I've worked for almost three years for a company that I absolutely love. My coworkers are great, the company is great, however the customers- not always great.
For some reason, some customers feel it's necessary to talk down to employees. I can hardly go a shift without a customer getting mad (or mouthy) with me about something out of my control, such as prices. Just last week, I had someone argue with me about a policy that had been in place for over 2 1/2 years.
Every time something like that happens, it always makes me aware of how I may come off as a customer, and I can honestly say that I don't treat people in customer service the way that I am treated. It's unusual that I don't say please, or thank you, or tell them to have a nice day. If someone's providing you a service- you shouldn't be mean to them. Does an employee get paid to do their job and provide services? Yes. However, that does not mean that the customer needs to make their job harder by arguing with them, or disrespecting them.
While this may come off as another whiny rant, I promise you- it's more of a call to action to treat employees better. Here's three simple things to keep in mind the next time you're the customer:
First: Say thank you. It's extremely simple, and honestly, it always makes my day a lot better when it happens.
Second: Accept that the employee may know more than you do about the company. If I tell you that it's company policy, odds are- I'm not lying.
Third: Don't try to get special treatment, and then get upset when I say I can't do something outside of job description. (I'm talking about people who try to get additional things for free, and get mad when I can't do it.)
The hardest part of a job shouldn't be the customers. But it often is. Don't get me wrong- I love my job and think I work for a wonderful company, but my shifts become a lot more strenuous whenever I'm spoken to rudely by customers.
(This being said, I do have customers that I absolutely love. They're usually regulars, and always ask me how I am and how my day is going. I'm very thankful for them- they make my job a lot brighter.)
