"The customer is always right." Having worked in high volume, high end retail on a handful of jobs, I struggle with this particular notion. I do believe that great service is a must, and if a customer has not received a desired standard of service, a complaint is not unfounded. In that aspect of business, sure, the customer should get what they want. There is, however, a moral aspect that continues to be in issue for me: if the customer is always right, does it then make it socially acceptable for a customer to treat those who are serving them with disrespect and rudeness? My Libran trait of being a fierce advocate of fairness amongst all people immediately yells, NO NO NO! Condoning disgusting behavior from a customer is not acceptable! Customer and customer service employees aside, we are, at the end of it, all human beings, and regardless of social standing in professional contexts, we all deserve to be treated as such.
One of the actualities of being in show business is that it is a very cyclical profession; one day you could be in your final rehearsal before opening night of a major show whereupon you will be photographed and admired on the red carpet, and a few months down the line, you could be back on the audition circuit, unemployed, waiting (and praying) for the next contract to roll around. To tide me over when I have been in such circumstances, I have had the pleasure of selling wedding gowns in a lovely London boutique, selling delicious dark chocolate in a Disneyworld for chocolate lovers in the West Village, and selling fine teas (miracles of nature, I staunchly believe!) in a beautiful SoHo space. The common factor of all of these is the huge amount of face-to-face customer interaction. I have been lucky enough to adore each "survival" job. Watching a bride's face when putting her in a wedding gown that turns out to be "the one;" Indulging the sweet tooth of someone who looks in amazement at the slabs of chocolate laying out before them; Conducting a tea tasting for someone who is reduced to smiling a copacetic tea smile. These moments are quite lovely, and as someone who, if I could choose any other profession if my soul not demanded that I dance, would choose to be a psychologist, for me they are moments of true human connection. 90% of the time, helping customers is a real pleasure. Of course, I'd rather be doing 8 shows a week, but life is give and take, so I am okay with "doing time" off-stage before I receive the next gifts of the chance to dance again. This point is something that some people to not understand about those of us in customer service. In my experience, the majority of us are artists and performers, biding our time in a semi-flexible job until we are given that opportunity to express ourselves in our chosen career. The fact that we have to support ourselves through retail work or bar work does not make us stupid, nay, it makes us committed to our goals, dreams, and desires that we would rather work in a flexible customer service position than at a more stable office position with better financial opportunity but less flexibility to pursue our true passions. And yet, to some, we are merely seen as uneducated, low-ranking members of society who cannot possibly be more complex.
Would you believe that, sometimes, when I eagerly greet a customer into the store by genuinely saying, "hello, how are you?" that they look me right in the eye, then proceed to look away without so much as a smile because in their eyes I am not worthy of a basic greeting? Would you believe that, whether it be wedding gowns, chocolate, or tea, when I have used my knowledge (I have been quite adequately trained in selling these products, after all) to make a suggestion, I have been met with a look of disgust which is meant to imply that I have no idea of what I am talking about? Would you believe that I have been made to cry on the floor by a customer who, because she disagreed with store policy and I was very politely but assertively not bending the rules for her, actually said to me, "are you trying to get yourself fired? shut-up, don't talk to me?" I am a confident, happy person, and that strangers can make me feel so degraded and inadequate is NOT acceptable, even if the customer is always right. From my moral standpoint, it's just not. The truth is, the majority of people whom I've had the pleasure of working with on these various "survival" jobs are smart enough to choose a more stable career path. Call me arrogant if you like, but if I really wanted to hold down a "better" job I do believe I could, so it is infuriating to me when I encounter a customer with an "I'm better than you" attitude. You see people from all walks of life when working high volume retail, and I have come to learn that, you can have all the money, good-looks, and education in the world, but none of that buys class when you are rude for no reason to the person who is serving you. Most of us are not in awe of the self-entitled yuppie who walks into the store with the air of, "I have everything that I want, aren't you jealous?" (these people exist) then proceed to treat us like servants. On the contrary; they walk out of the store and we discuss the moron that just came in with the awful attitude.
When I was doing 8 shows a week, whether it be as a member of the ensemble or the leading role, I treated everyone equally. From my co-performers, to the dressers, to the choreographer, to the stage management crew, I never made a distinction. When I walk into a shop or into a restaurant or am on hold with a customer service representative, I hope that I am always polite and good-natured. No one deserves to be made to feel not good enough, no matter how bad of a day you may be having, or whether or not you agree with store policy. Because if you disagree with store policy and believe that the customer is always right, therefore, store policy should be changed just for you because you are more important than the thousands of other customers who walk in and out of the shop/restaurant/bar every year, then I believe that you have no class and no etiquette, and, quite frankly, that you are an idiot. So, the customer may always be "right," but that certainly doesn't mean that the customer is always considerate and courteous. I know which type of customer I'd rather be (and wait on).
copyright (c) 2010-2011 Celia Mei Rubin
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
10 Gross Things A New Yorker Will Do Before They Get Rich Enough To Take Taxis Everywhere And Employ A Maid
1. Plunge poop blockage in the toilet.
FACT: NYC plumbing sucks. Yours Truly would like the audience to be reminded that I have worked the plunge technique to near-perfection, and can plunge a toilet in under 2 seconds.
2. Sweep Mouse poop off the kitchen floor.
And the kitchen counters. I'm not sure I'd make my maid do this even if I had a maid.
3. Sit next to a smelly homeless person in Grand Central
There's a couple of them that we can recognise. Sometimes they're digging through garbage; sometimes they're leaning against the wall: half-standing, half-sitting, whole-drunk; sometimes they're sitting next to me as I eat my lunch before boarding a train.
4. Walk through stench in Chinatown.
Ah, the fish that are still alive, their gills gasping for oxygen whilst laying over ice. Next to them, the lobsters wave their rubber-banded claws at passing white people whose mouths are agape in part amusement, part horror. The rows upon rows of weirdo herbs that must be part of the magical potions that the Asians drink to keep them wrinkle-free. I love me some Chinatown stench.
5. Pick up someone else's garbage that has been left illegally on the doorstep.
There are laws against putting garbage out in certain places at certain times. There are people that disregard this law. However, it doesn't matter who leaves the garbage out, it's the person who's doorstep the garbage is left on who will be fined. Cue gross action #5.
6. Eat out-of-date food.
Hey, when you're stretching the pennies, you'll eat anything that won't make you sick. If it smells good, it's fine! We may be conditioned to believe that eating certain things past their due date or if they're not cooked properly may be a health hazard. My roommate is convinced that, at some point during her travels in India, she ate human feces. And, hey, she's still here and a picture of great physical health!
7. Go two days without showering because the landlord has not fixed the broken boiler.
Picture this: It was the middle of winter in NYC and a tiny Chinese-Jew came home from a 10 hour shift to a freezing apartment. Eager to warm up, she checked the radiators: freezing. In a little panic, she checked the hot water: nothing. The boiler had broken in the morning and the landlord had been unable to fix it all day. He assured her that it would be fixed the next morning. Tiny Chinese-Jews don't take well to the cold, let alone freezing showers, so, having not showered since the prior evening, our tiny Chinese-Jew nonetheless went to bed without a shower. Wearing 4 layers of clothes, she lay in bed underneath 2 duvets unable to fall asleep due to her shivering. She prayed as she went to the shower in the morning that the boiler was fixed. However, it was 7am, so of course the boiler man hadn't yet arrived. She was so cold and exhausted from her night of shivering that she could not bring herself to even remove her 4 layers of clothes and went to work her next 10 hour shift without a shower. She prayed and prayed to return home to hot water that evening. Not many things make a tiny Chinese-Jew sick, but lack of sleep and feeling cold are 2 culprits, and she was being harassed by both. Thankfully, she DID return home to hot water, and as she stood under the soothing heat of her first shower in almost 2 days, she thanked the Shower Gods for the gifts of heat and hot water. The End.
8. Dodge huge rats.
NYC rats are HUGE, and their mission in life is to run up and down subway platforms to freak tourists out.
9. Catch and kill a mouse.
Or, in the case of many New-Yorkers, catch and kill mouse after mouse after mouse, but they just keep coming. It's actually quite sad. Rabies aside, the little things are really very cute and it breaks my heart to see them on the glue trap every time. I have a big admission to make: the reason I sweep mouse poop off the floor is because I'd rather let the mice live then catch and kill them. All the food is in the fridge in airtight containers. so as long as they are not getting into the food and only coming out at night when the house is asleep, then I'm happy to deal with their little poopies.
10. Ride a subway that smells of farts.
Seriously. WHY do people fart on the subway?? WHY????? It's gross, it's rude, and isn't it embarrassing?!
Got your own gross NYC experiences? Share and tell so that we may all revel in each other's grossness!
copyright (c) 2010-2011 Celia Mei Rubin
FACT: NYC plumbing sucks. Yours Truly would like the audience to be reminded that I have worked the plunge technique to near-perfection, and can plunge a toilet in under 2 seconds.
2. Sweep Mouse poop off the kitchen floor.
And the kitchen counters. I'm not sure I'd make my maid do this even if I had a maid.
3. Sit next to a smelly homeless person in Grand Central
There's a couple of them that we can recognise. Sometimes they're digging through garbage; sometimes they're leaning against the wall: half-standing, half-sitting, whole-drunk; sometimes they're sitting next to me as I eat my lunch before boarding a train.
4. Walk through stench in Chinatown.
Ah, the fish that are still alive, their gills gasping for oxygen whilst laying over ice. Next to them, the lobsters wave their rubber-banded claws at passing white people whose mouths are agape in part amusement, part horror. The rows upon rows of weirdo herbs that must be part of the magical potions that the Asians drink to keep them wrinkle-free. I love me some Chinatown stench.
5. Pick up someone else's garbage that has been left illegally on the doorstep.
There are laws against putting garbage out in certain places at certain times. There are people that disregard this law. However, it doesn't matter who leaves the garbage out, it's the person who's doorstep the garbage is left on who will be fined. Cue gross action #5.
6. Eat out-of-date food.
Hey, when you're stretching the pennies, you'll eat anything that won't make you sick. If it smells good, it's fine! We may be conditioned to believe that eating certain things past their due date or if they're not cooked properly may be a health hazard. My roommate is convinced that, at some point during her travels in India, she ate human feces. And, hey, she's still here and a picture of great physical health!
7. Go two days without showering because the landlord has not fixed the broken boiler.
Picture this: It was the middle of winter in NYC and a tiny Chinese-Jew came home from a 10 hour shift to a freezing apartment. Eager to warm up, she checked the radiators: freezing. In a little panic, she checked the hot water: nothing. The boiler had broken in the morning and the landlord had been unable to fix it all day. He assured her that it would be fixed the next morning. Tiny Chinese-Jews don't take well to the cold, let alone freezing showers, so, having not showered since the prior evening, our tiny Chinese-Jew nonetheless went to bed without a shower. Wearing 4 layers of clothes, she lay in bed underneath 2 duvets unable to fall asleep due to her shivering. She prayed as she went to the shower in the morning that the boiler was fixed. However, it was 7am, so of course the boiler man hadn't yet arrived. She was so cold and exhausted from her night of shivering that she could not bring herself to even remove her 4 layers of clothes and went to work her next 10 hour shift without a shower. She prayed and prayed to return home to hot water that evening. Not many things make a tiny Chinese-Jew sick, but lack of sleep and feeling cold are 2 culprits, and she was being harassed by both. Thankfully, she DID return home to hot water, and as she stood under the soothing heat of her first shower in almost 2 days, she thanked the Shower Gods for the gifts of heat and hot water. The End.
8. Dodge huge rats.
NYC rats are HUGE, and their mission in life is to run up and down subway platforms to freak tourists out.
9. Catch and kill a mouse.
Or, in the case of many New-Yorkers, catch and kill mouse after mouse after mouse, but they just keep coming. It's actually quite sad. Rabies aside, the little things are really very cute and it breaks my heart to see them on the glue trap every time. I have a big admission to make: the reason I sweep mouse poop off the floor is because I'd rather let the mice live then catch and kill them. All the food is in the fridge in airtight containers. so as long as they are not getting into the food and only coming out at night when the house is asleep, then I'm happy to deal with their little poopies.
10. Ride a subway that smells of farts.
Seriously. WHY do people fart on the subway?? WHY????? It's gross, it's rude, and isn't it embarrassing?!
Got your own gross NYC experiences? Share and tell so that we may all revel in each other's grossness!
copyright (c) 2010-2011 Celia Mei Rubin
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