Stray Dog: The Feisty Pompek

Welcome Home Dawg (no pun intended)
by The Feisty Pompek

Those that know me and know me well, know that I am not one to accommodate the bad attitude and plain bitchiness of anyone. Particularly, someone who is suppose to be providing me with some service—that I am paying for!

We all know and complain that customer service in Trinidad is somewhat lacking—to say the least. Being that I currently live most months out of the year in the US, for the past three years, I have grown accustomed to great customer service, and if I happen to be on the receiving end of someone’s bad day, I have also grown accustomed to them being reprimanded by their superiors.

As a lass (ha!), I worked at West Mall—now The Falls at West Mall (pardon-moi!) over the Christmas breaks. I woke up after many long (ahem) nights of liming and took myself to work and smiled with people and helped them out. And let me tell you, people shopping at Christmas time, like 2 or 3 days before… are the MOST annoying customers ever!

Did I sometimes want to say “well, yuh know, yuh shudn’t ah wait til last minute to do this?!” ? Yes! Of course! But whether you selling clothes, chicken or perfume you should take pride in your job—it’s an honest living after all, and extend simple courtesy to your customers.

We acknowledge, that some customers are disrespectful, demeaning and just plain old RUDE! I believe that a salesperson, should in these cases defend themselves tactfully but I stress—maintain a level of professionalism!

So that said, this is what happened to me yesterday (June 2, 2009)

Since I’m on vacation from school (amen!) I decided to take advantage of the Tuesday special at Globe. The hype of schmoozin’ at the ‘Upper West Side’ at Movie Towne, and paying $45 to see ONE movie, has not really appealed to me for a while.

As a broke college student, I tend to be very careful of spending what little money I have—I feel no compulsion to be seen by the who’s who or party with the “in-crowd”. So, I decided, with 3 friends to head to Globe to see TWO movies for $5—yes… FIVE dollars!!! (TEN if you want to go Balcony—not that I should advertise for them!)

Anyway, so there I am in line, chatting with my friends, since I had not seen them since I had arrived in the country—eventually it became my turn to step to the window and I am greeted by a big, fat, unpleasant looking matron and I am going to spare this broad absolutely no criticism.

Her hair was in a mess! And I don’t mean it was elaborately done—God knows, I does just roll off my bed and bounce sometimes, but NOT if I’m going to work! Lady, ever heard of a brush?!—from the looks of her, clearly she had not—in any sense! (AHEM!)

She looked as though, she was going to throw out the garbage at home. I not saying wear a suit, but umm, you ARE at work! Anyway…

Now whenever I go to a store or where ever to buy ANYTHING I usually say ‘Hello’, ‘Good—whatever time of day it happens to be’ and then… ‘may I please have…. Whatever I want’—as a result of good home training nah..!

Since my friends and I had not been to Globe since last July… we were not aware of if the special was still on… and the prices posted over the window were the ‘regular prices’ of $12 or whatever. So after the exchange of pleasantries—well my extension of pleasantries, I asked the lady “Umm, excuse me, how much is it? I would like 4 adults tickets for House (yes, I went House, because I like the human commentary that accompanies the movies there!)

The ‘lady’—a term I am using VERY loosely, then leans back in her chair and crosses her arms. So I’m thinking well... maybe she didn’t hear me because, even though I have a big mouth, I try to speak to people quietly, because a lot of people think I’m shouting AT them… when really… I’m just shouting because I’m loud! So Miss Globe Cinema is now giving me, what has to be the DREADEST cut eye I see in years! You know the look your mother gives you—or used to give you when you misbehaving in public—the look that said “I go deal with yuh when we reach home!” ? Well, that look!

So I thinking to myself, well what really going on here? SO I ask her again and then yet again!
After the third time the lady leans forward and shouts (in very poor English, might I add!) “Wham?! Yuh bline, yuh eh see de sign dey?! LOOK ova so!”

... Insert me standing most perplexed here …

Looks to see the sign that advertises, that indeed, the special is still on.

Now, I have my ways. To be honest, I can be a real bitchy bitch! BUT hypocrisy is not my thing, so I decided to be the bigger person—not that it was literally possible with woman in question. I handed her the $20 and said “Umm, thank you, eh and have a lovely evening, dearie!”

My friends are currently STUNNED! The man taking the tickets is as usual, in a hurry and well I am just pissed!

Had I been a different person, actually, being just MYSELF, I could have yelled, decided not to see the movie, even drop in an F sharp or two!... but I decided that would do nothing and would also be a waste of time.

I always say, you know the type of person you are. You know what you like, what you don’t like and what situations you can handle and prefer not to. That said, if you are a grumpy, bitchy, eternally bothered person, perhaps—JUST PERHAPS… customer service is NOT for you!

I don’t like blood, and therefore have no desire to be a doctor. I don’t like to lie—therefore, law was not my profession of choice.

I think—actually I know, Trinidad needs a serious re-structuring and re-training in the department of customer service. We as consumers also need to stand up for ourselves. I am sure I am not the first person that lady spoke to in that manner, and I’m probably not the last.

It irks me when my friends and other trinis say, “Oh! Well this is not the States yuh kno! I am well aware that this is Trinidad, dear friends. Trust me! But the fact that people have just grown accustomed to poor customer service and somehow think that that’s the way things are and should be done, bothers me.

I’m not trying to make this into the US—please! I don’t like the US at all—but some things there work and work well. We need to adopt a sort of trini-service that is professional. I’m not saying smile all the time and take the abuse of irate customers, but please! It’s your job, take pride in it and treat people, like people. Jesus had it right you know (yes I bringin’ Jesus in mih ting!)

‘Do unto others, as you would have them do unto, you!’—that is sometimes not easy, but it’s a good thing to practice as much as you can—or at least every now and then

Anywayz, that was my rant. So I guess, I gone.