Customer Service or Why People are the Worst

I have been working in customer service my entire life. Every job I've ever had had something to do with being nice and smiling all the time to people I do not know. Because of that, I have a lot of friends that are in the customer service field as well.

Here are some things I have noticed myself or what others have told me about being in customer service.

1. Tips

Here is something that most non customer service workers (NCSW's for short) don't understand: WE LIVE OFF TIPS. If you can afford to drink/eat/pay someone else to do what you are too lazy to or don't have enough time to do, than you should at least thank those people by giving them a couple of bucks for their hard work. And we are not saying "give me the change in the bottom of your purse." Throw in a dollar, don't be a cheap person.

2. WHERE we work

The current job us CSW's have is NOT our long term goal. We do not plan on being a bartender the rest of our lives or a waitress or, god forbid, working in the retail business. We are working at these jobs because we are in college/need money/second job; this is NOT what we want to do for our career. And, if there is someone out there that actually wants to do these jobs as a career; bravo. You must have a lot of patience.

To those people that confront us at our job for whatever reason, remember that we do not plan to be here the rest of our lives. One day, we may be your boss so don't get on our bad side.

3. DON'T BE A DICK 

For the LOVE of GOD, we are not your slaves! We are not here to take your shit and do whatever the hell you think you deserve. We are part time employees who need this job to live. Don't pull the bottom shirt in a stack of nicely folded shirts so that they all go everywhere; don't order a drink at Starbucks, pay for it then decide AFTER you get your drink that you wanted it iced; don't ask for outlandish requests to the hotel front desk; YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN WE ARE! We are the ones cooking your food, making your drinks, refolding the shirts you threw everywhere. Don't fuck with us. We have more power than you will ever know. We are ALSO not your escape from being nice to OTHER people all the time.

You're a 40 year old man who works at a giant company making $100,000 a year and you're demanding your coffee tastes funny after we remade it for the third time and want your money back and then tell me what a terrible employee I am and the terrible company I work for. Bravo. You just brought down a 22 year old girl. I hope you feel good about yourself. I have no control over the company I work for. You can tell me how expensive things are and how things should change as loud as you want around me, I'm not going to do jack shit. I have no power there. All you're doing is bitching in close proximity to me.

All you have to do is understand that this job sucks. Give us a smile, refold clothes you unfold, don't complain too much, crack a joke; all you have to do is BE A NICE PERSON!!



This all seems easy. If people weren't dicks to CSW's, maybe more people would want to work in this field. Most of the jobs in this world are customer service based. You would think people would be nicer to us since there is a 98% chance that they were once in this business as well.

So, again, don't fuck with us. And give us a decent tip.