By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

As my wife can testify, I hate to shop. There are many reasons why this is so but chief among them is the dearth of customer service at so many businesses. Some businesses just don't seem to care much about customers.

However, last Saturday, because we were hosting a birthday party for our middle son and our third grandchild, off to the Shannon Mall in Union City we went. My wife had already purchased the gifts for the grandson who was turning 4, so we went in search of an appropriate gift for our 26-year-old son.

It didn't take long to decide on a gas grill at Sears. John loves to grill and is quite an amateur cook. The saleslady was very helpful and the model of politeness and courtesy. Having paid for the grill, we were directed to Package Pick-Up.

I have not generally had wonderful experiences at package pickup areas. With some trepidation, I left my wife in the van and, receipt in hand, strolled into the area where they promised my packages, a grill and one of those empty propane gas tank things, would be out in a jiffy.

To my surprise, a new machine had been installed that would "read" my receipt, transmit a message to the package guys somewhere in the bowels of the building, and, supposedly, my packages would be in my van in short order. In fact, when the machine read my receipt, a little message came up on the screen that pledged that my packages would be out in less than five minutes.

"Wow!" I thought, "Technology is wonderful." I looked at the monitor on the wall that kept time on how long the package guys were taking. It was then that I began to have my doubts.

The monitor also recorded the times of the three previous orders. One customer had to wait 13 minutes and 28 seconds. Another had a 10-minute-2-second wait. The third customer had waited 7 minutes and 7 seconds. None were under the five-minute time limit pledged on the fancy new machine.

"But," I reasoned, "the package pickup was probably crowded then and I'm the only one waiting. Surely, my package will come more quickly." What a dumb assumption that was!

Finally, after I had been waiting 11 minutes and 14 seconds, according to the wondrous technology of the monitor on the wall, I knocked on the service window and spoke to a real live person whose response, after glancing at the monitor, was, "Huh. You've been waiting too long for your order." I knew that already.

After 13 minutes, a gentleman in a tie passed by me, apologized, and said I would receive a coupon for $5 off on my next order when I came back to Sears to shop. He assumed, evidently, that after waiting nearly three times longer than the machine said I would have to wait, I would actually return to Sears. Still, I stood alone in the waiting area and waited ... and waited ... and waited.

Eventually, after 22 minutes and 2 seconds, a big guy strolled through the door with my items on the cart. "Sorry you had to wait," he said with a smile.

I nodded back and didn't smile.

The lady inside the service window said, "Sorry it took so long."

My reply was, "Madam, I was the only person in here waiting on a package. It took nearly five times longer than your machine said I would have to wait. That's entirely too long, even if the lobby were crowded."

Sheepishly, she said, "Sorry." I know it wasn't her fault. This is a management problem.

I mean, I don't get it. The people at the Sears package pickup were looking at the same monitor I was looking at. Could not someone go and hurry the package guys up a little? Does this happen all the time? Does every customer have to wait as long as I, and the three before me, had to wait?

Is no one attempting to deal with the problem of poor customer service? Is no one trained to actually help the customer who is waiting ever impatiently, staring repeatedly at his watch, and turning red around the ears, as he thinks of his poor wife sitting in a hot van in the parking lot for 22 minutes and 2 seconds? Or do the folks at Sears Package Pick-Up in Union City just don't care?

As the Bible says somewhere, "Thou whosoever valuest not thy customer shall not long keep thy customer's business."

What's that you say? That's not in the Bible? Are you sure?

Oh. Well, anyway, another birthday is coming up next month for another grandson. I wonder if Wal-Mart values customers?

[David Epps is rector of Christ the King Church in the south metro area of Atlanta. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]

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