Are you bold enough, would you wait?

I was at a shopping mall today and I noticed the checkout line was super long. I had just entered the store so I hoped that once I was finished with my shopping the long line would clear up some. It didn't. I stood there in line and people were sighing, anxiously swaying side to side, and some every so often sticking their neck out to see what was the hold up. There was only one lane open and the entire time it never occurred to the cashier to call for help.

Finally a guy in line spoke up and said something that caught the cashier’s attention. Immediately she called for help and not one but two lanes opened up. It was that simple. I am never that person to speak up because I don’t want to be the bad guy but this guy was like a savior, he got the line moving all because he was bold enough. Would you have done the same thing?

 

Yes, most certainly I would have done the same thing. Basically, I hate waiting in long queues and when I can't afford to waste time on a busy day, it drives me nuts. I'm not a shopping freak though but this happens often to me when I wanna draw some cash from the ATM during rush hours.
I guess the problem with the cashier in your case was she was too busy doing her job. So it must have never occurred to her that she should call for help. I see this often at cash or billing counters. Probably these cashiers are too tense when the queues are big and they just want to get it done with. As for why they miss calling for help is because their presence of mind, I suppose, is not really working when they are tensed up or in a great hurry to do something. This happens to all of us, so there's nothing wrong with it as I see.
Anyway, it was quite nice of that guy to speak up. (Yes, it's a bold step, I know.) He saved a lot of time for himself and others. I don't think it's about being a 'bad guy' at all. Quite ironically, you yourself have mentioned that guy to be 'like a savior' after everybody got moving. Some of us are afraid to do what this guy did maybe because we are too self-conscious. What would you prefer - standing there staring impassively at the scene, waiting for the long line to move tardily and wasting you precious time, or simply taking one bold step to get things going fast? I'm rather sure anyone who asks themselves will go with the second one. Well, I've been the 'bad guy' or 'savior' (whatever you like to call it) a few times in these situations, though I've some sort of pesky stage fright in me and quite surprisingly, I find others in the waiting line thanking and appreciating me while leaving the place!

 

When I was a teenager maybe 19, I worked as a sales clerk at a major hardware store. Every time I would see a line forming I paged for help. It just made sense.

Why I think the clerk didn't call for help because she probably didn't care. I looked at her several times, she didn't seem tense or in a hurry. She'd often look at us in line with a nonchalant demeanor about her. If she would have showed signs of distress of course I'd understand but I got the opposite.

Not everyone is like this, I've come in contact with people with excellent customer service skills. Having a job like that you have to be patient, have common sense, and be sincere. When those traits are lacking it can become a problem for some consumers.

 

Hah, why do they hire such people in the first place, I don't get! Lack of manpower? >:\ I don't think so.

 

Jerk enough or bold enough? There are people in this world that don't give a flying crap about other people's well-being or emotions. A sociopath, for instance, can come to anywhere (a store, a party, a social gathering, etc.) and establish his/her sociopathic rules. It doesn't mean the person is bold, s/he just doesn't care for other people's wishes, desires or emotions.

I, personally, can't imagine coming to a store and trying to run their business the way I think it should be run. I may complain, of course, I may mutter something under my breath, but I am not going to say out loud: "Hey, why don't you bring more cashiers for this line to move!" It's just not who I am and I am usually cautious of people who are like that. They are not among my friends for sure.

 

Interesting. So would you say there is another way to go about it or we should leave it alone altogether?

 

I don't think the guy who spoke up in this instance is a jerk or a sociopath. It's not even about trying to make the world run your way. A customer is the most important aspect of any store or business. This guy just brought to the staff's attention that they should get things wrapped up quickly and that's certainly to the benefit of everyone involved. So he did the right thing in my view. Yes, the way you say it definitely matters – it must be done with politeness and courtesy; not that you should dictate or slam others. If that's the way you tell others, it's a totally different story from being bold and doing the right thing.

 

In a civilized world, those things are just left alone. We are a microwave stove's society. We want everything done fast. If the line in a store doesn't move as fast as it should (it's all in our heads, by the way) we get all pissed off. But who said it should move this or that fast. Granted, it should move, but who assigns it the speed? It's all in our heads. We want everything fast.

And as the old proverb goes: Patience is a virtue.

I think it's true especially today.

 

I would still say that patience has a limit and a place. You can definitely see how the cashier was behaving in this case.

Well, if that's the kind of 'customer service' you've, being patient would be the most difficult thing in this world, at least for me.

 

I don't know guys but consumers have feelings too. We don't go into a business looking for trouble we want people to act like they care and when its obvious that customer service is poor we as consumers have a right to complain that doesn't necessarily make us bad people. I know of a fortune 500 company trying to revamp its brand because of problems with customer service. Its a big deal to many.

 

Yes, I would. The cashier was definitely not unaware of the situation. That is, unless the clerk was a jerk. But in this case, it didn't seem to be the case because the clerk did go and ask for help.

 

I tend to vote with my wallet when a line is too long at the store. If the line is too long for my taste (for whatever reason at the time), I will put the potential purchase back on the shelf and walk out. This doesn't work if I have a shopping cart full of groceries or other products, but if I just have one or two items that I do not immediately need, I will postpone the purchase (and likely buy it elsewhere later.)

On the other side, I have a favorite Chinese buffet restaurant that has a big parking lot and a big dining area. My family and I have NEVER ONCE had to wait to be seated at this place, no matter how crowded. The food is as good as any other Chinese buffet in the area. Over the years, they have become my "go-to" restaurant in almost any situation because I know that my guests and I will not have to wait even a minute to be seated. So, I not only vote negatively with my wallet for poor service but I vote positively with my wallet for good service.

I do agree with @qwikad.com that we are too rushed, to multi-tasking-oriented, etc., but I also believe in rewarding companies for good service and punishing companies for poor service.

 

That's precisely why I've switched to online buying for a major part of my purchases. The delivery costs a little extra (unless it's via express or air obviously), but I figure wasting a couple of bucks more is way better than wasting some minutes. Money gone can be made again, but lost time can never be.

 

Exactly. My way of dealing with poor customer service goes like this: If I felt that I had to wait in line at this or that particular store longer than usual, I'd probably give that store one or two more tries and then just switch to shopping at a different one. I am speaking from a personal experience, by the way. There's a chain store around here that always lacks the number of cashiers working there. The tough economy I guess has something to do with it. I only go shopping there when I absolutely have to. Same goes for restaurants, entertainment, etc. Mistreat me 2-3 times and I will pretty much say bye-bye to your joint.

 

I think I'm somewhere in the middle of that one (my, I've just realized that being a Libra I too often act like one ).
The benefit of having experience working as a customer service is because you are fully capable to see both sides of the coin. So quite often while at work I was trying to think like the client and in my shopping time - thinking like a customer service rep.

This is why for this particular scenario I would probably speak up, but instead of saying something like "hey, bring some more cashiers here" I would simply ask "excuse me, aren't there more available cashiers as there are a lot of people waiting". Now, I know that for some that might seem too soft or needlessly polite, but I pride myself of having two different personas (no, not schizophrenic). I always try with the good first and if I'm treated poorly by any staff I switch to Beast Mode. I know exactly where to hit them so it will hurt (not literally of course).