I once got given a plant like this. I thought it was such a thoughtful gift until the person told me to check what the name of them was.
Impatiens
The gift giver had this big smile on their face as if they were so pleased with themselves. At the time I decided I would just be humble and nice and I made a joke of it. I suppose at the time, it was a perfectly matched plant to my personality as I was unbelievably impatient about just about everything. I worked at a fast pace and expected the same of everyone else and I was ruthless about it.
Today there was a situation where I watched employees joking around instead of providing service to me even though I was patiently waiting at the head of a queue...eventually I got sick of it though and I opened my mouth and asked these people if they would assist. They did so without much hassle and I didn't make a big deal of it. But was this me being patient or was this now me simply letting them walk over me? Where do you draw the line between bad service, inefficiency and lack of care? If you ask the question are you then being impatient or are they being ineffective?
In a way I felt like I was overstepping but why should I have felt like that? Is it because I have veered too far in the opposite direction that I now feel that I am wrongfully interrupting their joyous little chat with my need for them to do their job?
I'm sitting here grappling with this because previously I would have resorted to being a Karen if they were being shitty employees and being paid to loaf on company time...but is it because I held people to too high a standard or is it that the world today just doesn't have the same service industry as it used to? Where people were held to account and the customer was considered important to the business?
Perhaps I am still impatient in some aspects. I was recently on a road trip and I was in a queue at a gas station convenience store for coffee and the lady that was behind the kiosk was doing everything she could as fast as she could but she was unable to keep up with the number of customers as they were ordering a large variety of things and she was the only staff member making the hot drinks as well. I personally couldn't wait 15 minutes as I was on a deadline, but in that instance it wasn't just my impatience driving my decision to leave. To be honest I felt that the poor lady could have done with some help and probably a raise for being so customer focused and working as efficiently as she could considering the circumstances.
Is today's world more lenient towards the service industry or has the whole industry been getting more sloppy and we are being forced to simply accept that it's not as great as it once was. I make an effort especially with people at the check out to strike up some form of polite, light-hearted conversation as I am sure that they must get so many crappy customers and if they provide great service and are happy to smile while we converse, then I will pay them a compliment to keep up their spirits.
I think it's a two way relationship that you can foster especially if you regularly shop somewhere. The little convenience store down the road from my house has three staff members. I don't know them by name, but they are always so friendly to me compared to the average person and I am never unhappy with their service, I always wish them well and we leave with smiles.
So perhaps tonight I was impatient but it seemed warranted at the time. If one service industry can get it right and another one gets it so horribly wrong, do I complain the first time that it happens or do I give them a chance assuming it was simply an honest mistake?
When last did you have an outstanding experience in the service department or is it a thing of the past? Feel free to tell me below.