Busy people (like yourselves) may not get an opportunity too often to observe and analyse the retail transaction. I also suffer from a dearth of time and tend to "zip in and out" of shops and malls (more on that for a later post).
However, I have noticed a distinct lack of common courtesy amongst retail staff, and have developed an instinctive almost Pavlovian response to the absence of "please" & "thank you".
Case Number 1: On a number of occasions I have been asked by a member of the family to "pick up a muffin" on the way out of the shopping centre. The locale in question is a franchise operation (which I shall not name, giving them a "break" :)) and each time I have been there I have been served by a spotty teenager (escapee from The Simpsons?) who simply replies "Four dollars" to my request for a choc chip muffin. When he hands me the bag I hand him a fiver with the retort "Four dollars please". He says sheepily "four dollars please" and then hands me my change and says "thank you".
This has been going on (off and on) for weeks. I'll not give up hope (yet).
Case Number 2: I walked in to a newsagent on Saturday and picked up a magazine (a rarity in these times of lotto and scratch-its, I know). The young lady behind the counter said "Eight ninety-five", which sounded like "Eight nahnty-fahve" - in her best plummy private school tones.
I replied, "you mean eight ninety-five please, don't you?" and she just looked at me like I'd grown a second head! It was a very My Fair Lady moment: it doesn't matter what you say, as long as you say it correctly! Pretending she hadn't heard me. she asked me if I wanted a bag.
"Yes please," I replied, smiled sweetly and left. There is much work to be done. Obviously common courtesy is no longer common practice!
Retailers (especially franchisees) please note: Every interaction between the customer and your staff should leave the customer delighted. Anything else is a wasted opportunity.
Harry
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