This was a mediocre morning: I got up a little late, it was hot as blazes in my bedroom, jdimbert was still asleep when I left, I got to kiss the kidberts goodbye while they watched Bob the Builder and there was no sun in the sky despite the 85 degree heat and mucky humidity.
So, feeling like I needed a treat, I stopped at a Starbucks I’ve been visiting with a staggered regularity over the last two or three months. When I walked in, the perky coffee-maid (or whatever the one who makes it is called) said, “Good morning, sdimbert, venti mocha today?”
You see, about two weeks ago, they started remembering that I always order the same thing. And today, they remembered my name!
Now, I don’t eat out much, so I don’t know how common it is for a service person to remember your name, but this was a unique experience for me. It brightened my day tremendously and got me to wondering: Why can’t other service-people remember who I am and what I buy?
Every time I visit the local Blockbuster, I deal with the same two or three people. I always call them by name (thanks to the nametags), but they never use my name, despite the fact that it’s on their computer screen. I’m not going to list them all, but suffice it to say that Starbucks is the only store I frequent that makes me feel like they know I frequent it.
yep, it does. i worked with a man who would remember a customer even if they just came in once. he greeted this one guy with his name and asked about his business . he had come in a year ago and just once. it amazed me.
there was this one restaurant i went to where they would just bring me food when i sat down. they knew exactly what i wanted.
For one, I feel VERY uncomfortable when people who don’t know me call me by my name, just because it’s on my tag. It just feels Very Vaguely Creepy.
Also, they may be like me-burned out so extremely you just don’t care anymore. Service jobs are extremely brain draining at times. I do try my best, and most people are happy, but some days I just can’t do it.
As a customer, I do not like it when I am called by name. I much prefer to be one more faceless part of a crowd, or just one more account number.
False familiarity just really grates on my nerves. And even if they do genuinely remember me, I’d rather they didn’t. If they remember information like that about me, that’s way too much information that I’m just letting out.
I’m with TheNerd. I’d much, much rather be allowed to be anonymous. It’s different in small town, privately owned sorts of establishments…but ugh. I really DON’T want to be remembered by the local Starbucks.
I used to work in a little bagel shop and the girls there were on it! They knew people’s names, orders, whole deal. Often dring the morning rush they prepared orders by knowing whose car got what.
I loved working there. The only difference between customers and serving people was that we gave out coffee. Regulars threw birthday parties for the workers and we always kept track of people’s special days.
Such a great work environment. I only remember once getting yelled at by a customer. He was take out of line by another patron and given a stern talking too. (big, important business guy, getting reminded about his manners by a tiny old jewish lady. It would have been funny if I hadn’t been so floored.)
I have worked in the service industry. The last time I did this, was as manager of a small coffee place, like a Starbucks. Called GrabbaJabba. Anyhoo, I remembered people’s names, what they ordered, what sort of muffins they liked, etc.
I think it’s all part of the service. I like it when people remember what I want, and have it ready for me. I don’t believe it’s being false.
I think the complaint about ‘false familiarity’ is more to do with the situations where the serviceperson doesn’t actually know you, but uses your name anyway. Like at Safeway. When you use your Safeway Card, the checker calls you by name as you leave-- 'Thank you for coming, Mr. Chan!" ([tangent] I always get weird looks at these times, as I don’t have a Safeway card so I just punch in my friend’s phone number-- suffice it to say that I look nothing like a ‘Mr. Chan’[/tangent]). This bugs me. You don’t know me! Leave me alone!
OTOH, I like things like the experience related in the OP. I work in the service industry right now, I manage a smoothie place in Berkeley. I always remember the orders of our regular customers, or at least I try. It usually takes me 3 or 4 times to get it right, fewer if there’s something remarkable about the customer or their first visit. Customers that I talk to a lot frequently introduce themselves, or I introduce myself, and subsequently I would use their names when they come in. I like this situation because it allows for those customers who prefer anonymous, efficient service to express that preference, and for those customers who prefer personalized interaction to get what they want. Everybody’s happy. Most days I like my job a lot, and the customers are almost always the best part.
Because the service industry in the United States is geared toward making money and FAST service, none of which has to do with quality of service. The typical mindset is: If I can get twice as many people through my service business, I can make twice as much money.
Thanks to the miracle of computers, when I call to order a pizza, I’m asked: “Do you want what you got last time?” Like I remember what I ordered last time…
But that doesn’t bother me near as much as service-types who want to be my “friend”. When I’m dining out with spouse and/or friends, I don’t want to discuss the reason we’re eating out with the server. Nor do I want to discuss my purchases with the check-out clerk - how idiotic is it to ask me “Are these any good?” when it’s obvious I’m buying them… “Uh, no, they’re really lousy, but I thought I’d buy them anyway.”
Lest you think otherwise, I’m not an anti-social bitch… it’s just that most days, I have neither time nor energy to interact on a level other than efficient businesslike. This witty repartee I spew takes a lot out of me…
I have certain customers who get special orders, I know as they walk in the door what they’re ordering. There’s the guy with the 2 plain doublecheeseburgers (welldone), and a small french fry no salt. As soon as I see him, I drop a fry and instruct the grill team that I’m gonna need 4 pieces of 10:1 meat cooked twice. Seeing as most of my grill team doesn’t speak english, this usually involves me going back there to cook the meat myself. And then there’s the guy with the veggie sandwich…mustard, cheese, and all the veggies on an untoasted chicken bun. For the most part, I don’t remember every single customer, and what they order. But I do make an effort to remember the good guys.
On the other hand, when I go to Burger King after work, they finish my order for me. I always get the bacon crossonwich meal, with a dr pepper. I can’t stand fast food eggs, but if I forget to special order my sandwich to come without egg, I usually just pick it off. The drive thru lady has started reminding me when I order that I on’t like egg, and always throws on my strawberry cheesecake. I’d go there before going to the BK on the other side of the highway, even though the other one is on my way home. I go to the next exit, do a uturn, and go to the northbound one. Yeah, good service is definitely worth the time.
In the Marketing world, this phenomenon is known as One-on-One Marketing or Customer Relations Management (CRM). See, it doesn’t exist until someone creates a TLA[sup]*[/sup].
Anyway, the best application of this sort of software I’ve ever encountered was when I tried to buy a gift for jdimbert at a Victoria’s Secret store. I had no idea what her size is, but the saleslady was able to look into her magic computer and find out for me, based on jdimbert’s previous telephone orders and store-purchases.
This allowed us both to avoid the awkward “Baseball vs Softball” discussion.
Pammi,
You work at McDonald’s and stop at BK on the way home? Not in uniform, I hope…(have seen a MD guy in Wendy’s, tho…)
I like the semi-anonymous mode. One of the owners of the pizza shop knows I live near him (3 or 4 blocks) because he’s asked about the dog. Neither of us know exactly where the other lives. Also the newsstand where I pick up the paper 5 days a week between 6:55 and 7:05. Both cases you are a “regular” but no names exchanged…
Before I joined the Marines, I knew I was going to drop Mechanical Engineering when I returned to college so I took some time and visited the other engineering offices and councilors. When I returned to college, I again visited the offices to refresh myself on what they had to offer. When I went back to the College of Industrial and Systems Engineering, the councilor/advisor, Pam Hussein, not only remembered talking to me before, she remembered my name, my basic interests and why I had taken time off. She was, hands down, the nicest woman, with the greatest recall, that I have ever met. She was a large part of my taking a second look at ISE, which is good, because I realized I love the field (for those that don’t know, it’s sort of a jack-of-all-trades + quality + ergonomics + efficiency expert engineering thing.)
Speaking with every other student, they shared similar experiences with Pam, and we all chipped in to buy her a really nice gift when we graduated (90+ engineers can buy one hellanice gift), as did almost every class that ever passed though while she was there. Years later and I still think fondly of her.
I like to be recognized by face when I frequent an establishment but I don’t really want anyone knowing my name or anything much about me. I would rather be treated well by someone who had no clue about me than served poorly by someone who knows my name. [tangent]Why, if I’m a customer, do I need to be chipper when dealing with the person serving me? I can be perfectly polite, respectful, and patient without making small talk or smiling. I wish people would stopping saying “Oh come on smile, it can’t be that bad?” For the record I’m not upset, I’m usually just thinking about something else and you should just prepare my order instead of trying to be my personal pep squad. [/tangent]
This thread is living proof of the saying “you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all the people all the time.” Service jobs suck.
I used to go to the same Wendy’s pretty regularly for lunch. I always ordered the same thing, and occasionally they’d order for me, just asking me to confirm that that was indeed what I wanted. A few girls who worked there gave me a christmas present. That was just too odd, so I stopped going there for a few months. Still, it was fun being a “regular” and being able to order “the usual.”
I absolutely hate it when Safeway clerks thank me by name. It’d be annoying enough, but they always mispronounce my name, damn them.
A few years ago I began to notice that sales persons would thank me by using the name on my credit card (“Thank you, Urban1”) even though I may have never been in the store before.
I don’t actually think I like it. I don’t know these people, usually, and may never be back. I don’t call these people by their name, even if it is on their name tags.
[slight hijack]
On the other hand, being known at a favorite place can also cause minor problems. I go to a particular bar a couple of times a week and usually order the same thing. The bartender is nice enough to begin pouring the drink as soon as I walk in. Unfortunately, it makes it difficult to order something different.
[/slight hijack]
I like being a regular. We never cook on Saturday, it being the day we catch up on house work, laundry etc. So I typically order a pizza or Chineese. Both places remember me, even though the Pizza place is a Papa Murphy’s.
Typical call for Pizza is something like…
Me: Hi this is Stephen @ 555-1234 and I’d…
PM: One large all meat special special (the kids) and one Italiano (the wife and I)
Me: Exactly
The Chinese place is even better:
CP: Delivery is a 45 minute wait can I take your order.
Me: It’s Stephen @ 555-1234
CP: Oh Hi Steve, are you having Mongolian Beef or Curry Chicken (these are the only variables of my order and they know this) with your usual order?
Me: whichever suits my fancy oh, and don’t forget…
CP: Plenty of Hot Mustard
Me: Thanks
Here’s the great part, no metter what time the quoted delivery is, my order always arrives in 20 minutes.
I live in a small town, so it’s kind of expected here, but I really do like being able to go to the Texaco station, walk up to the counter and have the clerk ask “One or two” and already be reaching for the Camels. When I go to the cafe, my drink will arrive with the menu (before 11AM, it’s always coffee, after 11AM it’s Diet Pepsi). When I call Mazzio’s (the only choice here for delivery), I get “That’s next door to Stacy’s Garage, right?”