My Beef With Customer Service These Days

I have issues with bad customer service. Especially these days.
Let me explain a bit further:

Back in the day during my sophomore and junior years of high school, I slaved away at Dairy Queen. And it wasn't just any Dairy Queen. No, Sir. It was the one at the MALL. Can you say, 'Day after Thanksgiving sales'? To this day, I think it was definitely one of my harder jobs. There must have been 500 buttons on that till. Totally different from today where everything is exclusively electronic. Back then people actually wrote checks. Or worse, I had to use that manual credit card swipe-y gadget. It was the 'Dark Ages', man.

But I digress. It was no easy job. People got really particular with their Blizzards, let me tell ya. And I'm proud to say I was happy to oblige to the customer's demands. I even had customers ask for me specifically to make their blizzard. Yeah. I know. You're sitting there at your computer, wishing you knew me then. Wishing there would have been someone who could get your oreo/heath/reeces concoction RIGHT! Wishing for my 'mad skillz' .
This perfect DQ cone and its signature curl at the top may as well have been made by yours truly.


I think what's most frustrating to me about customer service these days is the laziness factor. Just today I asked someone at Target for help finding one of those awesome gigantic water bottles that help you get in your water totals for the day. Wanna know what he said?
'Um, I think there over there, but I'm not sure'. And he literally pointed like a million feet away.

LAZY!!!!

And don't get me started on the Clinique counter at the mall. (ironic how I went to both of these places today. Hmmmmm....). Right now it's Clinique Bonus Time. We all know that the gift is rotten crap 90% of the time. And yet, I usually ONLY go if there's a free gift... rotten or not.

"Why, yes, I would like that sickening grape colored lipstick, thank-you very much. It will look so lovely smeared all over my 20 month old's face after she digs it up from the grave of my cosmetic drawer. Such a lovely shade of purple puke I never did see!"

I waited for help by the counter for an eternity while the cutesy girls waited on other customers and took an eternity doing mini-makeovers. I asked one girl behind the counter if she was busy. Her reply? "Um. yeah." And she walked away. Seriously. When I finally got waited on, I asked for help choosing an eye shadow (because of course the one I love has been discontinued. OF COURSE!!!). Finally, we decide on one. It's perfect. I get those little excited butterflies in my stomach over trying something new. I say, "Yes! I'll take that one!" Her reply? "Um, yeah... this one is actually out of stock right now though. Sorry." After I held myself back from pulling her over-streaked hair out, I asked if I could get a rain check. "NO, sorry. We don't offer those." Me: "Even though you're out of the product and it's not my fault?" "Mmm hmm".

Gee. Thanks.

So then I gave in and took the kids to McDonald's. There's a really nice, new one down the street from me. Newer=fewer germs. John was gone, the kids were bored. Bingo. McDonald's was my answer from above.
Now, I don't think any of us expect fantastic customer service at McDonald's. We expect the worst. We're used to it. It's worth those hot, golden fries. Service, Smervice. Am I right?

But today?

Today something strange happened. I walked in to McDonald's and was greeted by two people upon entering the door. I'm talkin' immediately, people. I placed my order. I asked what the southwestern chicken salad had in it. The girl immediately left to get one for me to see. I was then told about the ingredients. So, I placed my order. And here's where it gets weird.

Please pat me on the back for choosing the salad over the two cheeseburger meal supersized. I deserve it.


The girl behind the counter got all my food together on its tray for me, carried it out to the play place, and found me a seat. I sat down. By this time I thought I was sick or hallucinating or something. But then? And here's the kicker... she took my empty drink cups and asked what I'd like in them. And then she actually filled them and brought them back to me.

I KNOW!!!!

And later when I was done eating, she cleared my table for me. It was as if I was having an 'out of body' experience.

The only thing that brought me to reality was the fact that the nice Mickey D's girl kept calling me 'Ma'am'. Yeah. I'll take 'Ma'am' any day if it means all of the above happens.

So... here's to you, Mickey D's chick. Here's to YOU!!! There really is good customer service out there if you look hard enough.
(and as long as you're willing to overlook being called 'ma'am').