I'm a member!

[Legacy_of_Torment]

No so much sucky as it was hilarious, but I just had to share this as its a shining example of the kinds of customer we get here.

BG: I work for a independent cinema and we run a loyalty scheme. The types of customer this scheme attracts are usually the "well off" sort, who aren't really adjusted to the fact they are just like every other human being out there.

It was while doing one of the staff routine toilet checks, where we simply go round and make sure the toilet paper hasn't run out and nobody has attempted to clog up the sink area, I was approached by one of those previously mentioned customers.
She was wandering around the sink area, hands dripping wet with a lost look about her.

"Excuse me, I'm a member, where do I dry my hands?" She asks me, imperious, looking down her nose like she's contemplating wiping her hands dry on my back.

I look back at her with that look of "did I just hear you right?" Resisting the urge to reply with sark and say "The same place as everyone else, the outrage!!"

Well, I just about resisted. What actually came out was a very serious faced: "Just swipe your membership card down the side of the mirror and wait." Before making a swift retreat.

I've got no idea if she tried it or not, but everyone, my manager included, got a good laugh out of the tale.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Oh, the horror

I would have sorely tempted to look down my nose at her and ask her how does she wipe her hands at home and try that.

Some people, I swear. . . .

[SixFortyK]

"So sorry me lady, I attend to the comforts of platinum members only. Regular members like yourself just flap their arms 'til yer hands are dry."

[Sapphire Silk]

Did she expect a members only room for drying hands?

[MoonCat]

No, she expected a servant to appear with a warm, scented towel.

[EricKei]

...Or, better yet, a servant dressed in a terrycloth robe. But that's only for the Diamond-level customers.

[Mytical]

Heh I could volunteer to give them a 'reward', though.. it is more of a punishment then reward.. while they dried their hands.. I could sing a song of their choice. I guarantee.. they would never want to know where they could dry their hands ever again.

[Argabarga]

Stand over in the corner and wait for our Diamond Membership unicorn to come by and offer you use of her tail.

Could be a long wait though, we only have the one.... for the whole chain..... and I'm not sure she's in this district today.

[Mini Mammoth]

I'm going to be kind and suggest this woman just had a SEVERE case of brain burp

Still, one HELL of a brain burp though - still a bit clueless to figure out what she meant. Have no idea what I would have said, probabaly just given her a few blinks while brain rebooted so you did way better than me!

[SailorMan]

BG: I work for a independent cinema and we run a loyalty scheme. The types of customer this scheme attracts are usually the "well off" sort, who aren't really adjusted to the fact they are just like every other human being out there.

I've just read something interesting from the ABC News website. It was titled: "Are Rich People Unethical?" This is from that piece:

Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley analyzed a person's rank in society (measured by wealth, occupational prestige and education) and found that those who were richer were more likely to cheat, lie and break the law than those who were poorer.

"We found that it is much more prevalent for people in the higher ranks of society to see greed and self-interest … as good pursuits," said Paul Piff, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at Berkeley. "This resonates with a lot of current events these days."

In the first of two studies, researchers found that those who drove more expensive cars (an admittedly questionable indicator of economic worth) were more likely to cut off other cars and pedestrians at a busy San Francisco four-way intersection than those who drove older, less-expensive vehicles.

In other experiments, wealthier study participants were more likely to admit they would behave unethically in a variety of situations and lie during negotiations. In another, researchers found wealthier people were more likely to cheat in an online game to win a $50 prize.

And this is from something related I found in the Huffington Post, which summarized a study published in the November 2010 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, titled "Having Less, Giving More: The Influence of Social Class on Prosocial Behavior." It said:

"Across 4 studies, lower class individuals proved to be more generous ..., charitable ..., trusting ..., and helpful ..., compared with their upper class counterparts, ... because of a greater commitment to egalitarian values and feelings of compassion."

"In mock job interviews, researchers ... asked more than 300 upper- and lower-class people to read the emotions of people in photos and of live strangers. Those [test-subjects] with a higher education-level, more money, and a self-defined social position, struggled to figure out whether or not someone was angry or happy." This study's main author, Michael Kraus, summarized: "We found that people from a lower-class background - in terms of occupation, status, education and income level - performed better in terms of emotional intelligence, the ability to read the emotions that others are feeling." The study's press release, issued by the journal Psychological Science, headlined "Upper-Class People Have Trouble Recognizing Others' Emotions."

Not trying to start a 'class warfare' thingamajig here, just reporting on studies that seem to confirm what CS bloggers have been observing and reporting on, here, since... Well, since forever.

[HawaiianShirts]

Maybe she's used to those super-fancy places that actually have staff in the restrooms who offer towels when you're done washing up. I'll bet she even saw the towel dispenser or air dryer thing, figured those were for the peasants, and assumed you would know where the towel-holder person was.

I understand the people with that job get tips. I wonder if she would have given you a tip if you gave her a towel.

[WishfulSpirit]

Same reason that if someone is swiping lunches from the break room, it's always the upper management doing it. They have no concept that someone could actually NEED that food and not be able to just go buy something. I can't totally blame them (for their conceptions...stealing is still wrong) because we base our beliefs about everyone on our own experiences, and unless told (which requires listening, another skill some managers don't have), can't really relate to experiences we haven't had.

[notalwaysright]

Same reason that if someone is swiping lunches from the break room, it's always the upper management doing it. They have no concept that someone could actually NEED that food and not be able to just go buy something. I can't totally blame them (for their conceptions...stealing is still wrong) because we base our beliefs about everyone on our own experiences, and unless told (which requires listening, another skill some managers don't have), can't really relate to experiences we haven't had.

I get what you're saying, however I would think most people experience this sort of thing at a very young age! You know, sibling/classmate/friend takes their chocolate milk at lunch, or swipes a favorite toy, or whatever. It's a really basic learning experience.

I also remember seeing a video about how poor kids were more likely to share the little they had then kids who had more "things." Honestly, if I think about my childhood I don't remember noticing this at all. However, I noticed that kids with siblings did NOT like sharing, and were competitive. I have to say, that bit about rich people not being able to read expressions is kinda scary.

[pudddykat]

Huh. They could have just studied the UC hierarchy to figure that out. Not that I work in that system or anything...

[ladyjaneinmd]

That reminds me of this:
http://notalwaysright.com/self-disservice/19680