Food service sucks because it’s mostly young people that haven’t learned to work over a dickhead customer. Been there, done that.
First tech-support/customer-service job learned me quick. Always bullied as a kid, and I mean ass-beating kinda bullied, not mean names of FB bullied. Learned to walk tall and bow up late in high school. That mostly solved it.
Got my first real job getting the occasional ass chewing. Fuck me, I’m just trying to help! Found some knowledge in a hurry:
- Customers are like dogs, they smell fear. Never come off apologetic or subservient.
- Treat customers like an acquaintance that just called or walked in for help. Treat them like equals.
- “Yes sir!”, “No sir!”, “Immediately sir!”, shit gets you eaten.
- Polite and firm, that’s the ticket.
- They got screwed over? If you did it, apologize sincerely. If someone else did it? Apologize for the hassle. But don’t take the responsibility on yourself.
I could go on for ages, but those are the highlights. Sometimes you have to stand up.
Had a dude start in on me, wasn’t my fault but it certainly looked like my company could have done better. Stopped him mid-rant, “Wait. Wait. Are you mad at me personally?” Cut off like a light switch. “Well… no… of course not… but…” “I get it. This is a hell of a frustrating situation, but my job is to help you. Let’s get to the bottom of this thing. fix it.”
When I worked customer service, our policy was to always apologize for any issue that lead to the call. One day I read some HBR article about a study where problem-solving focused language, v. the standard apologetic approach, lead to higher reported levels of customer satisfaction even if the issue ultimately wasn’t resolved.
Tried it - it really did seem to work. Had a few discussions with the call quality person about it and made my arguments - they didn’t agree, but couldn’t help noticing I was the one getting positive feedback v/ms left with management and service quality surveys about.
YMMV, could easily see an environment where you’d get written up for just 100% ignoring the policy and doing something more effective. At the time I had a “I’m going to do exactly what I think is right, until I get fired over it” mentality, and and in many respects was very lucky I didn’t.
F to all the 2020 food service homies (but also imagine having musk working the fryer next to you lmao)
Hey it wasn’t all bad in 2020. The restaurant I worked at closed and I made more money on unemployment for 2 years than I ever had working in kitchens.
If a minimum wage worker started working at age 18, and worked until 67 (the retirement age set by the US Social Security Administration) and worked 40 hours a week every week, they would make less than a million dollars in their life (at the US federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour).
So, a millionaire with $10M would have to spend more than 10 lifetimes making up the overpayment.
A billionaire with $1B would have to spend more than 1000 lifetimes.
A billionaire with $200B would have to spend 269,745 lifetimes.
Maybe they just need to work harder
They should try making coffee at home instead of ordering it out.
And eat fewer avocado sandwiches.
This kind of thing always reminds me of the Two Ronnies yokels.
RB: If I was as rich as Rockefeller I’d be richer than Rockefeller.
RC: How’s that?
RB: I’d do a bit of window cleaning on the side.
If Jeff Bezzboi earned 15$/hour, worked 16 hours a day, 365 days a year, it whould only take him 2283105 years to earn his current net worth.
So what’s your excuse? If you just stop buying starbucks, pull yourself up by the bootstraps, had no expenses and work continuously for 22000 lifetimes, then you too could become almost as rich as Jeff!
Now you’re implying that 22000 normal people could be worth one Jeff Bezos. But in reality, normal people are worth less than nothing
I actually really like the idea of a “shitty job draft” like the military draft but for jobs everyone hates to do.
Because maybe if everyone had a lottery chance of ending up having to do it for a few shifts, those jobs would quickly become less terrible to do.
Mandatory Military Service? Try Mandatory Customer Service.
With how people behave? Fuck it, front line infantry. People are shitty, it doesn’t matter age, socio-economic status or anything else, you will get shitty people, constantly. At least the infantry is allowed to shoot the fuckers.
Oh, and I was in my country’s Navy.
At least the infantry is allowed to shoot the fuckers.
Which is exactly why nobody callous enough to become and remain a billionaire should be sent there.
They’re less likely to value the life and well-being of other humans over any kind of advantage for themselves, so maybe don’t give them military grade weaponry when forcing them to mingle with poor people and foreigners…
I think I may have been unclear. Given the choice between military service or customer service, I would choose military service without fail. Even if it is the job with a high risk.
The reeducation gulag with American characteristics
I think everyone should be forced to work retail or food service to develop a healthy sense of misanthropy.
Zuck, I want you to explain to this irrationally angry woman that this coupon from four years ago has expired.
And even if it hadn’t expired, it’s for our competitor who went out of business, and this building now houses a totally different business that doesn’t even offer the item covered by the coupon.
fumes about Panera not honoring free bread sticks with purchase of a large pizza coupon 😤
After a couple hours, they’d be like “uh could I be eaten instead?”
Food service wastes resources. Instead, have them work in mines or on farms.
Use the waste to feed them.
You misunderstand. The waste means less wealth to go around. Service jobs do not make wealth, they consume it.
You may wish to read Value, Price, and Profit.
Wage Labor and Capital is an excellent, shorter introduction to Marxist critique of Capitalism. I highly recommend it!
Yes, very good stuff.
