I’m often disappointed with the all too prompt closing times that stores and restaurants have. I remember one time nearly two years ago when Ninja and I rushed down to a Japanese restaurant in Westwood, arriving 20 minutes before they close only to find they were turning in early for the night. I understand that by that time, everyone is eager to call it a day and close up shop, but if you claim to be open until a certain time and don’t stick to it, that’s just poor customer service. Sadly, this seems to be a common occurrence, as I found today when I showed up to a drug store just as they were supposed to be closing only to find the doors were locked and the people inside were just cashiers cleaning out.
Good service would be the restaurant that doesn’t close its doors and stop serving food until the very minute they claim they are open until. Good service would be the store that allows that one last customer to sneak by and buy something at closing. Good service is going that extra step to make sure that people who want to be a customer get to be. Otherwise, you risk losing your customer base to your competitors, who may be treating them better by staying open longer or being more flexible with closing. One thing’s for certain: I lose respect for companies that are so overly eager to close up shop each night, inconvenicing me after all my effort to get there on time.
They know how to do things right.
Once two summers ago, I even called a frozen yogurt store just before going and got there but two minutes too late. Had they told me on the phone, don’t worry, we’ll wait a few minutes for you, they could have made one more big sale and kept me a happy returning customer. I opt for their competitors now and that shop has closed down anyway. There’s no better way to make a good impression than to stay open a little longer to make your customers happy. It’s like Kohl’s sales – they say it lasts until 2 PM, then as the time nears, they make an announcement to prolong the sale until 4 PM if it’s still going strong, then again if they’re still getting a good response. That makes customers feel valued and they get to enjoy more time to buy more things. Win-win, isn’t it?
Quality (and satisfying) service. That's what I'm talking about!
You can really tell a good company by their willingness to keep their doors open and their registers on. It’s also reflected in the employees’ attitudes, which is a major reason for whether or not you can sneak in the last purchase. Panda and I had a great experience at Chick-fil-a on Labor Day, when we went in to get the free chicken burger offer for wearing our favorite team’s logo. Arriving just past 7, we found the entire mall shutting down, much to our surprise. We rushed to find the Chick-fil-a in the food court and saw that their lights had been turned off and it looked like they were closed. Desperate, we decided to go check it out anyway, since we saw some people loitering by their registers and we didn’t drive all that way to leave empty-handed. Thankfully, the ladies working there were still taking orders and serving customers, all of whom left with happy hearts. Now that’s some great service! They were still serving us after closing time even though all we were getting was free food! Panda was telling me how they are a respectful company known for their good practices and I don’t doubt it. I’ve definitely gained an appreciation for them, both because of their food quality and superb customer service.
So to all you out there who might work for or run a business that involves customers visiting, a word to the wise… keep your doors open at least until the time you say they will be! You’ll build a much stronger customer base that way.
I’ve finally gotten a chance to join the green movement by helping out at 
A harder thing for me to do right now is buy all-natural, organic, local, or fair trade products. With no income, I’ve got to go for cheapest over other benefits. However, my mom and I have been living an essentially waste-free life for a few months now. We compost all the perishable items that we don’t completely consume. We recycle the plastics, cardboard, aluminum, and glass that we may come across. The other items are the little bit of trash left over that we do have, which doesn’t amount to that much at the end of the day. In fact, my mom has even canceled our trash-collecting service. I’m working on buying less bottles and opted for a powder to mix my own drinks. I reuse plastic bags like crazy and have stopped leaving a grocery stores with a handful of bags in tow. Instead I try to remember my reusable bags, otherwise I “punish” myself by carrying the items separately. I’ve even dragged Panda into that lifestyle and don’t let him be wasteful when we shop for food.
As luck would have it, I also won a raffle item and chose to take home the mug. I was a sucker for the gold trim and black and white image of Royce Hall. I was almost tempted to get the mouse pad, but then I realized I never use one. This clocks in as the second mug I’ve won and one of many that I have unofficially collected over the years. I will never forget my beautiful black mug from Gallery and Toff’s (two nightclubs in York), which I got during Fresher Week when I first arrived for my year studying at the Uni of York. I think it’s the sturdiness, yet fragile nature of them that make me feel they are valuable enough. Everyone’s a winner when I win things, because I get really excited and that brings a smile to most everyone’s face (except for the super bitter who reaaally wanted to win too, I suppose).
It started Saturday with dim sum, where we also ate with Cherry (who was also an Orientation Counselor with us last year) and Envie (Panda’s brother). It was really nice to catch up with Cherry, who just completed a rigorous summer program, and meet Brother, who I’ve heard about over the months, but never gotten more than an impression of. After we filled our bellies with delectable tidbits, we went across the way to a photo sticker machine place and took some fun shots together. Between the six of us we managed to squeeze into one booth and split the sixteen copies of the four shots we printed, then split off. I took Panda, Envie, and Cherry back before spinning back to get Opti and Doc, who had gone back to Opti’s so she could pack for the overnight.
As I thought, the wait was drastically shorter than the guy told us, so we were seated about an hour after we had originally arrived. Unfortunately, restaurants of this type work at a slow pace, casually letting you soak in the atmosphere and enjoy your soup and salad before the chef shows up to entertain the table. We were ravenous and didn’t get fed substantial food until about 10 o’clock. The performance was fun, but not as flashy as others I’ve seen and the fried rice was very tasty, but the chicken was a bit chewy and bland. The vegetables were juicy, but not my favorite thing to eat and the shrimp was pretty good with the provided sauce. Overall I felt the experience was average and probably not worth the money, so I think I’ll look for cheaper alternatives to this type of dining next time. It was nice to share it in a double date kind of setting though.
This morning, Panda woke up early and couldn’t quite get back to sleep, but the rest of us slept in until we lethargically pulled ourselves up and decided that we were due for some brunch. We walked down to a cafe that serves breakfast all day and uses fresh ingredients to make tasty sandwiches, burgers, and of course, the standard breakfast foods as well. From there, it was time to resume our carding craze until dinner. Throughout the game, the boys got chastised by the girls, who were both whooping the boys for the majority of the time. We can get pretty sassy and have a fun time bantering back and forth flirtatiously. The guys learned that they just couldn’t win unless they placated us. 😛
