Uniqueness

If you go to a restaurant by the name of Chili’s – would you expect the restaurant to serve “Chili”? I did, however, they had some type of soup with no meat. Are you kidding me? Give me my money back and change your Dayum name.

Why is it that shoe stores no longer carry socks for use when trying on shoes? Do we really wear those silly little stockings we are offered to try on tennis shoes? Would it really cut too deeply into your bottom line to open a package of socks for use in your overpriced stores?

Why is it that when my son and I are shopping and I point out a shirt he never likes the shirt, but if I pick one out and strategically place it on a rack, he eventually finds it and selects it for purchase?

And on a more serious note- Why are we spending trillions of dollars over in Iraq destroying then rebuilding their infrastructure and our infrastructure is raggedy? How many bridges must collapse and levees break before we as citizens of this country speak out and demand that our dollars are better managed?

As I think about customer service or the lack thereof in our society I continue to happen upon circumstances that validate my position that companies no longer value us as customers.

My mother and I went to a major department store recently and she found a summer skirt that was marked down that she wanted to purchase. As she went through the skirts, she saw that they were all marked down to $29.99 except of course the one in her size. So she takes the skirt to the register and informs the cashier that all of the other skirts were marked down to $29.99. The cashier scans the tag and it rings up at $49.99. Mother simply informs the cashier who is new that all of the other skirts have tags that state $29.99 on them and asks that she honor the price. The cashier calls a coworker over to assist her. The coworker tells my mother that the skirt is $49.99 according to her scanner and wants to know if she would still like to purchase it. My mother becomes frustrated – as she is used to the days when items are sold at the price they are marked…calls me over to the register. I explain to the “customer service associates” again that all of the exact skirts have clearance tags of $29.99 on them thus we would like to purchase this one at the same cost. The sales person continues to tell me the skirt is $49.99. I then asked to speak to a manager , not once but three times- it is finally discovered that some store clerk marked down the wrong items but the manager sells the skirt to us for $29.99.

Really, this is clearly an example of poor customer service. I would think this is a simple case of false advertising. If all items are marked at a certain price…how can you then try and sale them at a higher cost and then argue with the customer about your mistake. I spent 30 minutes in a store to buy an item at the cost the company had marked. Needless to say we left this very large department store with a sour taste. It was not a good customer experience.

Again, I ask – “What Happened to 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?