31.3.06

Serve

You know it seems like everytime there's a problem, whether socially or in the mindset of already Confucianized Singaporeans, it just paves the way for a mega multi million dollar campaign. All the contractors in said industry then have smiles from ear to ear. In any given situation in Singapore then, for good or bad, money is there to be made.

Same with the appalling service standards. PMSing waitresses, shoe salesmen who frown at your unruly nails, high end boutiques who disregard anyone not dressed as per their mental stereotype. Heck, if I was a Gucci saleswoman, I'd be showering my time on that one lone punk who saunters in with his football jersey and berms and mocassins. Cos, I just know a punkster who dares to pull this stunt surely has the wallet to pull it off and just couldnt be bothered with sticking to social norms.

But, if you wanna raise service standards. Incentives are not the way to go. Why pay for something that was in your job description? I think the root of all evil in the shopping experience is definitely the fussy finicky consumer themselves. Especially in Singapore. We know how we are. Don't run away from it all and get defensive.

But also, read this, you might then understand the culture of service:


In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. [25 cents]

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

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