|
I have had just about enough of being treatedlike a second-class citizen, simply because I happento be th at put-upon member of societya customer.The more I go into shops and hotels, banks andpost offices, railway stations, airports and the like,the more Im convinced that things are being runsolely to suit the firm, the system, or the union.There seems to be a harmful new motto forso-called service organizationsStaff Before Service. How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office orthe supermarket because there werent enough staff on duty to man all the service grilles of checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible torecruit cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claimthat enshrouding all their cash registers at any one time would increase overheads. And thePost Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied at times whendemand is low. Its the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them,dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is curtailed. As for us guests, we just have to put upwith it. Theres also the nonsense of so many so friendly hotel night porters having beendismissed in the interests of efficiency and replaced by coin guzzling machines.Not to mention the coldness of the tea-making kit in your room: a kettle with an assortment ofteabags, plastic milk cartons and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? Idont, especially when I am paying for service. | 
