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Do the rest of you have this reaction? I walked into a Staples store on Sixth Ave. and 23rd St. in Manhattan Thursday night, needing a few mundane items
I was helped by five – count ‘em, five – nice people with smiles and time and knowledge. One young woman met me at the door, pointed me in the right direction. One clerk dug out a 2012 datebook from a bottom shelf and another fitted refills for several pens, hardly big-ticket items and all requiring more than a few seconds of attention. And two cashiers could not have been more pleasant. Then I read Paul Krugman’s Friday column in The New York Times that Staples has a policy of hiring for service, rather than downsizing. Those polite and well-prepared people were not there by accident. I had the same experience on the phone the other night when I tried to cope with the hopeless non-instructions that came with a new HP printer. I was stunned to get through to Customer Support in Kolkata. The young man said “Calcutta,” the old Anglicized version, as if to reassure his grumpy caller, but we have a family affinity for India, and I knew I was in good hands. He talked me through the inscrutable process and the printer was humming in a short time. Meantime, we hear politicians braying about growing the economy, but the biggest fortunes seem to be amassed by entrepreneurs – no names mentioned -- who line employees against a brick wall and machine-gun ‘em down. I’m not good at the math, but my visceral impression is that I am going to give my business to companies that provide service, whether in person or from Kolkata. Doesn’t that make sense to you?
Bruce K
1/8/2012 08:22:49 am
Customer service has gotten so bad that we are surprised to receive good service in a store or restaurant. But, in this economic downturn, doesn't it make sense that good service translates into good word of mouth, and therefore, repeat business? I would love to discover that this is going to become the new normal for our country.
George Vecsey
1/8/2012 11:26:57 am
I always get a kick out of women in traditional costumes bowing and greeting outside Japanese or Korean department stores. But I would settle for workers in US stores who have been told they are there to give service. Too often, that kind of staffer has been downsized so that a top executive can have a bigger payoff. Comments are closed.
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“I don’t think people understand how Covid affects older Americans,” Mr. Caretti said with frustration. “In 2020, there was this all-in-this-together vibe, and it’s been annihilated. People just need to care about other people, man. That’s my soapbox.” ---Vic Caretti, 47, whose father recently died of Covid at 85. ---From an article by Paula Span, who covers old age for the NYT, which currently has 2646 comments, the majority criticizing the American public – and public officials – for acting as if the pandemic is “over.” Classic wishful thinking, at a lethal level. Please see: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/11/health/covid-pandemic-seniors.html Categories
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