Arrogance.

[zelper]

*waves hand in mystical fashion*

This is not the thread you are looking for.

By this I mean that this is definitely not a thread about SC arrogance.

Background: I'm a traindriver. Or learning to be one anyway. And boy is there lots to learn. I always have an instructor with me who is ultimately in charge of the train and who is teaching me how to run things. And last week I had the strangest lesson ever!

I brought my train out of the siding and drew up to the platform on time. I'd say there were about 100 people waiting there for me which is quite a lot and I suspect that the train in front of me had been taken out of service for some reason and they'd all been waiting a while. So I get the train to the stopping mark and raise my hand to the 'door open' buttons. And that's where it got weird.

IO: My instructor
Me:


IO: Stop!
Me: What?! (thinking I had done something wrong)
IO: Don't open the doors.
Me: Um....ok.....

We sat there for a moment. Doing nothing.

Me: Why not? There's people waiting?
IO: You have to learn something here.
Me: I could learn it while they are all getting on you know.
IO: Nope. You need to learn arrogance.
Me: Huh?
IO: See all those people standing impatiently on the platform desperate to get on?
Me: I can't miss them!
IO: Stuff 'em. They can wait. This is your train and you are in charge. Not them. You don't go into service just cos they are there. You go into service when you are happy to do so.
Me: Huh?!
IO: You need to learn to be arrogant with customers. Just a little bit. If something goes wrong everyone needs to know that you are in charge. Just sit here.

So we sat for a bit. Doing nothing. Getting dirty looks from the customers. Eventually I opened the doors and they quietly got on. Complaints? Not a peep outta them.

I'm in AWE of our training procedures!

[Rahmota]

Sounds like when i was in Peace officer training.

Why do you think the officer is sitting back there so long when he pulls you over. Sometimes he's waiting for more info on your tags or liscence or warrents search but usually hes got that before he pulls you over. Its sometimes just so you get nervous and off balance when he approaches. you start twitching around in the car, jerking your seatbelt on other movements and if you are guilty of something sometimes those folks will blow it by their actions.


It happened on one of my ridealongs.

ME: ME
OFC: Officer Dan

We pulled over a car that had a tailight out. Ran the plates and got the driver info before OFC hit the lights.

When the ca parked I started to get out but this happend:
OFC: Hang on a sec.
ME: Why?
OFC: Well lets watch him a minute to see if he starts getting twitchy. If hes got somethign to hide he'll freak out. besides you don't wanna seem too anxious.
ME: Oh ok.
So we sit there about a minute while the guy keeps glancing in his mirror and all he sees is the bar and the takedowns.
By the time we get out and walk up he's quite cooperative and acceptive. Almost down right grateful just to get a warning ticket instead of a fixit.

[TNT]

Apparently, that's also the way our local bus drivers are trained. Passengers can be standing outside in the cold, wind and rain, but the drivers won't open the door until they're good and ready.

[zelper]

Yup, that's generally because bus drivers don't get a place to have a break. There are legal requirements about driving and taking breaks (for buses and trains) and if the public are on board then you are minding them so you are working. Which means the bus/train doesn't move for even longer because the driver still needs his break.

[Strange Magic]

In my new position as a brand rep for a appliance manufacturer I visit the same kinds of places I worked as as a salesman and I got the shock of my life when I was told that I was to deal with no customer issues and to even tell them "no" if they ask me to help load up aappliance into their truck........wheee...
*it's good to be on this side of the retail experience*

[Giggle Goose]

Wow. Sounds like the people at my Department of Motor Vehicles has the same kind of 'arrogance' training. Except they also get 'laziness' training since they take a break to go get a donut before every number gets called even when the whole county is standing in line for something. I guess they do it just cuz they can, since it's not like they have competition or anything, we all have to go there at some point.

[Hempress]

In my new position as a brand rep for a appliance manufacturer I visit the same kinds of places I worked as as a salesman and I got the shock of my life when I was told that I was to deal with no customer issues and to even tell them "no" if they ask me to help load up aappliance into their truck........wheee...
*it's good to be on this side of the retail experience*

My mom has a job like that. She works for a vendor company inside a large orange home improvement store. She's too nice to tell customers to leave her alone (she'll usually help them if she can) but she's allowed to if she wants. There are a lot of things that she's not even allowed to do for customers, but does that stop them? Heavens no! They still expect her to get things down or whatever with the forklift, even though it's illegal for her to do so.

[MadMike]

Why do you think the officer is sitting back there so long when he pulls you over. Sometimes he's waiting for more info on your tags or liscence or warrents search but usually hes got that before he pulls you over. Its sometimes just so you get nervous and off balance when he approaches. you start twitching around in the car, jerking your seatbelt on other movements and if you are guilty of something sometimes those folks will blow it by their actions.

"Well, you might as well write me another ticket, because I'm really going to have to speed to get there now!"

I heard this from some stand-up comedian ages ago. No idea who.