July 16, 2007 at 7:55 pm (Customer Service)
I was having a conversation with my mother the other day about the lack of customer service we receive as consumers. Do you remember back in the day when you entered a store, the clerks stopped what they were doing and offered to help you. Now many simply ignore you and get indignant if you dare ask them to help find an item. How about when you could pull up at a gas station and have an attendant pump your gas, clean your windows and check your tires – which was helpful if you had on your Sunday best, weren’t feeling very well or the weather was bad.
I remember when customers were valued and treated with the utmost respect. I find it interesting that we are now being conditioned to check ourselves out at grocery stores and big box stores to “help us” expedite our transaction. You mean I’m making a purchase in your store and you can’t be bothered to check me out? And by me completing my transaction solo – I’m really helping you increase your bottom line by not hiring additional employees. What is wrong with this picture? Shouldn’t I receive a discount for saving you the cost of pay to an employee?
How things have changed. If you have a loved one in the hospital, you’d better have someone stay with them 24/7 to ensure they are being treated properly – we can no longer rely upon the overworked/understaffed nurses to do this even with the ridiculous cost we pay for medical care.
One of the sad outcomes of this is that our children will never experience true customer service in our self-service world where we must constantly perform duties employers once paid employees to perform . We are now expected to be proficient in – pumping gas, using check out kiosks at stores, performing quality assurance at pharmacies, conducting medical research, etc. – you get my point.
Why are we expected to shoulder some of the tasks that the seller should provide us? Why should I have to know how to use the scanning machines/cash registers, perform quality assurance for pharmacies, etc.? I have no aspirations of being a cashier or a pharmacy technician. Why must I now pump the (very expensive) gas that I’m purchasing from you the company that is robbing us blind? Why must I sit at the hospital every second with an ill family member/friend to chart their medications and ensure they are being cared for properly when we pay such high insurance premiums?
When you view all of the tasks that we must now perform on an individual basis, this all seems trivial, but if you look at them collectively it seems to me that we as consumers are losing more and more ground everyday.
What are we going to do about it?
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July 16, 2007 at 5:52 pm (BET)
BET is still planning to air “Hot Ghetto Mess” inspite of the wave of opposition that is currently underway in the blogosphere. This effort to combat BET is largely being fought by a a site What About Our Daughters. Although the sister over at the blog is dedicated to informing us about what is going on – she can’t do it alone.
One way we can help to fight BET is to support Cable Choice. It basically would let us choose and pay for only the channels we would like to see – thereby leaving BET in the dust which would effectively shut them down. Please contact your US Representative and US Senator , using BET’s “Hot Ghetto Mess” as an example for why you support Cable Choice.
More information on Cable Choice.
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July 16, 2007 at 5:39 pm (Mental Health)
Imagine how you would feel if you just lost someone that is very dear to you. You would more than likely feel sad, angry, fearful, hopeless, helpless, disoriented? Imagine those feeling lasting day after day – week after week – month after month, year after year – this is what it feels like to live with depression only these feelings are not situational they are caused many times by chemical imbalances rather that life events.. Now imagine suffering with these feeling alone unable to discuss it with your loved ones? This is a reality for many suffering mental illness.
Depression is a real issue affecting the life’s of many African Americans. I would venture to say that many of our young men and women that are incarcerated suffer some form of mental illness. Unfortunately many in our community refuse to see mental illness as an “illness” but rather a character flaw. Mental illness is no more a character flaw than is diabetes…it is a bona fide medical illness which is in many cases is a result of hormonal of chemical imbalances in the brain. Unfortunately we have difficulty accepting things we cannot see – depression is one of those types of ailments….but so is diabetes. If you have diabetes you go to an endocrinologist if you have a mental illness you should go to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to receive proper treatment. All treatments do not include pharmaceuticals – cognitive therapy has been known to be just as effective as anti-depressants in treating depression in some individuals. There should be no shame in seeking help when you have any type of illness and mental illness is a serious illness.
Because of the stigma associated with mental illness in our society and in our culture – many people suffer needlessly and their families suffer along with them. We need to educate ourselves about the symptoms and treatment of mental health disorders. We then need to educate our families, friends, churches, etc. about the negative effects of these illnesses and the treatments available to manage them.
We can no longer afford to act like none of us has an “Uncle Pete” in our circle whether it is a family member or a friend….we all know someone who is in need of our love and support with what can be a debilitating illness. Unfortunately many suffer in silence and isolation out of fear of revealing their illness to others. In many cases treatment and support will allow those suffering to live a very fulfilling and rewarding life.
Is there someone you know that needs your support to deal with their illness?
To learn more about mental illness visit the National Alliance on Mental Health.
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July 16, 2007 at 3:45 pm (Thyroid Disorder)
I began taking Cytomel a few days ago to try and get my thyroid hormones corrected. I’m currently taking a very small dosage twice a day with the only apparent side effect being a dull headache. Will update later.
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