Screw thy Customer

by David Gluzman

Buying stuff.. I’m not terribly fond of the events that must take place in order to purchase some items. In particular, I’m not a fan of fending off my personal space to pushy teenagers pretending to know their shit and trying to sell me stuff (*cough* any electronics store *cough*). Generally, if I need help I’ll ask for it.

And this is where it gets interesting.

Being judged is something we all face in our day to day lives. I’m perfectly comfortable being ignored if I walk into a BMW dealership. Maybe I don’t fit the bill (walking around in an orange R4NT shirt doesn’t exactly exude richness), but when I walk into a store that sells items that I can afford, yet be ignored or treated like dirt; that’s when I get frustrated.

Believe it or not people in their 20’s are ready to dish out cash to purchase ‘stuff’. Trying to buy furniture is interesting; trying to buy a house is even more interesting. But my favorite still remains talking to the banks. I don’t ask for much, I simply want to be treated relatively the same as a 40 year old walking into your establishment. And heck why shouldn’t I?

What really blows my mind is that being treated like crap is incredibly consistent. Go try and buy some new clothes, a new car, or even some new kitchen appliances. Just about anything. The same looks, “pffht, they can’t afford anything here”. Yet the most appalling is trying to buy a home. The amount of help I received from the real estate people was beyond my comprehension. They are: Absolutely and completely useless. If it hadn’t been thanks to my network of friends and family, I would never have been able to complete the process.

Have you ever noticed if you go to a fancy restaurant with your parents you will be waited on completely differently (better) than if you came in as a young couple? It’s not like I come in with my dates as a hobo. I’m styled out, and got the plastic to shove into their faces to pay for the meal and the service. Bring it on! But nooo – Let’s seat these people right near the kitchen, in a crooked chair, with a wobbly table, mismatched cutlery, dirty plates, never full water glasses and please please, don’t ask if they’d like more wine. Seriously, do people not want to get tipped? I’m a fond believer of tipping what the service is worth.

Maybe if everyone was paid on straight commission we’d all get better service? Then again maybe we’d all burnout from buying groceries.

In this day and age, I do not think companies and individuals can risk picking their clients. You must play the spread and do so with the best quality of customer service possible. If I am not buying something in your store that day, don’t piss in my face. Maybe I would have come back otherwise. No one is a second class citizen, and everyone has the right to a smile. If you’re open for business, you’re open to helping everyone.

  • Screw thy Customer
  • by David Gluzman
  • Published on May 1st, 2004

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