Large Scale Central

People (Incoherent rambling, don't read)

General Discussion
#1

This probably dovetails with my previous post about neighbors, but I’m posting it as a fresh topic anyway…

A lady customer paid me a compliment at work today. I was flattered at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made me kind of sad.

Her exact words were, “You’re so much nicer than that other guy.”…

First off, Fred (the other guy) is NOT a bad person. He just seems not to “get” it. He KNOWS that the customers don’t like him, but doesn’t seem willing/able to change. In fact he is kind of fatalistic about the whole thing, assuming (probably rightly since he hasn’t improved any in the last 4 months) that he is going to get fired anyway. I can’t decide whether nobody ever TAUGHT him how to treat the customers, or if he’s just too dumb or lazy to learn (He used to be a chemist, so that shouldn’t be it.)

Sadly, it isn’t just poor old Fred… Almost everywhere I go lately the service is sloppy, slow, and occasionally surly. Almost like the server/counterperson is too good to wait on you, or you are an unwanted interruption.

If I wrote a restaurant column about 70% of the ones around here would have gotten bad reviews. I’ve heard that Wal-Mart treats their employees like crap, and that pretty much reflects in their attitudes, but what about all the other stores?

Used to be that lousy service was more the exception than the rule. Maybe because employers wouldn’t stand for it. Small business owners seem to be more sensitive to how their customers are treated than big box stores. But people voted with their wallets and now we reaping the results of seeds sown a decade or more ago.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: We also have quite a few customers who are rude, demanding, obnoxious, etc. etc. People who basically act like you aren’t a “real” person. They want service NOW even though there are 3 other people in front of them. They’ll buy $3 worth of gas with a $100 bill ten minutes after you open, or honestly expect you to run inside for 3c change when you have other people waiting.

I guess my basic question is “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE ANYMORE???”

#2

Mik its the “ME” genaration. I was raised to respect others. I do my best. Can’t say I’m perfect but I try to respect others. Most of the people I grew up with have the attatued that there stuff don’t stink, there perfect and if its not about “ME” then its not improtant. Last week at the dog park a guys dog peed on me. He saw this and his only words were “wwell he hasn’t done that in a wail.” No, sorry NO disaplen to his dog or anything like that. If my og had done that to someone I could not have said I’m sorry enought and I would have offered to pay the cleaning bill or something. I also would have disaplend my dog. Tonight when that guy and dog showed up again, I looked right at the guy and told him, “If your dog pees on me tonight it will be the last time. So you might wont to keep a eye on him.” After a dirty look he did keep a close eye on him and stopped him from peeing on some other poor person.

So in short welcome to the ITS ALL ABOUT ME genaration. But have hart there is still a glemmer of hope. that lady was nice and the people at Starbucks (well the one I go to) are really nice and provide great service.

#3

Sadly it isn’t a just generational thing. Yes, young people are often thoughtless, but Fred is 10 years older than me, and some of the most annoying, ill-mannered customers are in their 60s and 70s.

#4

The ME generation began in the 70’s, as a reaction to the hippy movement of the 60’s. I remember reading stories about how selfish people were becoming, sadly I dont think it ever went away, its just been reinforced with each generation.

#5

To me, the “Me” generation has or is now being replaced by a new generation of people growing up. I have dubbed them the “Now” generation. In short this new generation is a "I want it now! Not tomorrow , not yesterday, but RIGHT NOW. I see it all the time in teenagers who have to have the latest and greatest thing going.What’s even sadder is that when they get what they want then ten minutes later it is so much junk and lets move onto whatever obsoleted it. Just my 2 cents for what it is worth.

#6

Welllll, it was a rhetorical question, wasn’t it?

Many of the “people related” things can be summed up by : Born none too smart, didn’t learn anything and forgot that, too. I know it’s a very cynical view, but the only remedies I’ve come across are: Join the crowd … or … opt out and rearrange your own life differently. I always prefer the latter.

#7

Sadly, You are all contirbuting to the phoenomna by bitching about other folks instead of proactiviely doing somehting you can control about it. Mik gets it. Try to be the best you can be (without getting stepped on) and don;t worry about Fred.

The guy whos dog peed on you? There are better ways of handling that on both sides of the coin but then again hindsight is always 20/20.

The lousy service? It’s a money issue. Most folks are at work right now to pay for gas and put food on the table while trying to decide which other bills NOT to pay to get by and hope things get better soon.

Myself? I’m in the same boat. Job stinks, bills are getting higher, etc.

I still treat folks as well as I expect them to treat me.

Chas

#8

Chas I can see what your saying but have4 to dissagree some what.

I agree and live buy the rule do on to others as you would have them do on to you.

I said nothing, I did nothing the first time the dog peed on me. The next time his dog peed on someone and seeing that he did nothing again, I knew something had to be done. I just brang it to his attension that he needs to keep a eye on his dog. I keep a eye on my dog, others keep eyes on theres he needs to do the same.

As for lousy service, If you agreed to do the job, then you should have agreed to do it well. In the service business that means being nice. the flip side of that is as a customer I am always as nice as I can be to the person on the other side. I’v been there, I know what its like and I have found that it get much better service that way.

As for my job. I love it. I look forward to work. and it shows. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones but it was a long hard and some time not nice road getting here. So now, the only way I’m leaving is in a pine box feet first.

So Chas smile and be happy that I will never let my dog pee on you. :slight_smile:

#9

I wasnt bitchin… not intentionally anyway, but just observing that bad behavior has a long history. When I was a code enforcement building inspector you HAD to be polite with some often very nasty people, use Sir or Madame, and be very diplomatic and consuesive to get people to clean up their property, honey vs vinegar thing, it was easy for me as thats the way I was raised.

#10

Sheesh Vic, that must have been before they invented the Taser. :lol: :lol:

#11
Victor Smith said:
I wasnt bitchin... not intentionally anyway, but just observing that bad behavior has a long history. When I was a code enforcement building inspector you HAD to be polite with some often very nasty people, use Sir or Madame, and be very diplomatic and consuesive to get people to clean up their property, honey vs vinegar thing, it was easy for me as thats the way I was raised.
I give up. What does this mean:

consuesive

#12

conversational persuasive…?

Ya got me! I dunno.

I’ll bet its interesting. :smiley:

#13

People just ain’t no good
I think that’s well understood
You can see it everywhere you look
People just ain’t no good

#14

There is hope.
Now, I don’t have any kids, for that matter I don’t even have a wife.
Any way. I know a number of my friends do not let there kids behave that way and My sisters that have kids donot let theres act that way. They are all teaching respect to others. So little by little I’m sure it will get better.
And knowing this group here I think I’m safe in saying that there is a large group that treats people with respect out there. They just all happend to be train people.

#15

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… My daughter, who is now 24 and teaching first grade, was at the time about 9 or so. It was just after church, and I was in the choir room taking off the very hot robe. (That has nothing to do with the story, just setting the scene…)

Anyway, she picked up a very expensive musical instrument, a trumpet that belonged to the choir director and started to play it. Now, mind you, she did a fair job, because she played the trombone at the time. I really wasn’t worried about her mistreating the instrument because she had demonstrated good habits with her trombone.

I stopped her from playing by placing my hand on her shoulder, and said, “Sarah, is that your trumpet?”

“No, Daddy.”

“Don’t you think that you should ask the owner before you play it?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

She put down the instrument, carefully, and asked the director if she could play it. Of course, she was told that she could, just be careful.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Afterwards, the director said that she was surprised that I had disciplined my daughter, because most folks would not have done that. That really surprised me.

Then, I began to think about some of the wild hooligans in my Boy Scout Troop, and their total lack of discipline. I had to agree.

Sad.

#16

The only thing wrong with people today is, We can’t carry guns! Attitudes change real quick when dealing with someone who has a 45 on their hip!

#17
Curmudgeon said:
Victor Smith said:
I wasnt bitchin... not intentionally anyway, but just observing that bad behavior has a long history. When I was a code enforcement building inspector you HAD to be polite with some often very nasty people, use Sir or Madame, and be very diplomatic and consuesive to get people to clean up their property, honey vs vinegar thing, it was easy for me as thats the way I was raised.
I give up. What does this mean:

consuesive


It’s what happens when you con Sue with a sieve.

I know - hat, coat, door . . . .

#18

Ohh Man…Mik…don;t get me started on some of the people I work with…I just don;t understand people who DON’T want to work…I have a co worker…who was upset cause we had a mecanhnical failure on our machine and we were assisgned an easier make work project instead of us sitting around and getting paid for notheing, or bette yet in his opinion…they send us home. (Yes, he still lives with his mother and father, and hates working). the way I look at it…I get paid the same for being productive, or for doing a make work job they expect us to half ass at for a couple of hours…

Another down time I went over and was helping out fellows at a neghboring workstation…the fellow told me " you don;t want to learn too much cause then they will expect you to do more…" SAme fellow was complaining two days later because they were sending him home early…I got a full 40 hours that week…go figger…

The kid I work with is TERRIFIED they are gonna make us work Overtime…to me OT is a good thing…means the company is healthy and they are willing to pay me to get product out the door…If I can make myself a more valuable asset bay knowing how to do many different jobs thats a good thing isn;t it? If the People who make layoff decisions look at someone who can work and 5-6 different tasks or someone who can only do two, whos gonna be sitting at home? I actually had someone ask me “Don’t you want to go home early?” Ummm do I want to end up 4 hours short on a paycheck? Thats a great big negative…

I like to think managers and supervisors like people who can make them look good…and people who can make themselves as useful as possible are the best way to do that…Sure…the other workers might call ya a suck up or a butt kisser…but I feel good doing an honest days work…45.7 hours on the time clock this week BTW…

#19

To me it can be summed up in one word, PRIDE. The word today seems to have been twisted into meaning “I don’t take no sh#t off nobody!”… But that’s just bravado, not pride.

No matter what you are doing, you should do the best you can FOR YOURSELF. Even if it IS a part-time, crappy, minimum wage “McJob”. – If you can’t do it for pride then do it for no other reason than the bad habits you acquire there will follow you to your “real career” if/when you get it. Nobody’s shtuff smells like roses, and you aren’t “too good” to do WHATEVER it takes to support yourself and your family (except maybe selling drugs, mugging old ladies, or holding up liquor stores…) .

And if you are a toxic customer, stop for a second and picture your spouse, your mom or dad, your son or daughter in the clerk’s shoes. If you wouldn’t treat THEM that way, then don’t treat a stranger that way. If you would, then GET HELP. Again, NOBODY’s shtuff smells like roses.

OK, rant off

#20

In one of my recent jobs where I had some people that I was semi-supervisor of, I asked them to read “Take a message to Garcia.”

When I tried to discuss it with them at one or our meetings, two of the three didn’t understand it, and the third was insulted that I asked her to read it.

Sigh.

“If you take the King’s shilling, you do what the King tells you.” British Sergeant, ca. 1796

Here is the full story, as told by Colonel (then Lieutenant) Rowan.