You know that ubiquitous phrase which states that the customer is always right? Well, it would appear that when it comes to customer care in Malta, we not only failed to get the memo, but we actually threw it out with the daily rubbish.
While many start closing shop half an hour before actual closing time, having, clearly, made enough sales for the day, the sheer bloody-minded rudeness of some of the ladies and gents who devote their lives to not serving with a smile beggars belief.
A few months ago, I walked into a shop to buy a top that I had seen the week before; in case any of you were wondering it was caramel-coloured with black leather panels (you may not think this detail is important but bear with me).
After browsing through the racks and not seeing the top in the place it had been the week before (I truly abhor the musical chair game that shops relish playing with their stock as it does nothing but disorient me), I enquired as to whether or not the top in question had been moved.
The sheer bloody-minded rudeness of some of the ladies and gents who devote their lives to not serving with a smile beggars belief
What happened next was pretty jaw-slackingly awful. Indeed, not only did the lovely, gum-chewing girl inform me that no top had ever existed of the description that I had given her, but when I showed her the exact spot where it had been, she actually went a step further and told me that since I had such a vivid imagination, maybe I should take up residence at the nearest mental institution.
Now without going into the flippantly disrespectful way in which she referenced mental health, this incident truly does beg the question of why one with such glaringly awful people skills and failure to grasp the meaning of service would be employed to work with people, let alone in a flagship store for a renowned high-street brand.
Even if I were completely barking, which I most certainly was not, such behaviour, to which we have become accustomed by sheer force of habit and tragic inevitability, is truly unacceptable and symptomatic of a national culture of disrespect.
Of course, as per usual, some bleeding heart out there will probably feel inclined to write to me to tell me that humans are, indeed, human, and that she was probably having a bad day; however, the truth is that the row she may or may not have had with her boyfriend/mother/dog has precious little to do with her need to be polite and at the very least feign helpfulness. I, as the customer, am, after all, contributing to her very salary being paid each month.
It is this very ‘anything goes’ attitude which has steered us into being complacent about the quality of everything around us and basically shrugging our shoulders whenever anything despicable happens in our country. When are we going to start expecting more?