Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Retail has changed in my lifetime. OK, lots of things have changed. Now I don't want to become my parents, but sometimes I get irritated at the way I'm treated in retail establishments. I try not to show it, and anymore I don't even notice some of the rudeness extended to me; it just seems normal these days.

I'd like to commend a manager in our neighborhood, the manager at Chick-fil-A just south of the Fayetteville square. At first I thought I had been served by a very thoughtful, courteous teenager (not necessarily an oxymoron). However, when I went up to get a refill on my tea, I heard it again from another.

I said, "Thank you." He responded, "My pleasure."

That was the same response I got when I ordered my food. How about a third trip to the counter for a dessert. Me: "Thank you." Her: "My pleasure, sir."

Since then I've been to the drive-in window there and to several other folks at the counter. It's always consistently, "My pleasure." The "sir" at the end seems to be optional.

I'm not naive well, not about this anyway. I know that you don't get that identical response consistently without a manager mandate.

Oh! Did I fail to mention that each response was accompanied by a smile and direct eye contact?

Knowing that repetition is the key to learning, I can imagine how repetitive this manager must be in reinforcing with his team to consistently say, "My pleasure."

Are they sincere when they say it? Don't know, don't care; they say it and smile. Good enough for me.

So, I started paying more attention to what folks in other fast-food restaurants were saying as they served me. Most frequently when I say, "Thank you," they say, "No problem."

I know they mean well, but think about the implications: I was really preoccupied reading my magazine, and you've interrupted me, but "no problem." I was headed for the soda fountain anyway, "no problem." I'm on the clock anyway, "no problem."

Granted, "no problem" isn't really offensive, but I've noticed that no one yet has replied, "no problem" with a smile. I think it may be physically impossible to say, "no problem" and smile at the same time. Just can't be done.

Then there's the grunt. I get that quite a lot too. I'm not sure what exactly the grunt means; it may mean, "drop dead." I say: "Excuse me, may I have some more tea?" Him: "Uhhh." Me: "Thank you!" Him: "Uhhh."

Try smiling while you're saying, "Uhhh." Actually, I think it may be impossible to even look up while you're saying, "Uhhh." I think the grunt means, "I don't want to be here, but nobody will pay me to hang out at the mall."

You've probably been reflecting on your own retail experiences as you've read this. There's one more response that's common: the eye-drooping stare. There's no smile, and it's completely non verbal; just a solemn stare which cries out, "What can I do to get you off my back!?"

Oh, you get your food and probably the correct change (another story entirely), but you sort of feel guilty for bothering the poor soul serving your food. You resist going back for a refill NO! Please! Not the stare again!

How that Chick-fil-A manager gets them to say with a smile while looking me directly in the eye, "My pleasure," I don't really care. Maybe he gives bonuses or maybe he threatens to fire them if they don't. The fact that he gets that kind of compliance is to be commended as far as I'm concerned. It seems sincere, and it makes me think they really are just tickled to serve me.

By the way, if this expresses your sentiments, it was my pleasure.

Wayne Turner

Fayetteville