Maybe the title of this post should be more related to the mystery of where it went. I’m a child of the 70’s, and back then, customer service counted. It was the bread and butter of retailers, and I’ll never forget two signs that I saw in my younger days:

If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will; and

If you liked our service, tell your friends. If you didn’t, tell us.

Both of these signs tell you one thing about the retailer – they care about their customers. If you click on the “Good Stuff” link at the top of the page, I have made the effort to recognise companies and retailers that I have dealt with that look after their customers.

What really shits me about service these days is that not only are retailers supplying Gen Y, but they are also pandering to them, and they EMPLOY them as well. I can’t find one good thing about that combination.

When I walk into a store these days, I have no idea who the staff are. There are no uniforms any more! The only way you can spot them is that they wear one of those bullshit lanyard things with a token ID or a key on it. If I walk into a store, I expect the staff to stand out from the customers.

I also want to know why the shop assitants seem to think that THEY are doing ME a favour by “letting” me shop there. Here I was thinking that without me (and others like me), their shop would go broke. Shouldn’t that mean that the customers should be treated with respect? Here’s what I mean…

Walk into a retail store in your neighbourhood. What happens? Are you greeted by a salesperson dressed neatly in an identifiable uniform? Do they wear a collared shirt with the company name or logo on it? Are they wearing a tie? Or a skirt suit? F**k no! They’re wearing skinny f**king jeans, a t-shirt and have hair that looks like they woke up about 10 minutes ago.

And how is their service? Do they give you a minute or two to survey the store, to see what’s on offer and then see what item/s you’re interested in before approaching you with a “Good morning Sir/Ma’am, would you like some help?” Of course not. They do one of two things, don’t they.

Either they ignore you completely, or they’re on you as you walk in the door pressuring you to buy something. And do they show you any respect? Hell no. Do they show any courtesy? Hell no. If you’re lucky, you get something like “Hey dude, if you need any help, I’ll be over there”. Maybe you might even get (from a long haired, jeans-wearing schmuck) “G’day mate. Can I help you with something? No? No worries, just give me a yell if you need help”

The salesman, it seems, is doing us a favour by allowing us to shop there. What I would like to see is a return to old fashioned manners. When I was 17, I had the standard part-time job in a department store. Even though I hardly ever dealt with customers, I wore black trousers, a white collared shirt and a tie.

After that job I worked in a supermarket. I stacked shelves, moved stock, cleaned up spills and packed the customers’ bags. And I wore black trousers, a white collared shirt and a tie. And I got sacked because one afternoon, I chatted to the check-out chick while packing a bag instead of talking to the customer.

And yet when I was in my early thirties, I once went to a supermarket where two young girls were running the check-out. The first words they spoke to me were “That’ll be $78 thanks”. At the risk of sounding like a Grumpy Aussie, what is happening with young people these days?

If you miss the days of customer service, let me know. But I can be open minded, too – if you’re Gen Y and you can explain why sales people behave like this today, please PLEASE let me know.