For those who are familiar with the Winnie the Pooh character, Eeyore, this will make a lot more sense. Especially if you’ve heard his voice in the cartoon adaptations of the book. (Yes, there was a book that preceded the animation.)
Eeyore is a somewhat gloomy, despondent, melancholic kind of character. He’s the darkened cloud on your otherwise sunny day. He’s the muddy puddle you step into with your new shoes. He’s the pothole on your freeway of life. He’s also one of the more favorite and beloved characters in the Winnie the Pooh stories. Go figure.
Now imagine the Eeyore personality come to life in the girl who is “serving” you at the checkout counter. From the depressive body language and the eyes that never really make contact to the labored movements and that distinctive Eeyore-type voice, it is an uncomfortable point of customer contact.
That having been said, let me offer some offer some advice to hiring personnel and the people that supervise those hired to be points of customer contact.
STOP IT!
For the sake of all that is good and right in the world, STOP IT!!
Stop hiring people who don’t want to work.
Stop hiring people who think that their best is showing up relatively on time.
Stop hiring people who treat productivity like it’s a naughty four-letter word.
Stop hiring people who act like they hate customers who interrupt their raging acts of nothingness.
And if for some ungodly reason you have to hire at the bottom of the barrel, at least tell them to stop handing customers their receipt, and in that woe-is-me Eeyore voice, say, “Have a nice day.”
Please.
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but... don't lazy people need jobs too? ;P
ReplyDeleteoooh, my favorite is when they ask if you found everything ok and you actually say "no, actually, I was still looking for ___" and they look at you blankly the proceed to check you out without offering to help you find ___. Seriously. why ask.
ReplyDeleteI like it when they get mad at you for interrupting their personal phone conversations.
ReplyDelete