Can I Get A Simple, Sincere Apology?

Hi Ally. Thanks for offering your perspective. I think you point out something that businesses and associations really need to get clear with themselves: you can't create a passion-provoking customer experience in a vacuum. It's really an inside job meaning that you've got to treat your employees right before they'll begin to treat your customers and members right.

Hello. I thought I'd offer a different point of view here. First off, no, it is not too much to ask for an apology, you are correct there. However, having worked in fast food for the past 2 years I can tell you that most places do not treat their employees very well and the pay is even worse. We are expected to do more and more for less and less money. We have to fight for pennies sometimes (literally, I had to fight for a 2 cent increase in my raise at one point and found out my boss later told another employee that he did it just to "shut me up"). And I work at a locally owned fast food place that tends to be better to their employees!
The public also wants more for less money which means less profits which means less pay for employees at the bottom (the ones who mainly deal with the public). There used to be a time when most people would pay more for better quality but it seems now more people would rather get cheap stuff and not pay as much, even if it means bad customer service.

Hi all (and welcome Patty), I've just returned from eastern Tennessee and I've come to a rather simple conclusion: it's all in where you are located. Okay, maybe not all, but let me offer some interesting and brief thoughts:

Nearly every place we went, we had very good service. At a barbecue joint, we had one of the very best servers that I can recall. While the ribs were great, the whole experience was made spectacular by Susie. There was a Starbucks near the motel and the two women who worked there seemed to genuinely care that I would have a nice day.

Is there a moral here? Compared to Washington DC, Johnson City, TN is a place with a slower and more laid-back lifestyle. Could there be something to the urban experience that makes it dramatically different to that of a smaller town? Intuitively, it makes some sense. But then, I've had a great experience shopping at Trader Joe's around here. That's one place that GETS the whole customer experience.

Even though I know that being upset hurts "me", I'm human, and I keep getting that lesson put in front of me. One of these times, I'll get it right.:)

Stuart Wilde once said something about: What you see on this Earth is all a part of evolution.

For some reason, that sounded "hope-filled" for me...as well as those who I get upset with.:)

We are fortunate in Ponte Vedra. All our grocery stores seem to be well managed. Our restaurants, on the other hand, are another story. Nothing infuriates me more than an apathetic or distracted waiter.

Is it too much to expect a sincere apology? I don't think so.

Hi Chris...
It's been a long time.
Sometimes I think life is a has a little cloud over those of us who are passionate about customer service. It's so important and we get so upset when we see others failing so badly at it or not caring a bit about it. Ignorance can be bliss sometimes...but not for long.
Aloha!