Can fast service ever be considered a disservice? Is our service industry culture obsessed with ‘the fast’?
An example:
The other night I went to the grocery store to pick up a few essential items. When I got to the check out line, a few people with carts got behind me. The chekout lady barely greeted me, and began feverishly scanning my items. She got to an item that she didn’t know the code, and panic set in. She began apologizing to me for taking so long, “I’m so sorry sir…”. I said, “What? It’s been 5 seconds…”. A little later (7 seconds) she apologized again. I replied, “Don’t assume I’m in a hurry.”
Sometimes the grocery store is my sanctuary after a long day of work. My biggest pet-peeve is when I’m handed my receipt and I don’t even have time to fold it up in my wallet before I’m being elbowed by the next person in line to move and my bags have been wisked away.
I’ve seen this fast mentality cross over into high-end dining. Not that I eat a ton of high-end meals, but the recent times that I have, the server is always apologizing for the food not being out or saying things like, “Your food should be out any minute.” Once again, don’t assume I’m in a hurry. I’m probably not. And you’re annoying.
If I’m in a hurry at the grocery store, I’ll use the self-checkout lane. If I’m in a hurry for dinner, I’ll get fast food. We are always coming out with new ways to improve efficiency and speed, with always the assumption that we are in a hurry. I would love to be in a culture where it is frowned upon to ask for your check before two hours have passed.
8 responses so far ↓
hannah // February 9, 2007 at 7:41 pm |
straight to the heart john. let’s all move to spain! dinner ALWAYS takes at least two hours.
hannah // February 9, 2007 at 7:42 pm |
oh yes, straight to the heart john. i totally agree. lets all move to spain where dinner always takes at least two hours. and they have damn fine coffee and olives.
david // February 10, 2007 at 2:57 am |
it took me way too long to read this…i don’t even have time to finish my sent
smallstreams // February 10, 2007 at 5:33 pm |
I found this entry through wordpress.com/next. Obviously, I’m taking it easy. Enjoyed your post.
We’ve become great consumers of meditation. We have the loose fitting pants and yoga mats to prove it. Yet we’re driven crazy by standing in line, a chance to meditate for free.
clark // February 10, 2007 at 6:04 pm |
remember in london when we wouldn’t see our waitor for so long after we had our food. that annoyed me at first, but i soon grew to appreciate not being constantly bothered. london?
Sarah // February 10, 2007 at 6:07 pm |
I recently had a conversation with my Ugandan friend that attends school in the US this year. When he registered for classes it only took three minutes and he said he “went away sad and very confused” because they should have taken their time with him. “In Uganda, it should have taken three days. It would have shown their value in taking the time to prepare for my arrival at school.” Pretty sure any school that took that long here would be sued. But I was glad to know that some cultures value people enough to take a long time with them. Quite the paradigm shift.
getitgotitgoods // February 12, 2007 at 6:12 am |
David, you’re funny. Clark, you are right – those late London meals were great times to relax. And hey, we probably bought more beer while waiting for our food. Sarah – even though I think we do live in a great country, it’s the little details of our culture that make me want to vomit. So, thanks for that…
toby // February 14, 2007 at 7:29 pm |
While I totally agree, I want to also say: be careful what you wish for. In Kenya, I once spent 9 HOURS getting copies of keys made. I also looked for a book for OVER TWO YEARS. I was more than once literally forgotten by waiters.