to her elevator, introduced himself formally, and apologized for uploading the video, “Ay, ganun po ba? Thank you po!” was what she said with her trademark head-bow.

“Hindi po kayo dapat mag-sorry sa akin, ako po dapat yung lubos na magpasalamat sa inyo kasi po, kahit papaano po, nakarating po sa [buong mundo]...” she added.

“Naging...magandang halimbawa ako...sa lahat ng empleyado.”

She shared that sometimes, some customers would ask her, “Ganyan ka ba talaga [magsalita]?” and she would reply, “Yes, ma'am, sir, because I need.”

Inspirations

Unsurprisingly, Cheri also loves to sing in her elevator. “Yes po, pag may time.” Regine Velasquez is her favorite singer.

“[Pati] yung pamilya ko po—yung nanay ko, tatay ko, yung asawa at anak ko po,” she said in answer to who else inspired her in her work. And, adding with a smart little salute, “Pati yung mga bossing ko po.”

She said that her two-year-old baby laughed upon seeing her YouTube video.

“Sa elevator, iisipin niyo po talaga, nakakainip,” Cheri explained. “Pero...kailangan ko umisip nang—pagpapasok po sila [the customers] sa elevator, tahimik lang din—yes, ma'am, sir, good morning—yun po, tatawa na po sila.”

She shared a story in which a customer in a foul mood entered her elevator. She quickly turned the situation around with her 'yes, ma'am, sir, welcome po.' “At ayun na, tatawa na sila. Paglabas po, umiiyak na sila [sa] kakatawa.”

“At thank you po sa kanila, nandito me ngayon,” she added.

Advice

As of yet, other elevator attendants at SM Olonggapo are just beginning to imitate Cheri, but they cannot yet name all the establishments on any one floor. Speculation is that they will be required to memorize them just as she did.

When asked what her advice would be to other elevator attendants whose elevators go all the way to 30th floors, Cheri said, “...Pag kinulang po ng oras, pwede nilang sabihin, 'yes ma'am, sir, sorry po, yung iba hindi na masabi po, wala nang time.'”

And her advice to all employees, elevator attendants or not?

“Sa lahat pong katulad ko na nagtatrabaho, huwag niyo pong ikahiya man po yung trabaho niyo ngayon at dapat po pagbutihin niyo po para katulad ko po na mapansin din kayo,” she said with a courteous bow of her head.

Cheri has been transferred to SM Mall of Asia, for the time being, to see how she fares with customers there. — Vida Cruz/BM, GMA News