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WARNING! This thread has opinion in it. If you cant handle that, please move right along. If you can, please, read on.
I’m going to post a group of videos that I am going to invite everyone to watch. Please do so. I will then comment and explain why I am doing this thread and the reasoning behind it.
I know that was a bit of watching, but I'd like to thank you if you DID watch them all.
Now, here is where we get to the why…
Now, here is where we get to the why…
I have worked in the service industries for nearly 35 years now. In the past 20 years, and more specifically in the past 5 years, the absolute shitty attitude that people display with service personnel is beyond description. Hence the above videos.
There is this phrase, “The customer is always right”, that has been misused and abused by customers, aided by some companies, who I will illustrate later.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_customer_is_always_right
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_customer_is_always_right
While the customer is always right was a Godsend for customers at the turn of the 20th century, in the ensuing 120 years, it has been turned into a weapon for abusive and unreasonable customers to use against retailers.
Now, with the advent of video, we get to see these incidents first hand. Usually the person who feels wronged is the one filming, and has NO clue that they are completely out of control and in the wrong. And then the online reviews that so many utilize.
Some spiteful ass can just hop on and leave shitty reviews because he didn’t like the fact that the pretty woman helping him didn’t like his unwanted advances on her. Or some other such petty thing.
It’s easy to dismiss it as entitlement, and yes, that is DEFINITELY part of the problem, but the issue stems much deeper than that I believe.
I am going to stay away from racially charged issues here, as they DO play a bit of a role in some cases, but not all. This is far from a single race problem. FAR from it.
We could point out that gender plays a large role in many of these too, but it could be argued that women tend to shop retail more than men. So, we will leave that out too.
Then what is driving this change? I fully believe that it is a lack of respect. I’ve always believed that it's not how you treat the manager, it’s how you treat the lowliest employee that determines your “goodness”
A manager has something to offer, discounts, special treatment etc. What’s the stocker or the janitor offer you? Not a damn thing.
But that’s why it’s even MORE critical to show them kindness and understanding. They are low man on the totem pole often times, so why shit on them? They have bosses for that.
And believe me, bosses need no help in that way, lol.
Another part of the problem was what I call the Nordstrom effect. Back in the ’60s and ’70s, Nordstrom’s, who started in Seattle, created a no question guarantee on returns.
If you bought a pair of shoes, and you weren’t happy that they wore out in 5 years, no problem! Bring them back and we will get you new ones.
Now that’s a GREAT PR move on Nordstrom’s part, but here is the problem. Nordy’s is a High-end store. They easily make enough in profit margins to cover these customers who are dissatisfied.
The pressure then falls onto the lower margin stores to emulate said practice. Hence the 100% satisfaction guarantee that came about and most all stores have in one way, shape, or form.
Some can cover the issue, others can’t. Mainly because you DO get what you pay for. Especially now, as most of the fat has been trimmed off the margins of everything via internet etc.
Another thing that I do, that I see many NOT doing, is purposely supporting mom and pop local type stores, versus big chain stores. Grocers, Hardware, clothing, automotive, etc.
You name it, there is almost always a local family owned store that is covering it. Amazon is a HUGE mom and pop store killer. Heck, why get up off the couch? Order from your phone!
The Covid lockdown crap has added to this problem as well. Semi forcing people to stay home and order in however they can. We have seen many small, locally-owned stores, closing because of this. By design, I believe.
Anyway, what it boils down to is that your average consumer treats store personnel as something akin to slaves, berating and yelling until they get what they want.
“The Squeeky wheel gets the grease” as the saying goes. But it’s now gotten to the point where a significant percentage of customers are this way. One or two a month was the norm 20 years ago. Now its 2-3 a DAY.
And believe me, customer service is 500 times better now than it ever has been. So the rise in angry customers has nothing to do with a lack of service, in reality, only in perception.
So, what’s the point of this whole drawn-out thing? I’m asking each and every one of you to think about how you treat waitstaff, service staff, nurses, everyone in the service industry.
Put yourself in their shoes. Treat them with some dignity and respect. You’ll find that 99% of the time if you approach a problem with them sincerely and calmly without anger or belittlement, you will find them MORE than willing to bend over backward to accommodate your issues.
Also, do your best to support your locals. They employ friends and neighbors. They are the TRUE economic engine of this country. Not the big chain stores, who often times siphon profits to other countries totally.
Local businesses return to the locals. They sponsor your kid’s baseball team, they donate to local shows and events, they help your local community.
The Great Awakening in many ways is a call for all of us to return back to neighbor and community. We start, first of all, by checking ourselves and doing what we can.
As always, thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed, please check out my pinned tweet as it has all of my past digs in it for easy finding and reading. I DO FB all Patriots.
And as an addendum, my feeling is that I can tell how a person votes based on how they treat waitstaff. Its not 100%, but it sure as hell is better than 90% accurate..
