Service with at least a greeting
It Matters to me
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
As I rolled my shopping cart toward the check-out counter, I noticed that the teenage girl at the cash register was chatting happily with a teenage girl at a nearby register. But all the talking stopped as soon as I started unloading my items.
And I mean all the talking.
The girl checking me out did not greet me, she did not make eye contact with me, she did not smile at me once. All she did was scan the items I placed on the conveyor belt. When she finished tallying my bill, she just turned and looked at me like I should be able to read the amount on her cash register and then make out my check accordingly.
I tried to engage the girl in conversation. I said, “Hello. How are you?” when I first approached her. I asked, “How much do I owe you?” But I got nothing. Not a single word in response.
This is, I know, an extreme example of horrible customer service. But it actually happened. And it happens in some form almost every time I frequent a service-oriented business.
On one end of the spectrum, you have the waitress who comes to your table so often that you can’t even complete a sentence. One the other end of the spectrum, you have the teenage girl who won’t acknowledge your presence at the check-out counter of a big-box store. Then there are all the in-betweens: the store clerk who is more concerned about when she’ll get to take a break than she is about helping you find something, the waiter who is so busy complaining about his tips (within your earshot) that he doesn’t refill your water glass, the fast-food worker so focused on hitting on you that he totally screws up your order — even though you are the only one at the restaurant.
And, unfortunately, the list goes on.
I waited tables when I was in college, and I don’t remember being able to get away with such behavior. My co-workers and I were not allowed to talk about tips or breaks or schedules or any other personnel matters while we were out on the floor. Even if I was slammed, I found a way to refill my customers’ drinking glasses. And I never walked up to a table, just looked at them, and expected them to start communicating with me. I greeted them, I spoke to them throughout the process (not so much that they couldn’t talk among themselves, of course), and I definitely said something when I delivered their bill. And, even if someone left me a lousy tip, I tried to say “good-bye” to them as they left. It made me feel good; it made me feel competent.
I hate to sound like a geezer. But I fear that the good ole’ days of receiving customer service with a smile — and perhaps even a greeting — are pretty much gone. Not to say that I haven’t gotten good customer service many times. There are a number of clothing stores, restaurants and other establishments I will go out of my way to frequent because of the good customer service.
What I’m really saying here is that I shouldn’t have to go out of my way. Especially if the economic outlook reports for central Arkansas are right. According to some sources, demand for service industry workers is only going to increase in the next year. Maybe this means we’re going to get more stores and restaurants. I don’t know whether to celebrate or to hide under my bed.
It would be easy for me to tell service industry employers to hire competent workers, but I suspect they already are trying to do that. I’d make a call for better training, but some people ditch their training the minute they start the job. I’m not asking to be chatted up every time I walk into a service-oriented business. But, please, can’t we customers at least get a smile and a greeting?
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