This will be a short post because I just want to highlight a weird phenomenon that is occurring everywhere.
Shoppers don't like lines. I'm not talking about the "Oh man," sigh of just my luck; I'm talking about the anger and non-patience that a two-year-old exhibits when they don't get what they want.
The example: Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the busiest shopping day of the year, the lines are out the door in the whole mall. People shop and after they get out of their world they look up and realize that the line is long. Here comes the tantrum: they walk to the back of the line where an employee is bringing up the rear. The shopper asks how long will the line be. The employees says we are doing the best we can to make sure the line moves quickly and efficiently. The shopper, I have never seen anything like this and the lacking ability to help customers. The shopper drops the bag and walks out.
Really? You shop on the busiest shopping day of the year and you don't expect lines. The best part about all of this is that I've seen people do this when we have ten people in line and there are three registers open, taking less than two minutes with each customer.
The math: wait is five minutes.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Courtesy is a Good Thing
I would say I'm courteous.
"Hi, how are you today? I really like that scarf!"
A smile, a thank you, a polite response is what I expect from people. However, it usually doesn't happen.
People who work in retail have to help you or they are lazy, that's the rule anyway. The thing is that the rule wasn't really set by the companies, but by the consumers; they demanded attention and once they got it they didn't say thank you. It's almost as bad as not tipping your waiter/waitress.
Lets flash back to kindergarten (even earlier, I hope), when we learned how to say "please" and "thank you." Being polite isn't just civil, from the retail workers point of view, its a rare diamond. Usually when I get a polite client, I try to do everything I can so they get deals and get the best products we offer. When people are rude to me after I welcome them, unless they ask for help or I have to check on them, I avoid them. I don't tell them how they can save money and get more products.
Its not that don't want the business. I just want them out as fast as possible. It creates a horrible atmosphere to work in. The harsh atmosphere also affects the clients experience at the store because more than half the people in the store don't want you there. (News spreads fast when meaness is involved).
A smile or a thank you will surffice, that's all I ask. It's just a little bit of hope for humanity.
(Just so you know, most of the time, I don't even like the scarf.)
"Hi, how are you today? I really like that scarf!"
A smile, a thank you, a polite response is what I expect from people. However, it usually doesn't happen.
People who work in retail have to help you or they are lazy, that's the rule anyway. The thing is that the rule wasn't really set by the companies, but by the consumers; they demanded attention and once they got it they didn't say thank you. It's almost as bad as not tipping your waiter/waitress.
Lets flash back to kindergarten (even earlier, I hope), when we learned how to say "please" and "thank you." Being polite isn't just civil, from the retail workers point of view, its a rare diamond. Usually when I get a polite client, I try to do everything I can so they get deals and get the best products we offer. When people are rude to me after I welcome them, unless they ask for help or I have to check on them, I avoid them. I don't tell them how they can save money and get more products.
Its not that don't want the business. I just want them out as fast as possible. It creates a horrible atmosphere to work in. The harsh atmosphere also affects the clients experience at the store because more than half the people in the store don't want you there. (News spreads fast when meaness is involved).
A smile or a thank you will surffice, that's all I ask. It's just a little bit of hope for humanity.
(Just so you know, most of the time, I don't even like the scarf.)
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