I get so frustrated sometimes when businesses screw up easy tasks. Today it is the bagel shop I decide to stop at for coffee and a sundried tomato bagel.
The store is not busy. I am the second person in line and noone is behind me. I get asked my order. I say I want the bagel with regular cream cheese. Not toasted. I stress the NOT toasted part.
“Is this for here or to go?” I get asked.
“To go,” I reply and move on down the line.
At the register I am asked what I ordered.
I explain, “bagel with cream cheese and a medium coffee.”
“For here or to go,” the cashier asks.
“To go,” I say, getting frustrated for the repeated question.
As I am paying, a third employee asks me what I ordered.
Are you kidding me? I think. “Sundried bagel, regular cream cheese, not toasted.”
I finish paying, get my receipt and am handed my bagel in a small brown bag. I inspect the bagel and realize it’s toasted.
Three employees asked me my order, three times I said exactly what I ordered.
I don’t get what I order.
One of the employees takes my bag back and quickly replaces it with the correct, non-toasted bagel without an “I’m sorry.” No words said at all.
I say, “thank you” and move on.
It’s simple things like these that can make or break a company. Customers end up leaving frustrated and may not return the next time. If this were the first time this had happened I probably wouldn’t be writing about it now, but it happens again and again. I’m going to have to look for a new bagel shop the next time I want my bagel, not toasted.
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ABOUT ALICIA: Alicia is the founder of Balancing Motherhood.com. Last year, she managed to stay sane while completing an MBA, working full-time, blogging, and still baking amazing birthday cakes — all while raising a young family at home.
Andrea says
Amen! I totally agree. Most of the time businesses either have consistently good or bad service no matter what employee is helping you, so it’s obviously a management issue. It’s these little things that seem so easy to do that make us leave feeling either satisfied or frustrated.
Chris (Alicia's husband) says
It was Einstein’s Bagels. I will name names. That happens to me ALL the time there.
If their coffee wasn’t so good, and cheaper than *bux, they’d be outta business cuz their customer service is in the crapper.
I can tolerate s**tty service for a good cup a joe. Thats sad. How weak am I?