Lisa, this is for you....
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Dear fellow guests, shoppers, travelers, and customers in general,
I hope you don't mind me mentioning this to you. I mean, you don't even know me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, and I just felt compelled to speak up. You see, your fight was delayed, but it wasn't that poor man's fault working the check-in counter at the gate. He had nothing to do with the flight being delayed. It's not like he went out and unscrewed some nuts and bolts or removed the airplane's left wing as a joke. So why are you yelling at him? He doesn't deserve to have you all up in his grill over something that is completely beyond his control.
Or how about you, degenerate gambler who brought his paycheck to the casino? Did the cashier who just broke your last $50 FORCE you to spend it all in that slot machine? Why do you feel the need to give her a mean and nasty attitude? Why did you spend all your money? Just because YOU had a bad day, that doesn't mean you have to make everyone around you just as miserable.
I was at the social security office the other day, applying for a replacement card for my oldest. And as they called each person in the queue up to be waited on, I continued to hear complaint after complaint. "Why didn't anyone tell us this??" "We didn't know we had to fill out THAT paperwork." And no amount of sweetness or kindness from the customer service rep would appease these unhappy folks. So I made a point, when it was our turn, to try to be as nice and genuinely kind as I possibly could. I figured, I wasn't going in to solve a problem, I just needed a new card. And the woman who waited on us probably needed a smiling face to deal with, for a change. I also made it a point to explain this to 17 so that she, too, can see that it's always better to try to make someone's day better instead of worse. Why add to their stress?
People working in the customer service industry don't deserve to be treated like doormats. They're doing a job. Sometimes it's a thankless job, sometimes they have to deal with real assbags. And they usually have to smile and take all the crap that's being dished out to them. After all, 'the customer's always right.' Well I call bullshit. Let me fill you in on a little secret. When your grandmother said "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," she wasn't talking out the ass of her granny panties. She was telling the truth.
I worked in the customer service industry for many, many years in the casino biz. I worked around people who were at all-time highs, winning jackpots, and all-time lows, losing everything. I paid out winning Keno tickets to people who had to scrape together pennies to afford the $2 cost, and I watched millionaires lose thousands of dollars in slot machines, sometimes hundreds of thousands. It sometimes broke my heart to watch people, who I knew could not afford to be at the casino, continue to spend dollar after dollar, chasing a jackpot that would never come. And some of those people were absolutely beautiful on the inside AND on the outside. Always with a smile, win or lose. And I cringed as I watched people who could afford to light their cigars with $100 bills show nothing but disrespect to cocktail waitresses or dealers. Why?? Why can't people be nicer to folks who are just doing a job?
My point is this: The people who are waiting on you are NOT getting paid extra to take shit from you. A simple smile and a kind word go SO much farther than a bad attitude and a scowl. Are there customer service reps out there that aren't very nice? Sure there are, and they usually don't hold those jobs for very long. But for the ones who DO try to make your experience as quick and painless as possible, take a moment to smile. Take a second to say "thank you, I really appreciate that." You'd be absolutely amazed at how good not only you'll make that person feel, but yourself as well. You'll come away feeling a little better, and that's never a bad thing.
Warmly,
The Snarkmeister
Absolutely yes. When I was a student I worked a summer job at a One Hour Photo store (remember those)? And the amount of abuse we took from customers (most of the time due to issues that were actually their own error) was epic. Kept me out of retail/ service industries for the rest of my life. Why do people feel the need to scream at whoever is standing in front of them?
ReplyDeleteCompletely not the fault of the person servicing the public and treating them poorly is beyond ridiculous. And I remember One Hour Photos. That was back when we took photos of our dinosaurs.
DeleteAmen! Especially around the holidays. There is nothing worse than working in retail around the holidays!
ReplyDeleteTotally true, T. If everyone was polite and pleasant, it would make the job so much easier!
DeletePeople suck when they are bullying customer service workers. Working in food service allowed me the opportunity(?) to see people at their worst. If someone had a bad day god help the food service worker trying to help them get fed. Nothing was going to be right with their order and the minimum wage cashier was going to feel the heat of their despair. Karma is a full circle thing, people.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a learning experience. And a teaching experience. It makes YOU appreciate the job and teaches you to treat them respectfully!
DeleteSo very true. Thank you for reminding us that a smile gives you more mileage than a scowl. I hear stuff like this all the time from my girls who work in food service. People get upset at the prices, time for service, a server who does exactly what the customer wants, or what is legally responsible...and day in and day out they are belittled and stiffed on tips. They are there to make your experience pleasant. They are not there as your personal whipping post. They don't control the kitchen, or others coming in for food before or after you. And they do this with a smile and below minimum wage paycheck. Wish one didn't have to rely on this to put herself thru college.
ReplyDeleteMary, you're 100% spot on!
DeleteAs a former Waiter of Tables, I approve this message.
ReplyDeleteThanks Toby!!
DeleteThis is customer service week. Because I am a work at home, the company I work for, whose CEO makes almost 5 mil a year, sent me 5 pieces of penny candy and a rock chip that had 'you rock' written on it. Knowing they make approximately $41,500 profit off me (PROFIT!!!) makes me question the depth of their appreciation.
ReplyDeleteWow, could they spare it??
DeleteAs a past bartender and service industry worker I can also approve this posting! Totally hits the mark, as some people are obnoxious a-holes with how they treat service industry emplyees.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your approval, Phil! It used to make me sick to watch servers, bartenders, dealers, etc get treated like dirt.
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