When customer issues teach YOU a lesson...

[ZeoViolet]

Um, I actually had a debate on where exactly to put this. While it deals with SC in a way, it isn't actually a STORY per se as it is asking a question in general. So if you decree this is in the wrong spot, I do apologize and kindly request you move it to the appropriate forum.

That aside, from all of my years of handling customers and seeing what they can turn out, I have often wondered:

Has witnessing or dealing with truly sucky customer behaivor ever caused you to silently vow to never, ever handle the situation the same way, if you are the customer, based upon what you've seen, if it would make you look that bad?

Seriously. For example, I've had to deal with so many awful messes left by careless customers, or customers who figure "we pay you, we can make all the mess we want and you HAVE to clean it up" made me take a vow that, if I could possibly help it, I would do my part and never, EVER leave more of a mess than I could help when eating out myself. Consequently I will stack cups and plates as neatly as possible after use, search for and throw away all trash, etc. because before my eyes swim visions of horrific messes I've had to clean up.

I'm not talking careless messes but deliberate messes even ADULTS have participated in creating--spilling salt/breaking saltshakers, dumping ketchup into all containers, pulling out all napkins and filling napkin dispenser with sugar, fingerpainting with food, etc.

Anybody else ever feel this way?

[Bright_Star]

I do BUT you seldom hear about the kind & considerate customer who raises no fuss when there's a problem & is polite & easy to work with. IF that were the case then this site wouldn't exist.
What you do hear about is the mean & nasty customer who seemed to have gotten up on the wrong side of bed & now wants to make you as miserable as they feel.
IF those sucky customers could see themselves when acting like total idiots I bet half of them would be shocked at their behavior. The other half wouldn't give a shit..lol.

[Bagga]

I disagree.

Maybe 10% would be shocked, and mend their ways.

Maybe 40% wouldn't give a shit.

The other 50% would be delighted that they have succeeded in ruining someone's day, or week, or career.

[Lady Heather]

I can't do it anymore.

I worked a YEAR in a fitting room, at a clearance clothing shop. I can't leave clothes on the floor anymore. I fold them back up and place them back on the pile/display. I hang the clothes back up on hangers as I shop even. I know what hell it is to work retail and I refuse to make their job worse.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

I know to get the fuck out of the cart guy's way from the asshats being too stupid to

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Oh yeah, I do it instinctively. I am eternally patient with phone reps who need to put me on hold, are having computer problems, and/or need to ask a supervisor to get an answer to my question---any of that. I will wait cheerfully. The only thing I get impatient with is a phone person who is either surly or very obviously clueless and doesn't care who knows.

At restaurants my Mother and I will clean up our table, stacking the plates/bowls and putting the garbage on the topmost plate. In fitting rooms I always put clothes back on the hangars properly and take the clothes back to the exact rack I got them from (If I am not buying them, that is). If my neice or nephew accidentally mess up something, my sister and I will straighten it. We also keep a close eye on them and swoop down like hawks if they touch anything that doesn't look obviously like a toy. Once we walked into a vacuum store with my Mother and immediately, in unision, all 3 of us said to the kids 'Don't touch anything.' It is just second nature to us.

[JustADude]

Myself as well. I clean up after myself, stack my dishes, hand the stuff that's further back in the booth over to the waiter if it's a reach, instinctively straighten displays as I browse, etc.

[sms001]

Anybody else ever feel this way?

yeppers. I even went back to a specific clerk at my local grocer recently to give her a quick 'sorry" for some mild suckiness on my part.

Here's one I've long wondered about at the other end of the spectrum though.

As a cleaner upper after SC's, I've occasionally been hampered by overly helpful or apologetic customers.

For instance, coffee spillers at the c-store. Hey - literally thousands of these things cross my counter every week. Some of them are gonna get knocked over. I can clean it up in about a minute with my absorbent rag and mop. You dabbing at it with that handful of (cost the company money and relatively ineffective) napkins are really just in my way

So I try to temper my desire to be an extra good customer with the realization that I might be ignorant about some details of a workplace.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I never leave messes if I can at all help it. I find myself straightening up displays as I shop them. I put my napkins and straw papers and sugar packets on my plate when I am finished eating so the server can get it all at once. I have even picked up literally an armload of stuff from the candy rack while waiting online with my mom at the craft store and given it to the casheir so it could be put away. She looked surprised, until I told her I have worked retail and then she seemed to understand.

If an employee is being less than polite I usually ignore it. I figure it's not personal. Unless they are actually making things more difficult for me I'm not inclined to make a big deal out of things. If I get what I need in a reasonable time frame I'm happy. You'd have to do something fairly egregious for me to seek out a manager and complain.

[myswtghst]

My dad was a busboy for many years in his youth at a Bill Knapps. He was my first intro into the world of being an uber-awesome type customer. I still organize the table after we eat (i.e. I stack plates, putting all silverware on top, pick up all paper and garbage on the table, etc.)

Having worked many CS type jobs, I've noticed I do certain things particularly:
1) I tip well. I tip really well if you're good. I occasionally leave obscenely large tips if you're just that awesome.
2) I am patient. If I'm waiting to be seated in a restaurant even though there are open tables, I remind myself that they may be short-staffed, and that having a table with no waiter/waitress really wouldn't be that great.
3) I am prepared. If I have a return, I gather my reciept and any other necessities. If I'm calling Comcast, I have my bill, extra paper, and a pen.
4) I try not to mind being transferred. I know sometimes that the person who I initially contact may not be able to help, and am agreeable to being transferred to someone who might be able to actually resolve the issue, instead of pestering/abusing someone who can't help me.
5) I am reasonable. I don't expect the moon and the sun, and I know that everyone is just human, like me.

[MMATM]

I, too, tip much better than I used to. Especially at places with "tips" jars. I used to just toss in a bit of change or whatever was left over after I paid in cash, but now I'll make sure I hold on to my change from other shopping or errands and drop the accumulated change in whatever tips jar I can.

I also stack dishes et cetera. Last night, for example, my parents took my girlfriend and myself out to a nice dinner (way expensive too) and between courses I found myself collecting everyone's salad plates and forks, scraping all the leavings onto the top plate and stacking them with the forks on top, not hassling the waitress when she forgot my coffee at the end of the night (it was a last minute type "actually can I have a coffee too?" so she didn't write it down or anything) and I didn't complain when the special I ordered wasn't cooked as well as I'd expected (though I generally don't complain when my steak comes back rarer than anticipated because I like rare meat). Would I have if I was one of the "lives off the pain I see in others" types? Sure. But after standing in those shoes I don't sweat the small stuff. Especially not the meat, since she obviously didn't cook it.

Unlike many customers, I don't think I'm more important and/or better than everyone else. That's what makes the difference, in my opinion.