So after 20 years working in customer service and retail jobs, I have seen the attitude of the customers in general change and not for the better. I understand the state of affairs is much changed also but the basic job of a customer service representative is to provide a pleasant shopping experience for the consumer. This is to provide the company that you work for a front so that the company looks like a caring, accepting and accommodating institute for the consumer.
Well, many times I see customer complaints about attitude, rudeness, inability to satisfy the consumer needs. To make it clear, yes there are very valid complaints and the consumer has a right to be upset. But from someone who works in retail, there are more unprovoked complaints that require time and money from the company to satisfy this customer who feels entitled. I have come to realize that many consumers have too much of a sense of entitlement.
When you are shopping and you feel there is a certain level of customer service you expect, then give it in return. When the cashier says hello, say hello back. We are flesh and blood with feelings. If we greet you, take that split second to return the greeting. I can't tell you how many times I have said hello to someone who is within two feet of me, getting ready to checkout at my register and they literally look at me and ignore me. Seriously? Or they ignore you and ask you a question. For example, I work at a nationwide pharmacy store that has a popular keycard program with rewards. With this program, if you do not have your card physically with you we have the ability to look your account up with your telephone number that is registered to the card. Instead of responding to my "Hello, how are you today?" I get "715-555-5555", their telephone number. No return hello whatsoever. Not even a chance to get to the right computer screen to input their telephone number or a warning that they do not have their card and would like to use their number. In this case I have to make them repeat their number because they didn't give me a chance to get to that screen. They then get huffy and start doing what we like to call around our house, "beatboxxing". This is where they start making noises that are a beat for an 80's rap song.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not looking for your life story, but just say hello. If you are having a bad day, think of it as a way to connect with someone who doesn't know that crap you are going through and would just like to give you a smile and hello. No judgements or prejudices, just a warm friendly smile. And another thing to consider, as a cashier, we have to interact with hundreds of people a day, while you only have to interact with a couple cashiers a day if even that. So imagine if everyone treated us like a robot behind the cash register, and you see us at the end of our shift and we are straining to get that smile out or not even smile at all, you wonder how the previous customers treated us.
