"The costumer is always right." from the point of view of a waitress 👎
Hi everyone!
So today is a very happy day for me as I finished working at my current job yesterday. It was very stresfull season and I thought since it's all over, I would share some of my thoughts that came to mind while working with people. There is so many I might just write a book on how to behave in bars and restaurants :D
But seriously, I really need to get some anger off my chest so this blog is also a confession for my own peace of mind :)
As I mentioned before, I was working in a beach bar in my town for the summer, and I must say it was a very hard season. I was working almost everyday, sometimes over 12 hours a day, and I don’t think I had a weekend off in an entire summer. Sure, a day here and a day there, but I couldn’t actually do much on these random days off.
Also working with so many different people is so damn exhausting, and this is comming from a person who used to really love working with people.
There were so many amazing and kind costumers who made my days with their humbleness and apreciation for the smallest things. People saying kind words and giving me enormus tips for just being nice to them. That kind of people just warm my heart and instantly make me happier.
But you see, for every 10 kind persons, there is at least one that is absolutely the worst. Unpatient, shameless and rude. I understand, not everyone is the same and that some people just aren’t smiling all the time and are in general more serious and uptight. I also understand that sometimes you just have a bad day and you don’t feel like being extra nice to a waitress, but that doesn’t give you any right to be rude.
I met so many people, who had absolutely no reason to be offensive, and yet they almost made me cry. Oh, you had no idea how mean people can be just because they waited 5 minutes for the coffe.
As the place I was working at tends to get really crowded and my boss never agreed to hire an extra person or two, things were pretty stresfull sometimes. People had to wait, the staff made some mistakes, the kitchen messed some things up, you know just general things not going very smoothly. And unfortunately, we had to work with it.
And there were times where we messed up big time, and some people had every right to be mad or to complain, yet they still managed to stay so damn nice. Those are the extra nice and humble ones. And I am aware not everyone is like that, and that’s okay. Therefore we have people who complain when you make a mistake, and that’s also okay. As long as they stay polite. You tell what is it that’s bothering you, and we fix it. You don’t leave a tip if you weren’t staisfied. You don’t give a big gracious smile. That’s all just fine. But being rude? Being offensive? There is just no need for that. No apology for it. ESPECIALLY if someone is nice to you, treats you kindly and gives you no reason for you to be mad.
Those people, well those are absolute rats. (Im really sorry for the term, but if you are one of the people who feel the need to scream and insult a waitress, or as a matter of fact any worker, than you absolutely deserve this nickname. )
Im sure that the phrase: “ Costumer is always right” led to this kind of behaviour. When people spend as little as 2 euros and think that buys them the right to be treated as some sort of royalty. Even if they spend more, doesn’t make a difference. A waiter or any retail worker is there only to give you something you paid for. You buy a coffe, you get served the coffe and that’s about it. But we reached a point where costumers feel and often actually are treated like kings. My boss didn’t allow us to stand up for ourselves, to say something back to anyone, even if they were rude. She never really stood up for us either, which I think is wrong. Im not paid for being quiet and nod calmly while someone insults me.
I understand you ordered your burger without onions in it.
Im sorry your coffee wasn’t as good as the last time you were here.
I forgot to bring you a glass of water when you asked for it? It happens.
But does that make me stupid? Incapable? I don't think so.
We’re all only humans, we all make mistakes and sometimes you don’t know what kind of day a person is having, or the reason behind him making a certain mistake.
"No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all. Integrity is everything."
So that's it. I feel soo much lighter now that I got this off my chest, and I feel so much happier now that the season is over. and i finally have some time off. Thank you for bearing with me through this one ! :)
Also if all costumers were like this one, the world would be a better place:
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.
- Albert Einstein
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It's funny, I think "The customer is always right" was originally coined in reference to the idea that in order for a business to survive, it has to offer what the customers want. Whatever the consumer chooses is the right choice, because that's where the money flows.
Sadly, it's morphed into today's idea, which is that simply paying for a product or service, the consumer has complete control over the business.
This need for power and control for the consumer is likely rooted in two things:
The transition from a product/manufacturing economy into a service economy - no longer does the customer have to have control over the products, they have to have control over the service. The original meaning of the phrase I think works well for products, but not so much for service.
The shift in wealth over the last few decades to and the growing power of corporations compared to the stagnation of peoples wages and increasing economic obstacles like higher education, healthcare, and housing costs.
While I certainly don't condone customers who think they're entitled to this power just because they're parting with a few dollars, it helps me to try to understand where they're coming from.
Yeah it does help to understand where they're coming from, but still. That's the thing, it shouldn't mean that the costumer has complete control over the business. And I think we made that mistake, by not saying that's wrong. You know what im saying? Costumers got this completely wrong and since nobody tells them to behave differently they keep on building that kind of behaviour. It sucks :/
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Thank you kind sir :D
Sir????????
@kid4life Sir?
Nop, call me bro:P
And no problem, stay awesome!
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UPVOTED! I completely understand and agree with you. Working any type of customer service can be VERY challenging, but I know waitressing can be especially brutal.
Some people are soooo nice and others can be soooo toxic! We just do the best we can and ride the wave...
Thanks for your posting! :-)