Niceties

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

What in the hell has happened to customer service/the general niceness of people? I honestly dread going to just about any retail location because I know I am going to:

1) get horrible service;
2) encounter rude people; and
3) become even more disgusted with people in general.

What has happened to people? When did we dispense with the niceties? Because I think we should go back.

I have worked in customer service. Hell, just about every job I have had has had some customer service function in it. Except when I worked in social services. But, even then I started out trying to be nice to the clients until I realized that just painted me a sucker in their eyes. But, I digress.

What happened to the days when you went into a grocery store or what have you and the clerk greeted you--or hell just acknowledged your presence? What about the days when these same clerks said thank you or hell even verbalized anything?? There have been times I have gone through a check out without the cashier making any sound, not even to acknowledge my greeting. On days when I am already pissy I usually say "you're welcome" in a very irritated voice when the transaction is complete and just walk away.

Or how about when they stand there and talk to their co-workers refusing to even acknowledge your presence?

And the people I encounter! They would rather run over you than be nice to you. I was in the store Friday and a woman in an electric scooter was trying to get toilet paper off the shelf. She was struggling and people were just walking by, not even noticing. I walked up, helped her out and was on my way in a matter of seconds. Why did everyone else that passed her before I got there ignore her?

I was in the Post Office Saturday morning and this woman was holding a toddler and a package; the kid dropped his toy and I reached down to pick it up for him. The woman looked shocked. Tell me there's not something wrong when people appear more shocked when a stranger gives you a hand than when someone does something rude to them.

When did people become so callous towards one another? When did customer service die?