Customers can be really amazing and wonderful and can truly make your day go right... they can also be the worst thing in the universe... like Emperor Palpatine on steroids kind of Dark Side EVIL...
So let's start this blog with something simple... the three types of Customers as I see them.
The Angel: This is the customer who sees how hard you are working and appreciates it, even when the service isn't quite 'up to par'. Because let's face it, sometimes employees call out and you are left short staffed. Sometimes the power goes out or the system goes down and the only thing you can do is apologize and offer them a little something for the delay. The Angel is the customer that smiles genuinely and thanks you for doing your best. They are the customer that ignores your sweaty face because they saw you in the bathroom plunging the toilet... The Angel Customer is the customer we all like to keep around. In the end, I will give far more to the Angel than I would EVER give to the squeaky wheel... In my opinion, if we all stopped coddling the squeaky wheel, they might stop squeaking...
The Devil Incarnate: This is the person you want to go absolute ham on... This is the customer that, even when everything is going just right, they find something to complain about. They see that you are fixing a broken table, and insist on sitting there... This is the old woman that told me that if I didn't let her grandson onto a ride that he was too short for that she was going to leave and never return. The woman who then threatened to call the owner on me because I wouldn't give in. (Note: As a person in upper management, I don't want customers like that... I prefer to fight for the Angels and let the Devil go back to Hell...Just saying) These are the customers that when the day is going just right, they can ruin it by being... well... just absolutely the worst kind of humanity... (And I mean the WORST!)
Lastly... the one we want even more than the Angel... (Believe that or not)
The God-Send: You don't see these ones often, but they are typically the customers (like me) that have been in the industry themselves and know that when you are behind the desk or out on the floor, you can't say what you REALLY want to say... Well, the God-Send will say it for you! They are such a blessing... One time, I was working at a cash register and a woman came up who wanted to return an item that I had never seen in our store before. So I tried to use the barcode to look it up, to no avail... As I flipped the item over, I quickly realized why... the sticker on the item clearly showed that it had come from a bargain store down the road... I mustered the sweetest voice I could, saying, "Ooops... I'm so sorry. It looks as if this item came from '_____'." I turned the item to show her the tag. She became ruthless, raising her voice as she pressed her hands to the counter saying something to the affect of, "I bought this here... Are you calling me a liar?"
How does one even try to respond to that? Well, this day, I didn't have to... a God-Send was next in line. She stepped forward and said, "Ma'am, he didn't call you a liar, but I will... You clearly bought that at '___', I can see the sticker from here... Leave that young man alone! And kindly step out of line if all you want to do is harass people..."
The woman was so caught off guard, she didn't even know what to say. She just looked at me with a fuming face as though I should step in and tell this God-Send to mind her own business. (I, of course, did no such thing.) I waited silently as the Devil Incarnate gathered herself and left the line. I thanked the God-Send for her kindness... She accepted, and with a genuine smile completed her transaction and left the store. She may not remember me... but I will always remember her...
So I wonder... Are you a Devil Incarnate? Here is a little test...
1) If you sign on to Yelp, Trip Advisor or any other review website and see that you have more than one negative review (3 or lower) for every five 5-Star reviews, you are most likely a Devil Incarnate (Honesty Hurts...)
2) If your family is embarrassed and begs you not to confront an employee, you might very well be a Devil Incarnate...
3) If you have brought a Customer Service rep to tears and didn't apologize, you are DEFINITELY a Devil Incarnate...
4) If your way of getting back at a server is to tip less or worse not tip at all because the food came out late, cold, under-cooked, over-cooked or not up to your standards... you are most certainly a Devil Incarnate... (Ps. If you don't know why this makes you a Devil Incarnate, that should be an indicator... the server doesn't control the food...)
5) And if you do not tip because of anything outside of the wait staff walking out on you... you are NOT a Satan Incarnate... you are an A-Hole...
Thanks for reading :-)
