Surly employees

A pet peeve of mine are surly employees behind the counter or on the floor. When I walk into a grocery store or a convenience store etc. I am there to either pay or ask directions as to where an item is. That's it, that is all I want and require. I have no patience for surly employees who act as if you asking them something is an inconvenience to their busy day. That is their job, they are paid to represent the place they are working in. Their job is to service the customer.

These undesirable employees never last long. Because of their attitudes and less than stellar work ethic they are seldom there when you come back a couple of weeks later.
I blame the executives who do the hiring. Are these employees not being properly vetted? Perhaps it's the hiring officer who should be put on the shelf or replaced?

 

So some guy in the grocery store wasn't nice to you?

 

You've never encountered this yourself? It irks me when it happens to me or to anyone. I just think that in the service industry whether it be waitresses/waiters or anywhere that when serving clientele is required, that politeness and a respectful demeanor should be a requirement. Who needs to have to deal with an attitude when you are spending your money at their establishment?

I recently had an experience where an employee was on a ladder and I politely asked where something was only to be met with a woman who snapped at me because I was holding her up from whatever she was doing.
I would be interested in hearing from others who have had to deal with surly employees.

Perhaps if YOU are an employee that deals with John Q. Public you might think twice before reacting negatively to a customer after reading this thread....hope so.

 

In my experience this is rare but it does happen. Sometimes I believe it's merely because a particular employee is simply having a bad day. Sometimes yeah, an employee is just "surly" and won't last long.

One case some years back I'll always remember. It was at Ruth Kris and there were six people in my party I think. I do recall that the automatic 18% gratuity came into play. The waiter we had was terribly rude. He wasn't very attentive to our table. At one point I went to a side table for a pepper grinder and he came back and snatched it out of my hand as I was using it. I guess the guarantee of a tip caused him to think he could provide lousy service.

Should've talked to a manager but at the time I'd had a few and was so intent on having a good time that I decided he wasn't worth it.

I haven't been back to Ruth Kris though.

As far as executives not properly vetting? I think this is much like a couple when they first start dating. In the beginning, they put forth the best conduct of themselves that they possibly can. It's not until well into a relationship that you truly learn who a person truly is.

And some years back I learned that previous employers hesitate to give poor references. That's a result of lawsuits from what I was told.

 

Yet another thing that irks me about surly service providers. They can ruin your day simply because they can. But you appear to have done the right thing by letting it run like water off a ducks back. Wish that I could ignore lousy service and not allow it to raise my blood pressure.

 

I started to review my buying experiences over the years vis-a-vis surly service people and I broke out into a big laugh. Here's the story: Probably about 10 years ago, I was on vacation with the family in San Diego. I took them to a famous 1950's-style diner called Corvettes. It is a place famous for its music, décor and sassy waitresses. My son was about 7 or 8 years old at the time. Well, we were seated in a booth when our waitress first walks up to us and tosses a handful of straws all over my head. She then takes everyone else's drink order, but not mine. My son was roaring with laughter at the sight of his Dad being so disrespected. It was a great to start to lunch.

Of course, in Boston, a must-do restaurant used to be called Durgin Park (they closed recently, I believe.) They were famous for their prime rib and their sassy/nasty waitresses with attitude. You went there for both. They even put up ads about their nasty waitresses.

That said and getting back on topic: I do punish waiters/waitresses if they do not provide good service in terms of the things that are under their control. I do not, for example, blame them for poorly prepared food. I do blame them if they do not come around enough to check that all is well. In the retail sector, I do not expect much and am, therefore, rarely disappointed. I generally try to avoid retail staff, unless forced, which leads me to think about online shopping. While you lose the opportunity to hold the item in your hand, you gain the ability to completely avoid surly, stupid, or otherwise annoying retail staff when you buy online. By the way, for the longest time now, I have viewed ATM's as my savior from having to deal with lousy bank tellers.

 

Great advice which I am increasingly taking these days. Is it any wonder that brick and mortar stores are failing? Why put up with surly retail employees when one can go to Amazon or other online outlets?

 

Perhaps they're fed up dealing with surly customers

 

That's really good point and I can verify exactly that, at least anecdotally. In 2004, I started an online ecommerce business and started up on eBay. Sales were brisk and it did not take more than a couple of years to acquire about 20,000 customers (selling low cost tech accessory.) However, having to deal with absolutely clueless buyers on a regular basis caused me to begin to lose faith in the future of mankind. How could these people be able to cross the street by themselves based on the questions, comments, etc., that we would have to deal with on a weekly basis (small minority of buyers, for sure)? We were invited by Amazon to be a seller (back in the day when you had to be invited and/or approved by them) and their bad customers were only slightly better than eBay's. So, we decided to close down both storefronts and focus on B2B sales. Have not looked back and it was simply because of those annoying customers that made it not worth the effort.

As I write this, I am reminded of a phrase that I use on occasion in my day job role as a VP of Sales: "Selling would be a great job, if not for the customers."

Anyway, there is no question that both sides of the buying process can be surly. However, it is the retail employee who is being paid to overcome that and provide great service. We can argue about whether the retailers are actually getting what they pay for and should pay higher compensation, but the fact remains that the sales staff each signed up for the position and are being paid for it.

 

I like to think that the older I get the mellower I become.

Unfortunately, my actions too often turn my thoughts into fantasies. But sometimes, just sometimes, I remember to not allow others to rule my emotions.

 

When it comes to deciding on a tip I used to start at 15% and go up or down based on the service I received during the meal. Now my figure is 20%.

For many years I've paid mind to Jim Rohn when he said that if you're trying to figure whether to tip $5 or $10 always go with the $10 because you'll later regret not doing so.

My Father on the other hand only had one measurement. If his coffee cup got empty even one time during the meal he did not tip.

 

There you have it, the old adage that "The customer is always right" ought to apply. The customer is paying for, while the employee is being paid....period.

 

That is easy for you to say, you do not have a Latin temperament.

 

I argue that the customer is not always right. It's important when you're a service provider to remember that the customer does pay the bills though.

 

True. But my temper was legendary in my youth. I did learn to corral it over the years. It's always lurking in the background and my tongue has many scars.

 

We of course all know full well that the customer is not always right. That saying is factitious in nature but was quoted to convey, that right or wrong "The customer is always right". It was a saying that we often used when I worked with the ad agency back in the day.

 

I once owned a bar and used the saying quite a lot myself during that time. It was often very stressful to use it in those days though.