Nov 13 2008
Why Didn’t I Complain of Age Discrimination?
Why Didn’t I Complain of Age Discrimination?
How often have you felt that you were being ignored while shopping? How often have you felt invisible to store clerks?
I recently experienced what I thought must be blatant discrimination of SOME KIND, and because I am now in my early 60’s I kind of wondered if my age had anything to do with it.
I was in a little shoe repair shop where I stood at the counter and watched the only employee in the store “stuffing” his burger and fries into his pie hole while he looked right at me and never even acknowledged my presence. He was on his “lunch” hour. I left and only came back because my wife’s shoes were awaiting repair, but we will NEVER return to that shoe repair place again.
The shoe repair shop is not the only instance of being ignored. I once stood in one spot in an aisle of one of those big “box” sporting goods stores and I needed help in reaching something; but even though I made eye contact with a couple of clerks who were passing by, neither one of them stopped to ask if I needed any assistance in finding something, or whatever.
Wasn’t that one of the tenets of customer service? That the clerks would inquire of us without us having to SHOUT at them? I’ve never felt that I should have to grab some guy by the sleeve to get him to notice me, but I just wonder now if today’s modern stores have a policy of not “bothering” customers? Modern box stores seem to be “self serve” to the extreme.
The old “mom and pop” stores would be sure to welcome you and even ask you for your first name, if they didn’t recognize you. I really miss those days. I try to find little shops that still believe in personalized and individual customer service. Shops that also stand behind their products and services.
As for the big “box” sporting goods store I described above, my son is now a department manager there, so I won’t be complaining of poor service or age discrimination. Unless he ignores me too.
Tomorrow: Why Didn’t I Become a Wood Butcher?
Yesterday: Why Didn’t I Excel at Basketball?
