I went shoe shopping this past weekend. I specifically wanted to get two pair of clogs with fleece linings. I try to shop at local family owned stores as much as I can so I went to a local shop that would carry the types of shoes I was looking for. I knew I'd be paying about $100 dollars a pair. A lot of money in tough economic times like these.
The salesman was professional but not what I would consider friendly. I was there late in the afternoon and I'm sure he had put in a full day...but still...I think part of what you're being paid for is to be friendly to your customers.
I explained what I was looking for and pointed out the shoes I liked that I thought would fit the bill. He said they were nice but there was a particular brand that he felt would do the job better. They were very cute shoes (clogs with a little furry collar around the opening) but I told him my concern was that they were really a "young" style (I'm 46) and not quite the image I wanted to convey. He also encouraged me to try on a pair of Uggs.
I humored him but I really didn't feel comfortable in them and I tried to explain my feelings. I could see and hear that he was losing his patience with me and by the time I left I could tell he was really irritated.
I've certainly worked in jobs where the people I served ended up getting on my nerves. And I'm sure I let those emotions bubble to the surface at some points. As a matter of fact that was one of the things that told me I needed to quit my job and focus on my recovery after my car accident.
Each of us is very stressed now for a variety of reasons...we owe money...we may be afraid of losing our job...we have family who have lost their job...lots of reasons...
But we really do have to somehow deal with those emotions when serving our customers whether they be internal or external.
As co-workers I think we also should support each other and let others know when we sense them losing their temper or not performing as they would normally want to. I think that's part of loving our neighbors and being compassionate to our neighbor at work.
What ideas do you have for controlling your frustration at work? How can you become even better at it?
