Do you realize that if you're nice to people you'll get better service?

Question

My mom is the assistant manager at a hotel. I help her out whenever she needs it by being a hostess from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the breakfast room (I keep it clean and stocked and chat with the guests). After breakfast, it's my job to clean the entire hotel aside from the rooms. And I swear, some of these people think that just because you're working at a hotel you are below them...it kills me. One lady was making a mess everywhere she went and not bothering to clean it up.

Now, every now and then we'll get some guests that are just as sweet as they can be. There is one older lady who comes and stays every month or so and she's the sweetest lady. Now, if she made the biggest mess imaginable (on accident of course) I wouldn't care one bit to clean up after her...I would be happy to do it. Also, for the past couple of nights a man and wife and their two kids have been staying...they are good kids (which is very rare) and the couple is very nice. I got a dollar out of my own pocket (which really isn’t nothing, but still...) to get them a snack since the machine had ate their money. If they had been hateful people, I would have probably told them that I’m sorry and there is nothing I can do about it. Also, they had been curious about a certain attraction (a natural arch) and I offered to look it up for them and didn’t mind at all. People like that make our day. And what gets me is that my job is nothing compared to other jobs working with the public…I couldn’t imagine being a waitress.

Sorry, that’s my little rant for the day. I get aggravated every time I work there with people who are just as rude as they can be. I’m very glad I’m going to college and didn’t just decide to get a job right out of high school…

jlynp84...I'm not one of those people who would spit in your coffee if you're rude. I do my job. I'm just saying that I don't go out of my way to help people are rude while I would happily do whatever somebody wanted if they were nice.

Answer 1

Yes, it is true, as the old saying stated....You catch more flies with honey then you do with vinegar.
Most people are good people and it shows through their interactions with others. Then you have the "anal" people who have the mind set that it's your job to bend over backwards for their needs and wants just because it's your job and you get paid to do so. They have a mean streak and they get great pleasure ruining other peoples' day.
I personally rate the Hotel by the service and attitude of the employees that work in it. Employees can make or break the reputation of a Hotel.
You are doing the Hotel justice while you are still there, because the touch of human kindness you give them is more important than the visual Grandeur of the hotel itself. I'm glad for you to have higher goals for yourself by going to college. Hang in there now, and good luck in your future.

Answer 2

I can relate to you. I lived with my husband's mother who was divorced twice already. She lives with her three daughters and she has a boyfriend, but they're not even all that close. She doesn't keep food in the fridge for her kids, she doesn't clean her house-ever. When I lived there, I said a few things about how dirty the house was. I was upset because of how hard it was to live there. My mother in law said I was an ungrateful b-it-ch. She thought I owed her the world for living there. There was something the matter with her. Maybe she was depressed. Now I don't like the lady at all! So try getting along with her the best you can. I know it's hard when you're doing all the cleaning and she's moping around. Can you contact social services and see if you can get someone to manage her mental health or do something about the cleaning? I wish you a lot of luck. I had a lot of anxiety issues stemming from living in a house like you describe. Edit: don't let people tell you that you're being ungrateful. Just because she's giving you a place to live doesn't mean that you have to suffer. You are a minor still, and she has the responsiblity to make the house livable and to provide you with food.. that's why she's getting the compensation.

Answer 3

I absolutely agree with the point you're making on this one. I have held several jobs in the public sector, including waiting and bussing tables and bartending, and have always done my best to make sure the customer always gets the best service possible. Some people though are impossible to please and they make sure that you know it. I was lucky, rarely running into the rude customer, but since those days I seem to observe it more and more. Not too long ago I was at a grocery store and one of the customers was loudly berating the checkout person because they were not bagging their groceries according to their "standards" (I was embarrased to be observing this behavior). My work has me out on the road a lot, staying in hotels, and it doesn't happen a ton but I still observe it here and there, yelling at the person at the front desk. And have you flown at the holidays? That's the worst of them all.

I try to adhere to the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Just because someone is having a bad day does not give them the right to take it out on someone else. Luckily I figured this out at a younger age and went into a field where I do not have to work with the public at large. When people ask me why I chose the profession I did, I always tell them 2 things : 1) The whole idea of wearing a tie scares me; and 2) Fish aren't nearly anywhere as big a headache as people.

Mama Mia's right, the majority of the people are good. Unfortunately it takes only one rotten apple to spoil the whole bunch.

Actually, Jlyn sounds like management.

Answer 4

Absolutely :)

I always make a point of being polite to the people I come into contact with throughout the day ~ treat others as you would wish to be treated.
There are a couple of counter staff in the shops I go to every day {or most days}, and I always say hello, and if they aren't too busy I take the time to stop for a little chat with them.

But, on the other hand, I have come across some people who are downright rude and ignorant to the customers ~ lucky there are only a few of them.

Unfortunately, the hotel business is one of those jobs where you will come across some absolutely awful people :(

Answer 5

I think you're absolutely right; just because I'm a customer doesn't absolve me of my duty to be a nice human being. I find that if I just have a general positive attitude, things go smoother. I'm not so sure how much of this is due to others' reactions to me, but I think a lot of it is just that I feel better about things and so I'm happy with what happened during the day, whereas if I had a negative attitude, I might be dissatisfied, even if exactly the same things happened.

You never know what a person's life situation is and what causes them to treat others in a certain way, especially if it's negative. I wouldn't take it too personally.

Answer 6

I know where you're coming from exactly. When I worked in a supermarket I was talked to like a dog. I was bullied and abused, and constantly cleaning up after those that considered themselves too high and mighty to clean up their mess. Some even deliberately watched as they spilled stuff just to see what would happen.

THEN when I started my nursing course the public are begging for me to pay attention to them, when just a few months ago I was there being abused daily and treating me like i was uneducated.

Anyway, even at the hospital some patients cannot be bothered to put their own blanket over themselves and ask me to do it. They can make it out the door and down the stairs for a smoke and cant put a blanket over themself?!

Those that havent worked serving the public really should for a taste of reality.

Answer 7

Not always, I'm kind to the people that are working for me somehow, be it at a store, hotel or anywhere, but sometimes people don't know how to give a good service, no matter how kind the customers are.

Answer 8

I think JILYNP84 is one of those rude idiots who has done something so stupid and inconsiderate, thats why she's sticking up for those uncivilized slobs-lol. I also think she has her head up her a s s! *I always try and treat businesses I encounter professionally, as I know when dealing with people in order to communicate better, it's wise to be tactful and not reckless, it will only make you look less!

Answer 9

Very true, I try the nice approach first becuase I choose to be good to fellow humans and I recognize that most of us can have a hard time in our jobs. It never hurts to smile and be friendly!

Answer 10

Unfortunately I think words like please and thank you have left peoples vocabulary. Sometimes at a store the checker rings things up but may never have even looked in my direction.