You know that flight attendant who flipped out and quit his job? The one who grabbed two beers and then escaped out the emergency exit slide of the airplane?
I think that’s awesome.
Maybe it’s going overboard, but it’s a funny story, and who in customer service hasn’t dreamed of doing something similar?
I remember working in the hotel and people freaking out for the stupidest reasons. One time a man ran in SCREAMING that the dryer had eaten his 50 cents. SCREAMING. And yet, Americans seem to think that the customer is always right, and it doesn’t matter how the staff is treated, only that the customer is happy.
It is really inhumane the way some people treat those who work in customer service. It’s like they never grew up with respect for anyone else. They are so self-centered, and they seem to see the staff as subhuman.
I realize that it’s called the “service industry” for a reason. These jobs are to serve others. But just because someone makes your coffee for you doesn’t make them any less of a human being. They don’t deserve to be yelled at because they forgot to put in your 2,000 calories worth of caramel syrup (or because you forgot to ask for it). Just ask them nicely to fix it.
Sometimes customers come in looking for a fight. Why? I’m not sure. They have a chip on their shoulder from something, and they are going to take it out on someone who can’t fight back. Someone who will probably lose their job if they do.
I personally think it is ridiculous that anyone is expected to put up with such poor treatment. I think a company should back their employees. I know the goal of the company is to make money, but what kind of company thinks it’s okay that their employees are being harassed and mistreated?
I remember having to watch customer service training videos, that basically said that when someone yells at you for something that is not your fault, you are supposed to not only roll over and take it, you are supposed to cheerfully do anything in your power to fix the problem.
Anyone who has worked in customer service for very long probably knows what happens when you do not cheerfully bend over backwards for a screaming psychopath. They talk to your manager. And then you get in trouble. For what? For treating them the same way they treated you? Probably you weren’t even that rude. Probably you just asked them to stop yelling at you. Which one would think would be a reasonable request, but believe me, irate customers do not appreciate this.
I think what this all boils down to is that our society accepts and even encourages this kind of behavior in people. Everyone seems to think that they should get whatever they want, RIGHT NOW, and that other people don’t matter. Anyone who works in Starbucks or at the mall isn’t really a person, so it’s not necessary to be nice to them. Besides, if we treated other people like humans who would we take out our aggression on? If we treated them like we would want to be treated… No. That’s not possible. No one else can be the center of the universe, or even part of it, because all people seem to think about is me, me, me.
It’s no wonder we want to steal beers and escape via emergency exit slides.
