Well, I don't think we're so far gone in our society that we don't understand the concept of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we stop and think about it, this still guides many of our values -- "I wouldn't want to be cheated on, so I'm not going to cheat."
But is the Golden Rule enough to inspire good customer service any more? As the teenaged cashier set my receipt on the counter without so much as a "thank you" or "have a nice day," I stood in my usual judgment. Whatever happened to polite society? Wouldn't SHE want to be smiled at and thanked as she left the store? Then it hit me: Maybe not.
Could it be that we've gotten so accustomed to sub-par service that we don't even know how to show good service when the situations merits? That girl probably couldn't care less if someone put a receipt directly into her hand and smiled politely as she left a store. Would it be nice? Sure -- like someone's going the extra mile. But shouldn't it be more of a given?
Perhaps my husband is right and this is another aspect of outdated, pretentious etiquette we should drop. Afterall, it's not very convenient and will almost always set you up for disappointment. Should the standard be abandoned? I must confess I sort of like having a small semblance of social grace to hang onto.
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4 comments:
I've noticed a similar lack of politeness in the business world. I could write papers and books on the possible reasons why. What I tend to focus on is killing them with kindness. When someone lacks politeness towards me I always smile, look them in the eye and say 'Thank you so much for your help, I hope you have a great day.' This usually shocks them into politeness.
it is because those of us being groomed to be world-dominators have been taught the "Golden Rule" is not "do unto others as you would like done unto you" but rather, "HE WHO HAS THE GOLD, MAKES THE RULES!"...
I say this out of complete discontent, as MBA school has not been what I envisioned it to be, and business is mostly about the bottom line. Although some are trying to change that. Patagonia is one business that comes to mind.
I quote your most recent post "It's a sad sad sad sad world..."
What is this, Europe?! I say we keep fighting for the social grace which appears to be lacking. But then I've always been one to root for the underdog.
Rude people... argh! It's as bad as people who don't hold doors open or let me eat off their plates.
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