Whoops. It is a good thing that I get 90% ready for work before I go to bed every night, because, I slept in this morning. It was 10:00 before I got to the office, and that was only after someone at the office had called my mom questioning my whereabouts. (Yes, I do feel lame, so much for being an adult.) No one is overly upset, but the ladies have been teasing me about morning sickness. (Yes, jokes never die around here.) And with the straight hair that I have only out of necessity, everyone has commented on my long hair and subsequent need for a haircut. Here’s hoping that tomorrow will be better, and that everyone will have forgotten this by the end of the day. I’m not holding my breath.
So Friday night after attending a bonfire where I was by far the shortest person in attendance, and trying to win an overly complex board game, I hopped in my car to go home only to realize that I would barely had enough gas to get home. I drove almost the whole length of the city, (praying the whole time that I wouldn’t run out of gas) looking for a gas station that was still open. I passed five before; at the very end of the street, I finally found one that was still open.
I pulled up to the pump where a giant sign informed me that I needed to prepay for my gas so late at night. I ran inside to buy my gas and was greeted by five other people waiting to purchase goods and buy gas.
The attendant was on the phone, obviously making a personal call, and was helping no one until he was finished with his chat. So for ten minutes we waited, very patiently, I might add, for this person to finish. When finally my turn came to purchase my gas, I handed my cash to the employee explaining I was wanting to prepay for my gas. The guy just looked at me and said, “Okay, but usually people pay for gas after they get it.” I walked out, quickly filling up my car, wondering how I was the one who now looked stupid, after his unprofessional behaviour.
Is it just me, or has customer service become no longer about the customer and definitely not about providing a service?
A couple of weeks ago, Jenny and I went to Zellers. After waiting in line for quite a while (due to the fact that there was only one cashier available.) We watched as the clerk silently scanned our items and placed them in a bag. When all of our items were through and the total of our purchases came up, the cashier said nothing, and just stared at us to fork over the money due. We weren’t looking for an elaborate speech or discourse, but just some audible acknowledgement that we were making a purchase.
I am a huge fan of self checkout, and most of the stores where it is available; I am first in line to use it. I saw a story on the news about ten years ago talking about the future of grocery stores and caught the first glimpses of a self checkout machine, and I have been intrigued ever since.
I understand with our self serve, self checkout, pay at the pump days in which we now live, cashiers and attendants are becoming relics, but should we not expect good service when we do require your assistance?
I did manage to clean the house, and take the ten bags of garbage we had on our porch to the back alley. It was only when I returned that I found the note one of our caring neighbors had left in our mailbox asking us to help keep the back alley clean.
Now on to tackling my room. Sadly, moving day will be here before we know it. (That is, if we can find a house! I am running out of faith.)
I'm trying to keep the ground on my feet.
It seems the world's falling down around me.
Good luck to us all. And please, please God speed. Come home soon Jenny.
As Always,
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