I am sick and tired of being called "Next in line". Yes I know that the clerk is following the company brochure. Why does the company think that I prefer being called like the Top of Stack computer proceedure, rather than the human "Hey, dummy! Over here!" Do the corporate customer relations people think that finding the first in line is too hard for their clerks? Do they think that the poor shmucks stuck in that kind of job are too stupid to make the sir or ma'am decision? Or are those words too long for their employees. I know its not the employees. I had a District Manager once rebuke me for greeting one of our regulars with "Good Morning, how can I help you today" rather than the approved magic greeting words "Welcome to Carl's Jr. How may I serve you." Fucking managment thinks that they can devise a formula for customer satisfaction (which they impose on their clerks) AND then think the customer is being unreasonable if their guess as to what we want is wrong. I can understad why "Be pleasant to the customer" might be sublimented by examples and cautions. But substituting "follow proceedure" for "be pleasant" says too much about their attitude towards both the customer and the employee. Merry Christmas!
I think you are probably over reacting. Many clerks say that because some women resent the term ma'am. It is a bit much to be written up for your "Good Morning" comment. I guess they had been sold a line by their marketers that only their line would work. But this is life and just plain courtesy works. Doesn't take park avenue to explain that. Merry Christmas MikeE.
Oh, what fun is life if one can't find signs of society's decay in one's overreactions? "Sir / ma'am" can be replaced with "How can I help you." What bugs me is being treated as a unit in the retail process rather than a person. Couldn't they even fake noticing that I am a person rather than a unit in the buying process, more mobile than the cash register but just a unit nonetheless. p.s. It was just a verbal not a written infraction, but it was one of the indicators the me and fast food were a poor match.
personally it bugs the shit out of me when clerks and cashiers are reduced to corporate robot speak for their menial pay. I try and make light of it, talk to them as a human being during my transaction, connect with them on a real level. they don't want to do it either, it's dehumanizing.
Change your name by deed poll to Mr Nex Tinline. That way you get a personal call and also have a reason to barge your way to the front of the queue as they will always be referring to you by name whoever they call
