It is a well-known fact that “customer service “in British shops, especially eateries, tends to be unworthy of the description. One has the impression that, all too often, customers are regarded as something of an inconvenience.
There was the time, for example, when I bought a coffee at a kiosk in a station. The girl gave me the coffee, I gave her a note, she went to the till to get the change and then, with the change still in her hand, she started a conversation with a co-worker. After a few minutes of this I said, “Excuse me, may I have my change please, because my train leaves in five minutes.”
“Oh”, she said, slamming the money onto the counter. “Do come again.”
Or there was that time in a supermarket a few years ago. I needed some help, and the two shop assistants were having a lovely chat between themselves. About five minutes after my arrival a floor manager wafted past. “Excuse me”, I said, in perhaps a louder voice than was strictly necessary. “Is anyone serving here?”
The two assistants looked, not embarrassed, but annoyed.
My mother, when she was in her eighties, told me how she dealt with this once. She went into a delicatessen, and the two girls behind the counter were having a chat — and carried on chatting for a good five minutes. Eventually, one of them bestirred herself and asked my mother what she wanted.
“I’d like a dozen of those rolls”, please.
The girl wrapped them up.
“And a box of those buns.”
Into a box went the buns, and into a bag went the box.
“Two packets of those biscuits as well, please.”
Box. Bag.
And so it went on.
“That will be £78.16 please.”, said the girl, ringing up the till.
“Thank you”, replied my mother. “I hope the two of you have a very nice lunch, because there is no way I am spending any money in a shop that treats its customers the way you treated me.” And walked out.
This sort of couldn’t-care-less attitude is so common that these days I find myself getting mildly irritated when simple pleasantries are not forthcoming. If I say “Bye bye” to a shop assistant, I expect a “Bye bye” or similar in response. I’m not alone in this. David Foster Wallace wrote about how he finds insincere pleasantries like “Have a nice day” rather infuriating, but how annoyed he feels when shop assistants don’t say it, as if it’s a personal insult.
However, I should like to relate some tales of customer service that, even fifty years later, bowl me over. They concern a restaurant that I won’t name because, although it still exists, it has had several changes of management since I last visited in 1975, so I have no idea if the service is anywhere near as good as it used to be.
My girlfriend and I dined there on three or four occasions. Here are my experiences.
#1
I put salt in my tea instead of sugar. I told the person at the counter and he gave me a fresh cup. We went there again about six months later, and as the same person served my tea he pointed to a receptacle containing white granules, which was next to a sort of twin, and said, “That one’s the sugar!”. I was impressed that he remembered me all that time later.
#2
The desserts looked delicious. So much so that we couldn’t decide which one to have.
“Would you like a sample of each one?”, asked the waiter.
Yes we would.
Well, the sample portions he gave us were so huge that we didn’t think we would manage a proper portion, but we felt obliged to order one anyway.
#3
But the apotheosis really has to be the evening we were, in effect, stranded. This was in the days before all-night tube trains. We finished our meal and I phoned for a minicab. I was told it would be twenty minutes. Half an hour later I phoned the company and they promised me it would be with us in another fifteen minutes. This kept being repeated until and beyond the closing time of the restaurant.
Not only did the proprietor not throw us out, she offered us free coffee. The staff had been clearing up and sweeping up, and then sat down for a coffee. The proprietor asked us if we would like one. We demurred, but she said it’s completely free and if we didn’t want it then it would probably end up being thrown out anyway.
Soon, the staff had all gone home, and the propietor was about to lock up. Still there was no sign of a taxi.
“Where do you need to get to?”, she asked.
I told her.
“OK, I’ll give you a lift”.
We lived nearly six miles and nearly an hour’s drive away (London traffic).
I’ve not experienced that level of service either before or since, and I can still almost not believe it. It’s a reminder that not all customer service is execrable!
I hope you enjoyed this article. You might also be interested to learn that I recently started up a new newsletter called Write!. The latest article there is:
Are we nearly there yet: the fine art of knowing when a piece is finished.
This was so great, Terry. Your examples all ring true, and wow about the shopkeeper who gave you a lift That's beyond fantastic!
Here's my tale of fantastic customer service from the parking garage personnel across the street from my (very large) office building in downtown Austin:
A co-worker baked a dessert topped with freshly whipped cream and fresh strawberries and had it situated on a glass cake stand. As he got out of his car and while holding the cake stand, he accidentally dropped it, shattering the glass and destroying the dessert. He had no way to clean up the mess as he was far removed from any supplies in which to do so.
I contacted the garage folks and not only did they clean up the mess, they washed the coworkers car, on the spot, as the dessert carnage had splashed up onto his car. The kind garage attendants didn't mention this to me; my coworker did.
I'm encouraged by the kindness of others, especially when it's under the radar, and the doer seeks zero recognition. Kindness and thoughtfulness are always the right thing.
"One has the impression that, all too often, customers are regarded as something of an inconvenience."
Especially when one is trying to order cheese, or return a dead bird...