[It's generally not a good thing when one can't make sense of their own blog, especially in trying to find something specific... With that in mind, there will be changes, BIG changes in the coming weeks. That'll be my first resolution for the new year!]
If you’ve ever bought anything, this etiquette blog applies to you. Everyone is a consumer, a customer.
In this Consumer Etiquette Guide I will be outlining general behavior which is to be avoided when going about your shopping, along with tips on how to make the ordeal easier, faster, and possibly more profitable for you. (And the clerks.)
I am not an expert of any sorts. I merely love writing, and having worked in the service industry since the age of 19, I’ve constantly noticed that many consumers act along the same lines, making the same mistakes, and persistently making life difficult for the workers of the service industry. I read a lot of blogs and such from other people in the service industry and I’ve noticed that many of these writers complain about the same things, regardless of whether they work in retail, restaurants, hotels, movie rentals, or call centers.
I initially started writing one post on consumer etiquette on a different blog, but due to the sheer volume of material, that one post became ten posts. Then more material popped up, and voila! The Consumer Etiquette Guide was born.
I’m writing this blog for three different reader bases: The Average Consumer, Service Industry Workers, and myself.
THE AVERAGE CONSUMER
Even from the title, The Consumer Etiquette Guide, one can decipher that this blog will mainly consist of many parts of etiquette for consumers, along with hints and tips on how to be a better customer.
SERVICE INDUSTRY WORKERS
A recent study in America just found out that the service industry is the second most depressing line of work, as go having the second highest numbers of depression amongst workers. Frankly, I’m not surprised. Having to deal with rotten customers at work is just the kind of thing which will eventually drive even the most patient person crazy over time. Then add to the mix the sporadic and awful working hours and long days, miserable pay, and stressful working environments, and you come up with an industry that employs a large chunk of the world’s youth and disadvantaged. As I already said, I’m not trying to make the world a better place. I’m just trying to make life a little less difficult for those having to deal with annoying people at work. I’m trying to reach out to the people in the service industry to share their stories with everyone else (and give me duly credited material).
ME, MYSELF AND I
CONSUMER VS CUSTOMER
You’ll notice that I keep switching between the terms “consumer” and “customer“. Although very similar in definition, I’ll use the two terms to distinguish between two different situations.
When I talk about a “consumer“, I’m directing the written work towards the general populace, regardless of whether or not they are shopping at that moment.
The term “customer” will typically refer to a particular person or group of people in the act of shopping.
At all times, everyone is a consumer. Only when you’re shopping are you a customer.
The reasoning behind this separation of terminology is simple. Although this consumer etiquette guide contains anecdotes, stories and hints about how customers behave in stores and how they should behave, it is directed at everyone as there simple rules should be applied elsewhere in your life as well. There are plenty of instances in day to day life where most people don’t realize that they in fact are a customer at the given moment and thus act inappropriately for that particular situation.
In order to stay up to date with this etiquette guide, don’t forget to subscribe to the RSS feed! [http://feeds.feedburner.com/consumers/]
THE AUTHOR
Allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Jani and I’ll be your guide on this blog. I’m a 24yr old male from Finland, where I work in customer service, and have done so for some 4.5 years now, both in the restaurant (fast-food) business and in the retail business (supermarkets and other stores). I like what I do, and I like serving customers. I like my job. Usually. There are many kinds of customers who can really ruin even the best day at work. If only I could my snap my fingers and change how people behave. Because I can’t, I’m starting this blog.
In order to stay up to date with this etiquette guide, don’t forget to subscribe to the RSS feed! [http://feeds.feedburner.com/consumers/]
