Ain't it nice to see?

Over the last few weeks as the weather has begun to get cooler and fall looks like it might finally give us some reprieve from the heat of the summer, I have noticed more and more people out and about on walks, running, riding their bikes and just enjoying the outdoors in general. I love it when I see people taking advantage of something outside the realm of the fast paced, technologically advanced digital age we have come to live in. People have become so sedentary and antisocial as they have embraced the easy life style that we are afforded by the technological advancements of late. I say "Good for you" to those that choose to turn of the TV and step outside their caves to enjoy Mother Nature changing into her autumn gown right in front of us. Maybe I'll even see you out there. Just remember to wave.

To serve or be served?

Every once in a while some news caster or random person will bring up the notion "What ever happened to customer service in this country?" Well, it went right out the window with Americans refusal to treat the people serving them with respect and their refusal to pay for what they want. I have been working in the service industry for about 7 years now in both retail and restaurant service. I have had a first hand view of the decline of both the service people are receiving and the tact and thoughtfulness of those being served. Here are the top five problems with Americans approach to the service industry as I see it:

1. Do not presume that you are the center of the universe while being served. Odds are, the person serving you has 20 to 25 other people they are serving. They are doing more things at once than should ever be required of a person.

2. Be polite to the person serving you. I know that your mother and father did not raise you to act like an asshole so don't be one. Especially not to a person you don't even know. The best way to get respect and a good attitude from a server is to give both of them in return.

3. Don't expect to pay 50 cents for 10 dollars worth of service. Realize that, with the exception of a few places in the US, your server is more than likely making little more than a couple of dollars an hour. Their employers can get away with not paying them at least minimum wage because it is presumed that the rest will be made in tips. And don't assume that just because it is lunch you can get away with leaving a smaller tip. It is no easier to carry 10 drinks and five people's food in the middle of the day than it is at night. Servers remember bad tippers and I can guarantee you that if you leave me a bad tip, your gonna get crappy service the next time you come to my restaurant. I will make sure that everyone that I work with knows that you are not worth the time.

4. Do not blame and belittle the person you are talking to for something that is not there fault. Understand that if it is company policy or someone else messed up, there is little your server can do.

5. Turn off your cell phones, pagers, walkie-talkies, and what ever else makes annoying noise when you walk into a restaurant or store. No one else cares about who your best friend Jenny slept with last night and we don't want to listen to your Green Day ring tone either. Have some manors and turn them off, or at least put them on vibrate.

Of course there is always the other side to all of these issues and I understand that sometimes the person serving you is just a horrible server. All I am saying is, if Americans want better service than they are receiving than they need to treat the people serving them with respect and give them what they are due in the end.