God damn. Why can’t people just be nice to one another and show respect. It’s such a simple thing.

Though only addressing a part of this it means a lot to me. I & most of my family has worked in sales or customer service often over the years, including retail & food service. One of the biggest indicators for me, when on a date, is how my date responds to & treats the wait staff or the clerks in a store. If she flings attitude & rudeness instead of empathy, that will be a final date.

I've declined second and third dates with people who treated service workers like crap. It's very telling about their character and I ain't got time for it.

I work customer service in Scottsdale (aka SNOTSdale). It seems like the people with the most money are the cheapest sons of bitches out there, and want something fo nothing. I am always polite, and will bend over backwards for a nice customer. But if someone is an ass? I'll do as little for them as possible. The customer is NOT always right, and I never allow someone to treat me like shit.

I spent most of my working life in customer service. Your post is spot on.

I have walked out on dates for being rude to a waiter or waitress at dinner. That's a huge red flag for me.

I support a living wage.

To address the rest of your post; I think that the way people treat service workers in any industry reflects on their character not the service.

I don't know how I compare to other customers in that department, but I don't know that in the two restaurants that I frequent, my drinks always get refilled quickly and my food is served very quickly. Of course, I still wait during rush periods, but not as long as most.

I've also encountered my fair share of mistakes on the part of service providers, but I try to keep in mind that we all fuck up sometimes, and if you treat people like human beings they will quickly fix things most of the time.

That is really sad. I always try to be respectful of service workers. My ex-wife was a waitress and a store clerk for a while, and she helped to see what they go through.

A couple of years back in Asda (the UK branch of Walmart), I saw a customer who wasn't looking where she was going push her trolley into one of the shopfloor workers. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said - and then looked down her nose at him and added "What am I apologising to you for? You're just a shop assistant."

Fortunately, as a customer, I was in a position to tell her she ought to be ashamed.

Wish I had found this when I first replied.

The concept that "the customer is always right" was a lie from the beginning, a lie that sold.

I have worked as a server, a delivery driver, and a social worker. Some elements of the general public are downright sociopathic. I was fired from the server position for getting into a fight with a customer, who was so insulting that I had to defend my honor. With the delivery job, I had numerous occasions where customers would yell at me like I was a 5 year old, then when I yelled back, they would call the store and complain about my "rudeness"
And with the social service job, I ended up physically and psychologically burned out, by rude pushy psychos.
The customer is not always right, but is a fellow human being, who must understand that the customer service worker is his fellow human being, and being insulting, and launching personal attacks could get him into some serious consequences...including violence.

I couldn't agree more. You are right in all you comments. I see this every day. I deal with it every day. I am in customer service but I wouldn't say that I am the best example of how to do it. I will push back on these rude and ignorant (for whatever reason) people who are usually entitled and self centered and that of course only encourages them to continue their attacks. I am not a mean person but I will stand up for myself and that has earned me the title of 'that mean lady'. Standing up for oneself = mean!!! A title that I am quite happy to own. I am fortunate in that my boss (business owner) while valuing the customer does not expect the worker to have to tolerate rudeness from customers. I am thankful that most of my customers are respectful and appreciative of my help. Lastly my co-workers, in the retail industry, are some of the most decent, hardest working people I know or have known.

I think most people build up a lot of frustration and hostility each day - work, family, existential angst, etc - then pick the easiest target to vent on.
Who better than someone paid to be pleasant like service personnel.
It's a dick move on their part, but then they feel justified because "I'm paying for this".
Now that it's nearly official government policy ( in the US ) it's only getting worse.
Seems many people like being assholes.

Well stated. I judge people by how they treat customer service and food service people. If tey are rude to them, or treat them as if they are less-than, I wash my hands of them. Of course, I tell them why and suggest to them they it is, in fact, they who are beneath the lowly customer service person.

The only time the customer is always right is when they treat you right. Or if the commision on the sale makes it worthwhile for you to put up with thier crap !

"Then they should have gotten an education so they don't have to work there."

J/K; you told the story of my adult life. And someone is always going to have to do those jobs; it's not fair to attach shame to them.

Yeah I worked retail..people are dicks generally..with an occasionally nice customer..

This needed to be said, thank you. Be kind, period.

Always treat customer service people with respect. Working in outside sales always treated grocery clerks, grocery managers and all managers with respect. No one should face customer's abuse.

This my dear is why I said fuck it to retail a long time ago.

Thankfully Canada has universal healthcare and an almost decent minimum wage, approx.$11/hr, it differs by province. Still too much of what you say is on the nose. I worked over 25yrs in the service industry, from busboy to manager and saw verbal, physical and mental abuses by customers and employers that would shock most people not familliar with the industry. From cooks that would wager each night which of them could make a waitress cry first, to employers making servers wait for up to 3 hours, without pay, then sending them home because it didn't get busy enough. If you complained, your shifts were cut or you were simply let go. Lots more where you came from. My best advice to anyone in the industry is this: Be polite, courteous, helpful and attentive. Do your best to provide the highest level of service you can, but don't forget to respect yourself and don't allow anyone to disrespect you. You have value even when others don't or won't see it.

Very little you said that I disagree with, I am a strong supporter of a livable minimum wage and against the use of multiple part time employees to fill fulltime jobs. As an employer in a business where customer service is important, I expect my employees to be curious, polite and friendly but, I expect them to speak out is a customer behave poorly if they don't then they can expect disciplinary attaction as it is an OHS violation not to.

As young people my older siblings all worked in restaurants.
I have never forgotten their experiences. I also never did that because I knew with my temper I'd knock someone's block off if they pinched me.
I worked in the cafeteria in college - but was behind a counter! lol

Even working reception this kind of crap happens. People don't get it?
That person is just representing a company - it's way higher up then them.

That could be YOU standing there taking the abuse.

I actually got a cashier recently who had just been the brunt of someone's displeasure - and I just listened to her and acknowledged she wasn't crazy and the person had been rude.

It's not that hard to be nice. People need to figure this out?

I know this is ancient history now, but I saw something that applies here today.