Can you take this? − 12 September, 2007
Business has been so slow lately. For the past few weeks, there have been more employees than customers. Never a good sign, and today was no exception.
I'm in the midst of redesigning an old display, with a bottle of window cleaner in my hand and used paper towels crumpled up around the floor. I'm standing about 50 feet away from the nearest cash register and there are about three dozen dinner plates stacked up to my right and 24 coffee mugs and boxes of dishtowels to my left.
A customer approaches and barks, "Can you take this?"
I look at her thrusting two small items toward me and contemplate whether I should put down the cleaning solution and hold these items for God knows why or if I should I ask what the hell she's talking about. During that brief pause on my part, she snarls, "Or do I have to take it to another register?"
Oh. So being the farthest person in the entire store from a cash register, and seeing how there are no lines at any of the other six registers and the sales people are absolutely not busy, you've chosen me to be your victim. I have to admit, I'm guilty - I am wearing a nametag.
"Uhh, I guess I can take you over there," I say, and begin the long and ardous process of hiking over the moutain of my displaced display toward a cash register.
She says nothing, and at the end of the transaction, I thank her and wish her a wonderful day. "Yes," she replies, clutching her plastic bag and heading for the exit.
No excuse mes, pleases, thank yous ... I was raised in the Midwest, so let me ask you New Englanders out there: is most of the Northeast rude or is it just a Boston thing?
I'm in the midst of redesigning an old display, with a bottle of window cleaner in my hand and used paper towels crumpled up around the floor. I'm standing about 50 feet away from the nearest cash register and there are about three dozen dinner plates stacked up to my right and 24 coffee mugs and boxes of dishtowels to my left.
A customer approaches and barks, "Can you take this?"
I look at her thrusting two small items toward me and contemplate whether I should put down the cleaning solution and hold these items for God knows why or if I should I ask what the hell she's talking about. During that brief pause on my part, she snarls, "Or do I have to take it to another register?"
Oh. So being the farthest person in the entire store from a cash register, and seeing how there are no lines at any of the other six registers and the sales people are absolutely not busy, you've chosen me to be your victim. I have to admit, I'm guilty - I am wearing a nametag.
"Uhh, I guess I can take you over there," I say, and begin the long and ardous process of hiking over the moutain of my displaced display toward a cash register.
She says nothing, and at the end of the transaction, I thank her and wish her a wonderful day. "Yes," she replies, clutching her plastic bag and heading for the exit.
No excuse mes, pleases, thank yous ... I was raised in the Midwest, so let me ask you New Englanders out there: is most of the Northeast rude or is it just a Boston thing?
Comments:
edunn (September 16, 2007. 09:16pm)
I can totally relate! I am so sick of rude people :) Sorry that happened to you.
intrepideddie (September 18, 2007. 06:08am)
This is why I could never work in a customer service position. I have the utmost respect for those that can put up with this kind of crap daily and keep on smiling. Good on ya!
kga245 (September 18, 2007. 06:33pm)
One of the first things I noticed when I moved (from the Midwest) to the West Coast was how genuinely nice people were at stores here. That was Eugene, OR. I live in San Diego, CA now. The phenomenon goes all the way up and down the coast, I've discovered. Occasionally people are grouchy. A number of people also from the Midwest and the East have actively reciprocated my sentiment on this as well. I can be persuasive when I want to be.