Sunday, February 04, 2007
Tell me about service... ...
Apologies to those who read my blog. I haven't had any inspiration or urge to blog recently. Well, something or rather some things happened tonight that piqued me into writing.It started off as a simple task of returning a very much overdue library book. While attempting to pay the fine, i was reminded how long a period my cashcard was in desolation (cos i didn't even know it was low in cash). Naturally i went to the top-up machine. In my haste, i starting pressing some buttons even before i finished reading the instructions. While pondering over the next step, a very friendly librarian offered her assistance. I appreciated her help but for a moment i wondered if i looked like someone who cannot understand english. Ok, that was really mean of me. I think she was just generally helpful and I was generally ungrateful. So that's about service part I... good service... ...
Being a shopper at heart, i couldn't help but roam around the area after leaving the library waiting for something to catch my eye. Walking into a certain boutique, i started looking at dresses. That was really a wrong first move and the start of a really trying experience. I was attended by an over zealous sales girl who stuffed me successively with dresses of various shapes and styles. She even offered/requested/demanded (u get the idea) to look at me after I finish changing every piece. Then she would bring in new pieces for me to try. I think the whole duration was longer than the combined time i spent in changing rooms for the past 6 months. She kept insisting that i looked all right in some clothes that i dun think fit at all. In the end, she was so adamant on selling me a certain piece of skirt that she didn't even take the hint that i was not really that interested in that skirt. In bid to be civil, i told her that i would seriously consider it and i would come back to her if i want it. I really applaud her insistence, she said something about reserving the skirt for me and badgering some form of verbal consensus from me that I would return to buy it. Of course i didn't fall for that. Perhaps it was my fault for looking generally interested in some of the pieces she showed me and then trying them on, but I thought it was just being appreciative for her effort in matching and selecting pieces which she thought suited me. That's service part II... Well, I believe that was really good service on her part... too good that it became irritating... It seemed that i always meet very enthusiastic sales girls near chinese new year... especially when i go shopping alone. Last year, a particular sales girl stressed me out so much, i boycotted the shop till now. Seems that it is recurring this year... At the end of today's episode, i realised 2 things...
1. dun go shopping alone near chinese new year.
2. i need to go easy on carbo
After that, I went to this newly opened shop to buy dessert. The lady in front of me took ages, that irked me a little. I mean my patience was not good to start with and after that trying experience at the boutique, i could do without queuing behind someone who ordered a fair bit and a slow cashier. Finally my turn, but the cashier started talking to another staff... as if i was non existent... while patience was running thin, i tried my best not to show a very irritated face...really, i tried very hard... then suddenly she walked away... that was it... she just simply walked away and started chatting with other staff... seemed that the others were myopic too... they were engaged in some form of active conversation while i was in clear view of them looking very much like a customer who wants to buy something... if i had not promised to buy back dessert for my brother, i would have walked away. When she finally restored my status to something more than glass and acknowledged my presence, i had to repeat my orders a couple of times before she got it right. Never mind about that, she gave orders to prepare the dessert for takeaway... but apparently no one moved and others carried on doing their own stuff which was basically doing nothing. I was wondering if they were preparing my dessert somewhere in the kitchen where i couldn't see. After a seemingly long wait, I think desperate efforts to keep a friendly face failed and the cashier was prompted to nudge someone into packing... Apparently the auntie who was to pack my stuff couldn't open a refrigerator door, take out the dessert and put it into a plastic bag without turning back to talk to her friends. After packing the dessert (which was in liquid form and had a flimsy cover) into 2 bags, the auntie cautioned me to be careful while carrying to avoid spillage (cos it had a really flimsy cover). I was thinking why would you provide something to a customer when you know it would definitely cause inconvenience. Since you know the container was flimsy, change a different type... Why continue the mistake? But i gave it some allowance since it was a new shop... From the way i was to carry it with all my other stuff, i saw no way out of spillage, so i asked her to pack them in another way which i thought would reduce chances of spillage and i still believe i am right. She insisted that it would be worse and she took out the dessert and shook it while saying '是水的，是水的' (which means it was in liquid form) REPEATEDLY... At that point, i was really amused as if i dunno what i ordered... i must be wearing a 'dumb look' out today... That's service part III... you can see how i feel about it...
Really interesting evening...
