I was going to start a new thread about customer service but decided to search first to see if there was a recent one and came across this one.
I think customer service is all but gone in this country. Or so it seems that way from my recent experiences. Case in point (all took place on Saturday):
I went to a local, small market that primarily carries fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats. I went to the meat counter to purchase some bacon (they don't sell pre-packaged meats). I asked the girl who waited on me if I could see the bacon. She pointed to it in the cold case. I said "yes, I can see it but can you hold some up?". You might have thought I had two heads. She had an annoyed look on her face. I told her I wanted to see the meat to fat ratio. She said something about all bacon has fat with a sarcastic tone. I said 'thanks anyway" and walked away.
Next I went to Lowes to look at a storm door and a freezer. The guy in the appliance department really didn't know much about the freezer I was looking at except the price and that it was out of stock. I thanked him then walked over to where the storm doors were. The guy working that department was helpful but got annoyed when I asked him for warranty information. He said I could look it up online. I took the information booklet about the door and left.
Last, I went to another small business which was a little bakery in the next town over. They make lovely pastries, cakes, cookies, pies and cupcakes. I wanted to get something for my neighbors who were celebrating their anniversary. After I made my selection, I asked the girl if she could please put a ribbon around the box. She said "we don't have any ribbon". It was right there, on the counter behind her, visible to anyone. I should have pointed to it and said "what's that?" but I decided that customer service has died so I paid the $25, left the bakery, went home and put a pretty ribbon on it myself.
Do people really hate their jobs that much?