- Why Does The Christmas Season Start So Early Every Year?
Does it seem like Christmas starts a little earlier every year? I guess many of you are noticing this, as about a seventh of all the visitors to this blog in November viewed this post. Here are my thoughts on the phenomenon.
- How To: Purchasing Alcohol When Slightly Intoxicated
Purchasing alcohol from a store whilst intoxicated can turn into a buzz killer if the clerk deems you “too intoxicated”. Here are some insider tips on how to go about this successfully. - The Business of Catalogues: Fact vs Fiction
Store catalogues are a pain in the you know what, both dr the consumer and for the clerks. To avoid uncomfortable situations and misunderstandings, I’ve done a little fact vs fiction comparison on common mistakes with catalogues.
- Photos: KKK-Supermarket (I’m Not Making This Up…)
Nothing special, just a photo of a store logo in Finland with very little thought behind it…
- Jesus Loves You! (Everyone Else Thinks You’re An Asshole)
Ever have someone try to convert you to their religion while at work? That’s a big no no.
- 10 Things NOT To Say To A Clerk On A Busy Day
I’ve really enjoyed writing these lists, and because of the success of them, there will be more! This one is a list of things to avoid saying on a busy day. Anyone who has ever worked in the service industry has probably heard ALL of them.
- 10 Things NOT To Say To A Clerk When Trying To Get A Discount
Everybody wants a discount, and many will go about in all the wrong ways. Here are some of those wrong ways to try to get a discount, so you’ll learn and increase your chances of actually getting that discount.
- “Slut, Where’s My Food!?” [Bad Examples]
The first of my Bad Examples of bad consumers, and a pretty bad one at that. Kids these days…
- “Excuse Me, You Seem To Have A Bird In Your Store.”
There’s something about a bird inside a store that just makes people lose their minds. I know there’s a bird go the store, and no, you won’t get bird flu from it. Calm down.
- Get The [censored] Out Of My [censored] Way!
The service industry can be hazardous to one’s physical well being. A certain level of acrobatic skills is required to navigate the roadblocks which customers just love creating for the staff and for other employees.
I’ve been writing The Consumer Etiquette Guide since the beginning of October and thus far I’m quite pleased with the responses from readers. Thank you to everyone who has read this blog and an especially big thanks to everyone who’s left a comment (James-DigitalKeyToInfo, SLB, randolph, karma, Pasi, Jason A Clark, Court, Jeremy Hobbs, and baliwhat). What I want is to hear more from those who have worked in the service industry and customer service, and if there are any blogs out there from said people, let me know!
As for this site, now that it seems to be building interest and getting a pleasant amount of hits every day, I’m looking to improve on the site design and everything The Consumer Etiquette Guide has to offer.
As soon as I can figure out how to verify my PayPal account without a credit card, I’ll be moving this blog to a self-hosted site complete with an easy to remember domain name. I have big aspirations and ideas (maybe a podcast/vidcast, a mobile version, polls, maybe some competitions down the line, etc, etc…), especially about making the site a lot easier to navigate and find specific parts of etiquette. If you have any suggestions for this site, feel free to drop me a note at consumer dot etiquette at gmail dot com!
I have tons and tons of material, with more popping into my head every day. Because it’s the busiest time of the year in retail right now, I’m striving to get out at least three posts a week, although I’d want to post five times a week, Monday through Friday, possibly more. We’ll get to that frequency after the turn of the year, I promise! =)
So, to conclude, I wish everyone in the service industry good luck and loads of patience during this Christmas season! Remember that we’re only less than four weeks from Christmas being over! And to all you consumers, remember that every clerk, cashier, waitress, et al that you meet this holiday season is working their butt off to make your Christmas shopping go hassle-free, all the while keeping the holiday spirit alive!
Christmas isn’t about how much stuff you buy, it’s about each and every single person around you. Keep that smile on your face and you’ll save everyone from a foul mood during this stressful season!
Here’s to an even better month!
Your host,
Jani
