So have you ever worked in retail or food service? Did the experience of working in either change how you view the job and the people who serve you?
Personally, I wish everyone had to work a job in both retail and food service sometime in their working life. I've worked a couple retail jobs--one was a combo food service/retail position in a service deli, and the other was throwing freight/working the floor during the Christmas shopping season for a mass market retailer. In terms of food service, I've worked as a line cook for a popular brewpub chain here in Oregon, and also worked as a cashier/sandwich girl for a deli on campus, in addition to the service deli experience previously mentioned.
When it comes to customer service in retail, I have fairly high expectations when someone helps me. More often than not, I prefer to help myself, and tell the customer service person thanks but no thanks when they offer to help me find something. But when I do require help, I expect them to help me with my problem until it's solved. This comes from the retailer I worked for in the service deli--their motto was PACE: Please All Customers Everyday. This meant that if someone came up to the service deli and asked where nails were, I was expected to walk them over to hardware and show them where the nails were. If it was busy, I was expected to call a PIC and have them send someone to show the customer where the nails were. I really, really dislike when I ask someone at Home Depot where something in their store is and they give me vague directions because THEY know where it is, but I do not. I would prefer that they walk me to where the item is, instead of telling me that it's in Hardware on Aisle 5. For all I know, Aisle 5 is huge and the item I am looking for is hiding somewhere on it.
As for food service, I am sympathetic to servers--to a point. I know they have no control over food times and so getting plates out can be hard if a place is slammed. I understand that they forget things. I tip very, very well when service exceeds my expectations. For example, there is one server at my favorite brewpub who I love. I get super excited when I'm seated in her section. She made a mistake the last time we went there with my parents--my mom had said that my dad liked the chocolate porter, but my dad ordered the hefe-weissbier for his next pint. The server brought back the chocolate porter. Whoops! She apologized, said she had even written down the right beer on her pad, and brought out a pint of the hefe-weissbier on the house. Now that's service. I also like that she is not looking to turn the table. She would rather that we take our time and enjoy our food and beer. She even admits that she hates the sight of an empty pint glass
I am not sympathetic towards the poor service I've received at another brewpub in town. Why? I used to work at the other location in town, and am familiar with the food times. The service is slooooow, slower than the kitchen is turning out plates. I often see the servers hanging out, chit-chatting, while the food languishes in the kitchen, waiting to be served. Suffice it to say, we rarely go there--only if there is a major sporting event, since they have the largest screen in town, since we're going to be there a while. Their service is heavily commented on by people around town, to the point that people in the know go to the other location because of the difference between the two.
I know there are lots of other people on the board who have worked in these two areas. What are your expectations of customer service and how have they changed based on your own work experience?