Service with(out) a Smile

Of course with this being the holiday season, i've been paying a few trips to the shops for snacks, alcohol and goodness knows what else. Generally, i've not had much problem with the service here - mostly staff are friendly and pleasant enough and after an initial enquiry they'll leave you be to browse to your heart's content and, should you need anything, they're generally as happy as a pig in muck (to utilise a YOrkshire colloquiolism) when it comes to helping you. Of course, there are the extreme ends to this spectrum - with one being the assistants who REFUSE to leave you alone no matter what you say to them. And then there are those that make it clear that helping you or serving you is a GREAT inconvenience to them and how dare you interrupt their otherwise important task of doing nothing else.

Now, given the time of year, you'd think that everyone would be pretty cheerful - but the shops i've been to have been a different case entirely. The number of times i've been at the Till (Cash Register, checkout - whatever you want to call it!) and had staff talking on the phone or talking to their friend on the till next door, or chatting to co-workers and barely paying any attention to you at all. It's not that i demand attention but when you have to check the till yourself to see how much you have to pay 'cause they can't be bothered to tell you, i say it's pretty bad. And with 'nary even a hello or goodbye, i suppose you could ask why i keep going back there - and it's mainly cause the store in question is over the road from my apartment and handy for milk and other such nick-nacks. When i (eventually) get my car, i suspect i may find other places to shop. At least where you can get a smile from time to time!