People watching has always been a fun thing for me. The differences observed can be over whelming, either positively or negatively. You know ; you’ve made similar observations throughout the years.
Here is an example. Byron and I were having my car serviced and we sat in a waiting room with seven other people, all waiting for the word, ” Your vehicle is ready “. Three of the seven were on computers ( stands to reason in today’s world ) ; one was texting on her cell phone ; one gentleman, surprisingly, was doing nothing ; one was playing Word Search on a REAL booklet ; one was reading a REAL magazine ; one was doing needlepoint ( guess who ); and one was reading a thriller on his NOOK ( guess who ). Found this to be an interesting brief commentary on human interests and today’s culture. My thought : so happy to see a healthy division between the world of technology and other interests.
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And then there’s critical thinking regarding people-watching which looks to courtesy, competency, helpfulness, and/or to rudeness, incompetency, disregard. Examples :
Same day, same place : while we were in waiting room, customer service representative dropped by to assure us that if we were uncomfortable with the number of people in said waiting room, there was an empty room close by. Nobody moved because seats were spread out. Later in the morning the power went out and customer service representative came into waiting room to ask if were all right and to apologize for the inconvenience. Competent, helpful, courteous.
Same day, same place : I was sitting facing the coffee/sweet roll area ( all gifts for waiting customers ) and the microwave caught on fire. A customer was using it, so I assumed she reported it. WRONG ! Obviously, no report, so I caught a young employee in the hall and shared my concern. In five minutes microwave was dismantled and gone ! Competent, helpful, courteous.
Same day, same place : the power issue was a blown transformer in the neighborhood so the ability to pay the bill with credit/debit cards was gone. But our very special salesman/friend came to check on us, went to billing, and assured us that we could pay with a check or cash ( check for us ; never carry cash ! )——–by flashlight or phone light ! We were out of there. Competent, helpful, courteous.
This was not intended as an ad for Heyward Allen Toyota in Athens, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Kudos to this dealership for its competency, helpfulness, and courtesy————-and Tim Jump’s the man !!!!!!
The other side of the coin : shopping locally and couldn’t locate a brand I wanted. Asked the cute young blonde cashier about my problem, and she replied, ” I don’t know. ” Not ” check such and such an aisle ” or ” let me check for you ” or ” I’ll ask somebody “. Just ” I don’t know “. Methinks she needs further training——perhaps at Heyward Allen !!!!!
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That’s a great piece. Shows the difference in attitudes and, I think, up bringing. Similar but not as observant. Tried to return a product at a store in Toccoa, never have had a problem with this store before, this young lady, said no we can’t take it back without a receipt and the original box it was in. I said I have before and it was not a problem. No we can’t. I would have left with a better taste if she had said, I don’t think that’s possible, let me check with the manager/supervisor etc and see if I’m correct. No just we can’t do it.
Exactly !
Loved it…
Being in a profession that has helpfulness and hospitality at it’s core is becoming harder and harder these days. How children are raised now is forcing companies to train them…which as we all know…is usually too late!
Amen to that. One of my friends, a retired pharmacist, stated the same thing. And too many young people feel entitled to do it their way, an over-riding issue with today’s culture. My small purchase wouldn’t have meant much at the time, but that purchase times 50 or 60 more would. Anyway, fortunately, the majority of my BLOG had to do with outstanding customer service at the Toyota dealership. Thank you for reading and commenting.
You know I love Tim Jump❤️❤️ I rarely do business at Hayward Allen, but if the business is run by folks like him, its “the Bomb!” And, you are right about the lack of customer service in many business today. We worked serving customers in some way our entire lives. Sadly, it’s a lost art.
Tim had come by to visit with us earlier, but it was so nice for him to check on us when the power went. Fortunately, Byron always carries an emergency check. So many people couldn’t leave because they were relying on plastic totally.
We have always had good experiences at Heyward Allen, which is why we continue to do business there. And we love Tim, too !
I bought my car at Miller Toyota in 2016 and have been very pleased with
the Service Department each time I take my car in for service. I also continue to see
Sam, who sold me the car and taught me to use the navigation system and set all
my phone numbers into the car. He is always ready to help.
YAY for Toyota !!! Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed our phone conversation earlier. Take care.