Gentry: A decline in common courtesy : The University Daily Kansan

Gentry: A decline in common courtesy

Patrons should treat public servants with respect

Cashiers, servers and clerks shouldn’t be expected to serve customers with a smile if they are treated rudely.

By Cassie Gentry

Monday, March 26th, 2007

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Yeah. You got a husband?”

“Uh…no.”

“Well, you want one?”

Not exactly the proposal of my dreams, especially since it came from a complete stranger. That’s just one example of awkward impoliteness I’ve experienced while working at the Lawrence Public Library. Some people make small faux pas: putting their bag of books on the counter without bothering to take them out or putting their library card in their mouth before handing it over covered in drool. Other people are just plain rude: demanding to be told where a movie is or getting into a screaming battle over a 10 cent fine — and yes, that has happened more than once.

Some customers mistake required politeness as flirtatious advances, like my aforementioned potential fiancé. A waitress divulged a “smooth move” of many customers: scrawling their number across the bottom of their credit card receipt, sometimes even when they’re on a date with another girl.

People working in all service industries are victims to the decline of common courtesy. It’s difficult to be polite when someone is completely disrespectful, and it shouldn’t be expected. Just because someone gets paid to be polite, it doesn’t mean that a customer can treat that person however he or she wants and expect to continue to get excellent service. Apparently, some people feel the need to take out their frustrations, say the food not being as good as they hoped, on the messenger — or server.

I understand that being in a customer service industry means that your job is basically to serve people. That doesn’t mean that you have to be treated with disrespect. If I am expected by my customers to be polite, they should treat me with the same courtesy. It seems that some people take the idiom “The customer is always right” and use it as an excuse to be a jerk.

When a library patron is being courteous and understanding, it’s much easier for me to act the same way. Maybe your waitress isn’t as cheerful as usual because she just broke up with her boyfriend. Or maybe your cashier got a speeding ticket on the way to work so he’s not as chatty as usual. Be compassionate. Little things make a big difference, like saying “please” when asking your server for a refill or apologizing when you accidentally hit me when tossing your library card at me.

There are plenty of people who are extremely polite and respectful when dealing with customer service personnel. Unfortunately, there are an equal amount of people who don’t think twice about being blatantly rude. Please remember, even though they are getting paid to “serve,” servers, cashiers and clerks still deserve respect and civility as much as you do. Act accordingly.

Gentry is a Kansas City, Kan. sophomore in English

Discussion

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Boy_Genius

26 March 2007

at 4:40 p.m.

Suggest removal

In all fairness, Cassie, if you're the librarian I think you are, you're too good-looking to expect to NOT get picked up on by bookish nerds. And no, this is not a pick up line, it's a critique. I think you should stop being one of those stuck up pretty girls who say, "Life is so hard with everyone thinking I'm beautiful," and start thinking to yourself, "I'm glad I get to be pretty during my early years, when being pretty is important." And when you're a dried up old hag, you'll be telling that story to your grandkids, and you'll be cackling away like the crazy old lady you will have become. To recap: Cassie is the pretty librarian in the Lawrence Public Library. Everyone should stop by and see for themselves.

sdinges

27 March 2007

at 3:09 p.m.

Suggest removal

I hate to break it to you, but rude people, stupid people, freaks and losers exist and will always exist. If these people knew that they weren't meeting society's standard for normal behavior, they probably wouldn't be so socially awkward in the first place. You won't change their behavior with student newspaper articles. When someone puts their card in their mouth, then hands it to you, you might try the following: "Please wipe your card off before handing it to me," or "I would really appreciate it if you didn't put your card in your mouth, in the future - I have to handle a lot of peoples' cards, just imagine how many are covered in mouth germs." When someone makes you uncomfortable with flirtation that you feel unable to deflect politely (which, by the way, is how most people expect you to react to their playful banter), then say "Is it your intention to make my workplace uncomfortable for me by introducing such comments/questions?" or "I find that to be disrepectful to me. In the future, please refrain: this is a library, not a bar." When I worked as a cashier at the grocery store, as a mousy 15-year-old, all sorts of people, from college age to dirty old men hit on me. This is where I learned how to politely or playfully deflect unwanted attention, and to more firmly correct it, if it was persistent. As a grown woman at KU, it's really time you start learning these skills yourself. As for people being just plain rude, generally when you work in customer service, your boss expects you to suck it up, smile and deal with it. Confronting rude people usually just makes them defensive and creates an unpleasant situation, whereas friendliness often forces them to check their behavior. Count yourself lucky - every kind of degenerate has to go grocery shopping; at the library, at least they probably know how to read. You're already working with a sample of people who are a cut above.

Jennie5242

15 November 2007

at 10 p.m.

Suggest removal

Im living with a bitch of a step mom~~ I try not to react to what she says allowed, (I'm too polite) because it's her house, and I don't like confrontation. But it really effects me inside. I'm more mad at myself for not having the guts to say something back. She makes snide comments the only time she speaks to me. Its like she has a serious problem with me but spits it out in pieces of rude comments. How can i stop being effected by her attitude?

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