Responsibility: The Other Side of the Coin

Confucius: The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.

When I was growing up, my parents owned a rock shop. Our store had many glass showcases that displayed the stones and jewelry we sold. My mother often complained about having to frequently clean the fingerprints from the showcases left by little children placing their sticky fingers on the glass. As a result, whenever I was taken to a store, I had to walk with my hands behind my back, forbidden to touch anything.

It seemed kind of extreme at the time, but now, after several months of working at a large discount store, I wish that everyone had a mother like mine. It seems that people have forgotten how to take responsibility for themselves. Although this blog is about how to provide good customer service, I also believe there is another side of the coin. We all know that a company must provide good customer service if it hopes to stay in business. But what about the responsibility of customers to respect the company and its employees?

In just a few months, I have seen many examples of total disrespect, for both property and people, from the customers who shop in the store. I work in the lingerie department, and much of my day is spent putting back together the packages of underwear that people have ripped open. Then you have customers who wander about the store, dropping the items that they picked up and no longer want. It may be a simple shirt lying among the hats. At other times I find whole shopping carts full of items from all over the store, including perishable grocery items. But what really puzzles me is the effort people make to hide these unwanted items. This may include a six-pack of Gatorade stuffed under a rack of bras, several items of jewelry hidden underneath the purses, or cell phone tucked into a sock rack.

Many customers expect you to know everything about every other department in the store. They get upset that you aren’t up on the latest video games, know where the night lights are kept, or how to work a microwave. In our department, we also take incoming calls, and have to answer such questions as “do you have such and such product in stock or do you carry wheel chairs?” I would never think to call a store to ask if they have balloons. I would get in my car and drive to the store and look for it myself. I’ve even had people call me from inside the store, trying to find a particular item.

And of course, there are many examples of customers yelling at the employee over perceived injustices that they have received. There are a lot of interesting stories of rude and inappropriate behavior at a website called Customers Suck. Reading these stories brought home to me just how prevalent this behavior in all types of service industries, including gas stations, restaurants, retail stores, etc.

In May, 2007, Joe Trovata wrote an article in the Badger Herald entitled, “Is Personal Responsibility Lacking in the US?” He states, “But America’s biggest problem today is the lack of personal responsibility. If there is one value that has eroded away in America, it is its belief in this one.” He goes on to say that people are no longer accountable for their actions and that Americans blame everything but ourselves for our problems.

For the record, I am not advocating not providing excellent customer service, since that is the theme of this blog. And I continue to treat all my customers with respect, even those who go through the purses right after I have straightened them, pulling out the paper fillers and throwing it on the floor, or those who pull the pantyhose out of the box and try them on in the aisle, forcing me to send the item to claims. Perhaps they have had some traumatic life event that I am not aware of that leads them to engage in destructive behavior. Or perhaps, they were not raised by my mother. I still find myself putting my hands behind my back at times when going into a store.

One of my favorite authors is Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Principle Centered Leadership. He states, “Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.”

I can only hope that today’s parents can take the time to instill personal responsibility habits into their children. For more than likely, they will grow up to become an employee in a service industry, and will be expected to respond professionally to inappropriate behavior on a daily bases.

What should be our reaction to the disrespectful behavior of others? The best approach is to set a good example for others. If you decide not to buy something, at least take it back to the department where you picked it up.  If it is a perishable item, return it to the cooler. Ask a sales clerk for assistance if you want to see an item out of the package.  Many would be happy to make a small opening that can be easily mended rather than spend time putting back together a ripped open package. Do not try to get something for nothing.

The best definition of a responsible person that I’ve found is from The Partnership for Citizenship and Character. “The people who demonstrate responsibility consider the consequences of their action for themselves and for others, in order to make those consequences as positive as possible.”