January 2010

I think it’s safe to say that most people hate working in customer service. It’s an often degrading, humiliating experience where the person buying your goods or services thinks everything is your fault (I’ve worked in food service, though I hear retail, product services, etc. are all the same) and takes it out on you—sometimes quite cruelly. We used to have this theory that customers are not really themselves when they are buying something (particularly food); that they are more aggressive and monstrous than normal. Sometimes, though, I think that they’re actually themselves. Some people think they’ll get better treatment by being mean, and some bullies just never grow up.

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