Posted on 06/02/2004 5:40:46 AM PDT by Maria S
So I'm waiting at the airport gate for a plane to the West Coast, when I learn it's just been delayed a minimum of two hours. I go up to the airline agent to find out if there are alternative flights to the same city.
"How should I know?" she blasts.
"I don't know," I answer, "maybe because you WORK HERE?!"
I guess I was stunned by her rudeness. But I shouldn't have been. I see it more and more.
Those sympathetic to this airline worker might say it's the hours, the pressure or the industry itself. I don't buy it. After all, it's not as if I can just pop on my show and be rude if I've had a hard day.
My dad was a big believer in treating people well, oftentimes even when he himself wasn't well. His theory was, "It's not the other guy's fault you're having a bad day."
But something has happened in this country today where the behavior that stands out is the smile, the laugh, the extra service. It's sad that we have become so accustomed to bad service that we're shocked when we get good service. My parents' generation taught me the customer is always right. These days, it seems the customer is wrong, too.
I guess there's something to that . . . that we all become so frazzled, so angry and so short-tempered that we act frazzled and angry and short-tempered. What's remarkable to me is how this permeates whole generations. The other day at a drive-through, I reminded the teenage girl serving me that she forgot my drinks. She looked at me, hissed, rolled her eyes, and then took her sweet time getting me the sodas.
Now keep in mind I never yelled at the girl, never snapped at the girl, never did anything to make her the pill she was. I never told the girl, "Hey, you idiot . . . you forgot something here!" I simply reminded her of an oversight. All I got was 'tude.
It's the tollkeeper at the bridge, the woman who serves you coffee at the shop, the computer help desk guy on the phone. It's all of these places, all of these venues and all of these professions.
Some might argue it's the pay in some of these professions that keeps the employees rude. I don't buy it. What could explain the bank branch manager who couldn't be more indifferent or the CEO who couldn't be more dismissive? Believe me, I've seen rich jerks and I've seen poor jerks. Trust me when I say that jerkery knows no financial pedigree.
What's happened in our society is that we have stopped caring about our society. We forget the little things, so it's no wonder some of us screw up the big things. Me? I try to work hard on the little things. I know it's not much, but on the 27th of each month, every month, every year, I do something special for my wife - a small gift, a dinner out, I don't know. It heralds the first day of our first date. And we've been doing it now for more than 20 years. Trust me, I don't break the bank for the occasion, but I do mark the occasion. Because that little date is a big thing to me.
And trust me again when I say I can be just as short-tempered as the next guy . . . I am of Italian descent, after all! But I try not to start out that way, and my days at work are much more constructive and pleasant when I am not that way. That's the idea - to look at the good ideas, the good possibilities and the good results.
My mom was prone to using a lot of overrun phrases. One of her favorites was the old "honey" over "vinegar" line, that we can get more being nice than being nasty. She was right then. She's right now.
Part of the problem with service in this country is we don't honor it like we once did. There's nothing wrong or evil about having a bad day. There's everything wrong with making others have to have it . . . with you.
Butthead heated some cheese on the stove, poured it on his head, then poured some chips on the cheese and went as nachos.
Beavis....well, he put a pair of underwear on his head. He went as something that rhymes with "bad."
When I see that long Walmart return line snaking through the store, I wonder how I could stay a friendly helpful clerk. 'Oh sir? You want to return this $4 Chinese made toaster that lasted you 3 times? You're upset? What did you expect it would last?' or 'You paid $9 for a blender for the 5th time and you're angry that you have to return it again? And you're upset that you stood in line for 45 minutes behind all those many others?'
I would have to contextualize my earlier comments and say, Japan is the best I've been to in this category, and the USA is by far not the worst, but it is worse than Japan. Having said that, I, myself, have no particularly affinity for Parisians (although I like other parts of France), and maybe that's just a surface impression of only a few days, but I have never encountered such cold, indifferent, unhelpful and rude service people...even with fairly good French spoken on my part. Not a smile among any of 'em.
What really weeds out the underperformers is a good sharp management style. They hire the best -- even if it costs a little more. The spend a little time in interviewing, screening out the poor quality. They treat their employees like they respect them, they reward the performers --- even it it might cost a few cents. They set aside some time for customer service training -- and even provide some break time so fatigue isn't a factor.
Of course that means upper management has to be selective with middle management --- it just doesn't happen by itself. You aren't going to get the clerks setting the tone for an excellent business.
However, it's astounding how many respond to my phone greeting with yelling, frequent use of the "f" word etc. before I've done anything more than simply answer their call.
I've gotten somewhat used to it, but it still amazes me the way some people will behave with complete strangers...considering THEY are the ones seeking assistance or service.
I used to wonder why so many employees in government positions seemed to be so rude and unhelpful.
While I don't defend their attitudes, I've certainly come to understand them.
Exactly... The person who walks around and only finds rude service people is probably a pretty hard person to be around.
Yes, even in the airline counters and yes, even in the security lines. I have never run across anyone working there who was anything less than courteous and professional. But I have sure seen a lot of jerks in line with me!
I was truly out of place there (this store in particular is located in one of the wealthiest parts of the New York metropolitan area), but I do understand the appeal of a place like that. I didn't deal with a "sales person" -- I dealt with a "sales associate" whose business card indicated that he was a "certified shoe specialist." And several days later I received a very nice thank-you note in the mail from the sales associate who helped me. That's the kind of service you don't soon forget.
Re Neils insightful observation, to an underlying problem re the lack of good service we all encounter:
"Part of the problem with service in this country is we don't honor it like we once did"
. . .I think this is particularly insightful and so true. The 'me generation' degraded the idea of service; having never really understood it; and their offspring are now clueless and see 'service' as a 'demeaning job'; and so along with indifferent service people; we also hear 'but hey'. . .it's money'. . .as thse young people defensively describe their employment.
Also goes to rude tv; people are getting used to hearing/seeing it all.
Am sure many here can come up with more good reasons. . .and bad experiences as well.
Just like in the example in this article --- very likely she didn't know --- was there any job training or was she just thrown into the job completely untrained, unknowledgeable about the company and it's policies. Was there any time spent on orientation so she might be familiar ahead of time and prepared to answer the customers' questions? A few minutes of a good interviewer's time can usually tell you if an prospective employee has the right attitude and is worth making an investment in.
"Is there a link where I can read some of his past articles?"
You might try www.newsmax.com. That's where this column is from, and they might have others archived there, also.
Good points all.
Within a reasonable proxmity to my home, we have a WalMart and a Best Buy. The difference in the attitudes of the employees is stunning.
WalMart seems to get almost all of their employees from some nearby section 8 apartments. They are usually distracted, indifferent and act as if they really have something better to do than deal with customers.
The Best Buy is staffed by people with a bright, professional attitude. They are consistently helpful and always have a smile.
The difference is that the WallyWorld views their employees as easily replaceable cogs in the machine; Best Buy goes out of their way to train their employees to be the best they can be.
I have a friend who is a manager at the Best Buy. Almost every time I talk to him, he tells another story about the training process and the leadership and initiative training the employees receive.
She should have been fired on the spot.
So many things come to mind
"Her mama didn't raise her right!" is one of them.
It doesn't matter the level of the person, good manners and kindness should be as natural as breathing.
Maybe it is because we live in a culture of victimization. "No tragedy is as great as my own, so I have a right to be rude."
'cept, what I have learned, the greater the sorrow, the kinder the spirit (usually).
Reminds me of the joke about the two Canadians visiting NYC.
They need directions, but are reluctant to ask because of the famed reputation for NY rudeness. Finally, one of them summons up his courage, goes over to a passerby and asks: "Could you tell me how to get to the Empire State Building, or should I just go f'kerry myself?"
Arlington County Virginia, in spite of being an ultra-liberal county (I'll be leaving this month) has some of the most courteous and professional county employees I've ever dealt with. This is true of the revenue department (vehicle taxes), recycling, and most notably of the courts--being a witness or applying for a carry permit.
Thank you.
Yup. Good manners is a duty we owe to others. They're yet another victim of Hollywood's cultural libertarianism.
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