praising customer service workers

[Damien]

not many do it that I have seen...

I am not sure if it was my upbringing or what, but my brother, my friends and I always make a point of thanking the person or people who just served us and wishing them a good day/evening.

This is normal for me - and pretty much a habit that I am happy to keep.

I guess I know what it is like to work in a largely thankless industry, as a teacher.

However, here in Japan - the customers always thank the person who served them, nearly always share a joke and such. Not surprisingly, it is lovely when my students (8th, 9th, 11th and 12th graders) thank me after a lesson.

What has happened to manners nowadays?

[GingerBiscuit]

I dont know, but I always try to remember to thank people who help me in a shop. I am always pleasantly surprised when someone says 'thankyou' as more than a passing throwaway comment.

[AnaKhouri]

When I visited Japan I was surprised by how friendly and helpful all the retail workers were, compared to what you often see in the US. In a US McDonald's you will often see workers who look unhappy or stressed, but when we went into a Japanese McDonald's the girls at the counter were lovely and seemed to be enjoying themselves. All the retail workers were very kind and didn't seem to mind helping out a couple clueless gai-jin.

For some reason the Japanese McDonald's seemed better as well... though I got a fish sandwich in Tokyo so maybe that was a given.

[JustADude]

When I visited Japan I was surprised by how friendly and helpful all the retail workers were, compared to what you often see in the US.

<snip>

For some reason the Japanese McDonald's seemed better as well... though I got a fish sandwich in Tokyo so maybe that was a given.

AnaKhouri, that would probably because the Japanese, as far as I've heard, have no stigma of failure attached to retail and fast food like we do in much of the western world. It's considered (and rightfully so) a vital part of the economy, and the workers are accorded no less respect for their jobs... probably because The Phrase Of Great Evil* never reached them. They also generally take more pride in their jobs on whole than an American worker, making them more productive and ensuring a generally better level of product and service.


*"The Customer is always right."

[Damien]

Also, in Japan, many companies are like extensions of the family. The company I work for is wonderful... just some examples:

each birthday, the company owners treat the staff member, family and friends to a sumptuous meal and wine.

every chance we get, we have a staff party

recently, we were all hit hard by the sudden death of a young colleague, it really hurt us all, the bosses were magnificent, organising counselling and such, and they even babysit the son of the departed colleague and her widower (who does not even work for the school) every day - the little bub is adorable by the way.

This place also insisted and organised counselling for me after the loss of my uncle and grandmother last year.

Yes, in Japan, the company is like family