Spread a little good cheer
With the holiday season upon us, one would expect people to be friendlier, more courteous, and full of good cheer. Instead, we see a constant display of bad manners and rudeness.
Audience members at recent school concerts and performances were reminded beforehand to be quiet and attentive throughout the program. Instead, people visited, fidgeted, and generally disrupted the program for others seated nearby.
Common courtesy dictates that audience members show respect for performers by paying attention to the program. It doesn't matter if the performers are seasoned high school actors or kindergartners. They all deserve an attentive audience.
While on the subject of manners, is it too much to expect store clerks to be friendly to shoppers? In a recent survey, many shared concerns about the lack of friendly clerks in local businesses.
Is there a happy medium between a clerk who won't say "thank you" after taking your money and one who makes comments about each item you purchase? One borders on rudeness, the other nosiness. There must be something in between.
Clerks in some stores treat customers like inconveniences. They don't see customers as an opportunity to make a good impression or a strong sale. These clerks see a pesky customer as an interruption in their shelf-stocking duties.
If a customer is spending money in your place of business, they deserve courteous and pleasant help from you and your clerks. After all, it only takes one or two bad experiences to drive customers away.
In this hurry-up world it's easy to forget the manners we learned as children. Things such as saying "please" and "thank you," holding doors open, and a friendly smile or "hello" may go a long way toward brightening someone's day.
'Tis the season. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Let's make an effort to be a little nicer to everyone.
— DONNA BERNHARDT
