Good morning, Thursday. Crapiola day in the city- happy to be nesting inside avec puppy and very much looking forward to seeing Antony and the Johnsons tonight at Radio City with my dear friend, Eric.
Now listen up because I have something to say to you, especially if the "you" who is reading this is a twentysomething something. You know I love all of you very much- I admire your optimism, your value set, your ability to have enough self belief and love to think everything will somehow work out and you will live the life of your dreams. But G-d damn, you really suck at customer service. Like, super suck.
Maybe it's that I'm slowly reaching the Paleozic portion of my life, but I have noticed a lot of bad behavior in the retail and restaurant world these days. Coming from Miami, I am somehow accustomed to bad service (it's the worst there by far), but here in New York, I expect more from all of you that work in shops or serve me coffee. You have no idea how many times in the past month I have been frantic for some help in a shop- whether my arms are full of frocks or I am searching for the perfect dog bag for Khan, the blank stares and dismissal of my being rocks me to the core. I'm wondering if it's all a product of this digital age- that everybody is forgetting about the human portion of connection- that real face to face thing that makes customers come back for more.
I'm somehow shocked by the number of cute young things in stores these days that absolutely suck at working there. I know there is not much glamour in retail or restaurant work, and believe me, I've done both. But nobody is holding a gun here, so why not just be nice and helpful and do your job? Is that too much to ask? You all are smart enough and driven enough, so stop killing retail with your smugness.
I'm worried about the future generations to come- who will surely grow up texting and social networking and not doing a lot of talking in person. With many saying retail is over (though it's actually enjoying a real renaissance these days as many of us crave something real) with the advent of so much shopping online, bricks and mortar better rethink their training programs for the hordes of young workers entering the force. It's a pandemic of nonchalance out there these days, and I for one am sick of it. I for one will walk out of a shop emptyhanded or latteless if I find the staff to be rude. I feel like it's up to this generation to prove us all wrong- everybody talks smack about your entitlement, and I for one am holding out hope that you will turn this bad behavior around. Just help me find the right dog bag, serve me a coffee and ask me how the fuck I am, or offer to put my Parker dresses in a dressing room while you see me wrestling with my purse and computer bag, would ya?
That's how I feel and I'm sticking to it. If you keep this up, stores are going to go out of business, because the customer service on Gilt and Amazon's My Habit are pretty freaking stellar. You've got some "work" to do, friends. Please do it well, and with kindness. Cause that's what's up this how can I help you kind of Thursday in the cloud filled borough of Brooklyn. Talk to someone today and be pleasant, in person, please. All the love. XO