When I was in high school, one of my summer jobs was working at Hush Puppies shoes. Yeah, I know you're jealous, right? The store displayed one shoe of every style and when a customer wanted to try on a pair, we got a complete set in the right size from the back. For some reason, nearly every customer felt compelled to collect an armful of shoes as they walked about the store. Frequently, the person would then get distracted by the smell of Mrs. Fields cookies wafting across the mall and dump the pile of shoes on a table before they left.
Was it it my job to keep the store tidy and attractive? You betcha. Did I appreciate having to sort through an abandoned pile of shoes? Not so much.
The worst part was when someone would carry around one lone shoe and then set it down somewhere it didn't belong. Sometimes I'd have to scour the entire store just to find that one shoe. On occasion, the staff would have to join in the hunt to track down the missing high heel (yes, surprising, Hush Puppies carried some really cute heels and boots!). How hard would it have been for that customer to just put the shoe back where she found it? Or, if she didn't remember, just to give it to one of us?
No, my three months at Hush Puppies didn't scar me for life. And, no, I have not been holding on to this story all this time. I just thought it was a good illustration of how customers can mindlessly cause unnecessary work for employees. You know what I'm talking about. Rummaging through a pile of t-shirts and then leaving them all unfolded. Letting items fall to the floor and then leaving them there. Discarding your trash on display cases. Carrying around a perishable item and then shoving it in the magazine rack when you decide you no longer want it.
The federal minimum wage in the United States is just $7.25 an hour. No one's buying a McMansion on that kind of money. Many minimum wage jobs involve lots of standing, too. Standing at counters, machines, or just having to be on your feet. If you haven't ever stood for 8 hours; trust me, you feel it.
So, the next time you're at the mall, or the food court, or any other business that is staffed by minimum wage employees, take a moment to think about the work that's required to keep that store running. Think about the people. Is it their job to keep things nice for customers? You bet. Should they have to be your maid and clean up after the messes you leave behind? I really don't think so. Do you?
I am with you 100%. Although (thankfully) here in Australia the minimum wage is $15 and hour, this doesn't change how gruelling it can be to work in customer service roles, especially when customers can be so thoughtless. Customers can also be fantastic and brighten up your day, it's true, but very often I think as customers it is easy to forget how tough it can be to serve people.
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming in, Lauren! I appreciate your global insight!
ReplyDeleteYeah, as much as I advocate for good customer service, I also think it's important to remember the other side of the equation. Just because someone is paid to service you, don't mean you should act without common decency.
It's like yelling at the waitress because your meal is undercooked. She didn't know and it's not her fault. You can express that you're displeased, but keep it in perspective. She's just there to deliver to you whatever the chef cooked up.
Thanks again for stopping by, Lauren!
Amber, what a great reminder to respect the work other people do, and to respect your environment. The other day at the grocery store, I found a package of meat in the bakery department, someone must have changed their mind and instead of doing the right thing, there it sat, who knows for how long until I walked it back to the meat department. Yes, and I also refold clothes and hang them back up after trying on. Why, because it's called doing the right thing.
ReplyDeleteOh man, I worked many years in the same shoes as you. I will go shopping with someone who will just put things they decide that they do not want where ever they want. I put things back where I got them from and in the same condition as I got them.
ReplyDeleteI'm moving to Australia! LOL
ReplyDeleteHowever, the server is the one who knows how the meal is supposed to be served. When the server delivers a meal that is not as specified, then they are at fault. If they serve a meal that looks right to them but is wrong, then it shouldn't be held against them provided they handle it right.
ReplyDeleteAmber- defender of the huddles masses, provider of customer service complaints!
ReplyDeleteCommon courtesy can go a long way.
ReplyDeleteI get frustrated by poor customer service; but when you painted the picture of standing on your feet or any other mind numbing job for 8 hours and still can't support yourself, it wasn't a pretty picture.
Uh oh, almost got off track there.........
If your rule of thumb is to treat others including the situation you would put them in by leaving a mess or not putting something back then if you wouldn't like being in their shoes, don't do it.
Can't we all just get along.........:)
I knew I liked you, Dee!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the perishable foods thing is bad. I always think that it might sit out too long, be put back, and then the new, unsuspecting buyer will come down with something! Bleck!
Kudos to you! It takes so little to do the right thing, doesn't it? Wouldn't this Earth be a magical place if we all just behaved properly?
Thanks so much for commenting, Dee. And for giving me hope ;-)
Love you, Tim!
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing. I put things back even if I have to walk to the back of the store. I got it there, so why shouldn't I put it back, right?
It all goes back to being a kid and the saying, "Put things back where you found them". Always a good motto.
Thanks for adding your two cents to the discussion, Tim!
Are you making me a cape? ;-)
ReplyDeleteTreat others the way you'd like to be treated. I love that motto. It's so simple, but so powerful. Can you imagine???
ReplyDeleteOh, as for "look", I'm with ya. I'm saying if something isn't hot enough or if it's undercooked inside. Something that you'd have to taste to know it.
ReplyDeleteIf the waitress serves your veggie burger on a white bun and you requested a wheat bun, you're right, the server should notice that one.
no capes!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy2YhxXn7NY&feature=related
Oh geez. Of course! What was a thinking??? No capes, indeed. :-)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that it goes back to "put things back", but it does come from working at retail stores, including clothing stores, and having to clean up after customers. When a retail store gets busy, having to clean up interferes with taking care of other customers.
ReplyDeleteExactly. :-)
ReplyDeleteGood point!
ReplyDeleteHaving just got off work from...the place where I work, I appreciate this sentiment! Yes, I was on my feet for 8 hours today. Yes, I had to clean up messes that inconsiderate people left behind them. I make a little bit more than minimum wage, but not much, and you're right, people certainly could be a little nicer. Thank you for posting this!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, there you have it! Right from the horses mouth! Or is it the frog's mouth (since I know you love frogs!)? Hmmm. Ok, take two.
ReplyDeleteThere you have it! Right from the mouth of someone who's working the floor and putting in a hard day's work! Thanks for chiming in, Vicki!
I appreciate hearing your perspective on the matter since you know about all this first-hand. Dealing with the public is hard work and kudos to anyone who can do it--and do it well.
Put those tootsies of yours in a hot tub of water and let 'em soak! Thanks for all you do and know that there are folks out there who do realize how hard it is.
Thanks for the comment, Vicki!
I have worked in a few different retail environments....and I don't envy folks who have to work in a store where the image you included in your post is the norm...and I am sure we know which stores those are. It's terrible. I used to be critical of the condition of the store until I started to notice that they were always that way...meaning that the customers just don't give a turd.
ReplyDeleteThis did make me think of one particularly gross incident that I experienced as a customer, obviously at the hands of another careless customer.
I was in one of those HUGE liquidation stores and had made my way to the furniture because I had been looking for a nice desk that I could afford. I approached a really beautiful desk and proceed to inspect it. I opened up one of the drawers and out came a whole bunch of flies...and when I looked down in the drawer, some "considerate", lazy customer had dumped their garbage - old food- in the drawer, which proceeded to rot with maggots and the whole nine yards....I actually felt bad about telling the first employee I could find because I knew it meant that someone was going to have to clean this mess up...ugh!
Oh, YUCK!!!!!! What a horrible story. And, yet, what a great example of what I'm talking about.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that story, Rachel. That was a clueless customer, indeed!
By the way, have I told you today how much I LOVE the new blog header you made me? ;-) It makes me all happy inside. Thank you!
Most minimum wage workers are holding down two of those type of jobs just to survive -- and that's if they're lucky. You're right and thanks for writing this. I'm usually pretty considerate, but I'll make an effort to be even more so now.
ReplyDeleteYou're feisty, but compassionate Jayne! Yep, things are tough out there these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Always a pleasure ;-)
That happened about 10 years ago ...and I still can't get the image out of my head. That would have been disgusting under ANY circumstance but in a store? I can't even fault the store because I am sure that is not something they would even be looking for...they shouldn't have to worry about walking through and opening the drawers on all of their display merchandise...holy smokes....
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your wonderful support of my work on your header...you are wonderful!!!
Have I TOLD YOU today how much I love your blog?
Well, aren't WE a mutual admiration society! I just gagged a little because that Barney song just popped into my head. "I love you. You love me." :-)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite new line.....No one's buying a McMansion on that kind of money! Oh yes, you will see me quoting this line. But I will of course my firey red-haired blogger chick will get all of the credit!
ReplyDeleteMy staff and I live this life every single day except our shoes are 50 to 70 lb cases of paper! And my staff gets much more than minimum wage and still can't afford a McMansion. Hey, neither can I for that matter!
Yikes! That's more weight than the extra large bag of dog kibble I buy! You must have some nice muscles on those arms of yours!
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming in, Cheri. It's always a pleasure when you visit ;-)
Ouch! In Australia our minimum wage is $15/hr (add 20% if you're a casual employee) but I think the concept is the same - we should all be thinking of others & showing respect wherever we are. And something else to add to your comments above - your children will model your behaviour - if they see you showing respect to everyone (no matter what their position) then they too will show respect.
ReplyDeleteVery good point, Judy! Thanks for adding to the discussion. Children do model their parents' behavior. Snap your fingers at a waiter, and kids will grow up thinking that's acceptable.
ReplyDeleteAs for Australia, I assume a "casual employee" is a part time one? Why do they get 20% more?
I also worked retail and it was REALLY hard. At the same time, part of me envies those who can finish a "shift' and go home at the end of the day and be done! Work is never far from my mind, and honestly, it's never done. Which I appreciate but still...sometimes that sounds ridiculously blissful. But I am sure the bliss would last about as long as 2 shifts :)
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to reading Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail, on this very topic. You will like it too, I can tell.
http://www.amazon.com/Malled-My-Unintentional-Career-Retail/dp/1591843804
Funny you should mention the "be done" thing. I also sometimes long for that. Where you leave and your work day is over. No Blackberry buzzing. No emails to return. But, like you say, I'm sure the bliss of a day on your feet would get old.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding to the dialogue, Cathie! I'll check out the book ;-)
A casual employee is one who doesn't have regular hours every week - one week there may be no hours & the next there may be 30 hours. They receive a 'casual loading' to make up for the fact that they don't get paid sick leave or holiday. i.e if they're sick or on holidays - no money. A part timer in Aus is different - they're a permanent employee who works less hours than a full timer (=38hrs/week). They do get paid holiday pay & sick leave but on a pro rata basis according to their set number of hours. Our pay rates a pretty good - the down side is that tipping is not so big here so our service staff don't really have to try - & often they don't!
ReplyDeleteHow very interesting. I had no idea. Thanks so much for explaining it to me, Judy! You can learn something new every day!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I commented earlier this week but it wasn't logged. Perhaps not approved, so I will make it shorter?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I just read a review of this book and you might like it.
http://www.amazon.com/Malled-My-Unintentional-Career-Retail/dp/1591843804
Ha, I see it now!! Ok, now I have commented twice. Really pushing that book; lol ;0
ReplyDeleteYep, it's been up there since Tuesday. Not sure why you couldn't see it. Glad you see it now, though ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd the heavens have opened up and the hallelujah chorus of angels begins singing, you are spot on with this post! I've spent plenty of time in retail over the years and it is not pretty most of the time, and I mean the wages and SOME customers.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had the pleasure of working at a store where you are only allowed to fold sweaters using a clipboard? I won't mention any names here but you and your readers are smart, bet you know who I mean. :)
Ha ha. I love a good chorus ;-)
ReplyDeleteNope, I've never had the pleasure of folding sweaters with a clipboard. Something tells me I'm not missing much, though.
Thanks for the comment, Katie!
You're welcome and believe me you aren't missing anything! :)
ReplyDeleteI've had my fair share of other fun, though! ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy 19-year-old granddaughter recently got a part-time job at a movie theater. A week after she started, she called and said, "Grandma? Remember when we were little and we were the only kids who walked out of the theater and put our popcorn boxes and candy wrappers and cups into the trashcans? Thank you for teaching us that. I wish more parents and grandparents would." I guess it's her first lesson in the fact that doing unto others as you would have them do unto you means treating hard-working people with respect and courtesy, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your post. I
That's a great story, Deb! Sounds like you and your daughter taught her right! That's wonderful to hear. Kudos to all of you! ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy 19-year-old granddaughter recently got a part-time job at a movie theater. A week after she started, she called and said, "Grandma? Remember when we were little and we were the only kids who walked out of the theater and put our popcorn boxes and candy wrappers and cups into the trashcans? Thank you for teaching us that. I wish more parents and grandparents would." I guess it's her first lesson in the fact that doing unto others as you would have them do unto you means treating hard-working people with respect and courtesy, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your post. I
That's a great story, Deb! Sounds like you and your daughter taught her right! That's wonderful to hear. Kudos to all of you! ;-)
ReplyDelete