Customer Service – It Starts With You

AI Generated

I was standing in a long line at the Costco pharmacy the other day, when a gentleman walked right up to the counter, skipping everyone else. Just waltzed up like he had a backstage pass.

Now here's my question to you—was that rude?

In my opinion, yes. And thankfully, the customer service agent handled it perfectly. She politely told him he needed to go to the back of the line and wait his turn. That’s fair, right?

But then something unexpected happened. When it was finally my turn, my agent—who I deal with often—started venting to me about how rude that guy was. And while I agreed with her silently, I didn’t think it was appropriate. That wasn’t the time or place for her to share that. Her job, in that moment, was to help the next person—me—and keep things professional. I didn’t say anything, but it got me thinking.

We all have those moments, though, don’t we?

I remember one of mine all too well. I used to work in customer service too, and one day, I completely lost my cool. Yep—I yelled at a customer. Not my proudest moment.

Here’s what happened.

We had two lines at the counter—one regular, and one for quick service. The people in the quick line paid extra for that perk, but there was no sign explaining it, so folks in the regular line just saw themselves getting passed over.

One day, the agent running the quick line had to step away, and I was left to juggle both lines. I tried to go back and forth, helping one from each line. But that still didn’t please everyone. And of course, the guy in the back—Mr. Entitled—starts yelling at me. He demanded to know why I was helping certain people before him, even though I had explained it as clearly as I could.

At that point, I was running on fumes. The line stretched forever, and help wasn’t coming anytime soon. I finally snapped and yelled, “I am the only one here, and I’m doing the best I can!”

The customer I was helping smiled at me and said, “Hang in there, you’re doing a great job.” That small kindness meant everything.

As I kept working my way through the line, more and more people said, “Wow, that guy was a real jerk,” or “You’re handling this so well.” Their words picked me back up and reminded me that most people really do understand.

Here’s the truth: standing in line is frustrating. But yelling at the person trying to help you isn’t going to speed things up. In fact, it might just slow them down. Trust me on that one.

Want better service in a restaurant? Be kind to your server. Want your problem solved faster on the phone? Be polite. Smile. Say thank you. Even a small joke can go a long way. You might just be the one to turn someone’s day around.

You never know what kind of day the person on the other side of the counter is having. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of kindness will come back around to you when you need it most.

Wanda-Ism 💬 “Kind words don’t just make better service—they make better days. And sometimes, that’s all someone needs to keep going.”