Quiz time:
- When was the last time you said “thank you” to a salesperson?
- When was the last time you held the lift/door open for someone?
- When was the last time you said “i’m sorry” to a stranger?
- When was the last time you greeted a stranger (at the shop/bank/etc) with a “good morning/afternoon/evening”?
- When was the last time you said “please”?
So…
According to Reader’s Digest, KL is the third rudest city in the world. Survey findings aside, courtesy is seriously lacking in today’s modern societies. (Not necessarily just in KL alone.) I don’t know if it is because we are too caught up in our own things to be concerned about a simple “thank you” or “good morning”, or because courtesy has become old-fashion and hardly in style.
However, one thing is for certain, rudeness begets rudeness.
How about we be the polite ones even though others are rude to us? If you have a habit of stepping on people’s toes more than you can count, you can be sure that one of these days, someone is going to call you “rude” or “inconsiderate” to your face. (On the side, since when was smiling ever considered a rude gesture? What she talks about really leaves me baffled.) What does your behaviour speak of you as an educated, modern individual? Short of calling you barbaric, it doesn’t speak well of you or the upbringing/education that you have had.
Ever had that problem where you were carrying heaps of stuff and hoping that someone would help you with it? Well, the next time you see someone struggling with their bags, why not offer to help them?
Ever had the problem when you were running to the lift and the door just closes? Well, the next time you’re in the lift, make it a point to look out for anyone who is rushing for it.
Why must others help YOU first before you are willing to help others? Doesn’t the phrase “Do onto others what others would do onto you” ring a bell anymore?
If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad goes to the mountain. (No offense whoever Muhammad may represent - I’m just repeating the saying.)
Remember that saying? You can never change anyone else but yourself.
If salespeople are sour-faced towards you, if you get the huffy-puffy irritating no-thank-you service, then maybe change your approach. A smile and a simple “thank you” can really turn things around. Salespeople and people in general are only human. They can be thinking of a problem, having a bad day or just plain distracted. There have been countless of times when I have been greeted by a less-than-happy face at the counter of a shop only to have them go into shock and break out into a smile when I say “thank you and good night/day”.
Just yesterday, I chatted with two ladies working in a well-known retail store for about twenty minutes AND I have never met them in my entire life before. They were talking about how poorly-paid they were, how different they were being treated from the company that I was once attached to in Australia, and etc. In short, they were venting to me. They saw me not as a customer but as someone they can trust. It isn’t easy to get people to open up to you just like that.
Instead of going “I want to have the best customer service treatment”, why not tell yourself “I want to be the best customer that salesperson serviced today”?
At the end of the day, what goes around really does comes around. Rudeness, like charity, really starts from the home.
