Today, I did my customary weekend walk from Mequon (more like Thiensville, really) to Cedarburg and back. I stopped at the McDonald's in southern Cedarburg for a McCafe latte ($2.52 with tax). I was welcomed by a friendly and talkative upper middle-aged man behind the counter. I don't mean this in an insulting way, but I believe he was a little mentally slow. I mention this only because he provided customer service that was remarkable--all the more so because one could hardly fault him for being pouty or having a bad attitude. Instead, he somehow managed to demonstrate that he is overqualified for the position at McDonald's and, indeed, would be an outstanding employee in many rather more upscale environments.
This brings to mind something I've been thinking about a fair amount lately: we're a service economy, and if we mess that up, there ain't a whole lot left. Customers are a pain in the ass--as are people in general. I understand that. I suppose the best strategy is to try to positively reinforce good service. Just now, for example, as I was walking to Alterra at Bayshore, I noticed the young woman behind the counter at Caribou Coffee smiling at customers and wearing a pleasant expression even as she half-noticed me walking by. I don't care much for Caribou, but I think I'm going to make it a point to go in there later. Smiling--or at least not scowling--when you look in another person's general direction seems to be a lost art these days.
I'm not just trying to be Lawrence Welk. I think the bottom line is this: if you're a business, you should think that a customer spending his or her hard-earned money with you is the coolest thing in the world. This is elusive. I don't know that the problem lies with me, as I had a strong sensation of this feeling at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, AZ--which, as I noted then, is over 1700 miles from here. I also observed that attitude being communicated to their other customers.
The latte at McDonald's? It was terrible--and I'm not putting that on the gentleman I mentioned earlier; creating the latte awfulness required a team effort from all three employees who were working. I wish it had been otherwise, but so be it. I think the point still stands.