GEMS AND WHY SINGAPORE JUST CMI
Two major incidences of poor service in less than one week, and I'm not a bitch-shopper, so no dramamama moments, making a mountain out of a molehill, creating a storm in a teacup or whatever whatnot.
Last Saturday, my darling BFFs and I went to Maestro, that little corner cafe at Cine. The waitress proceeded to hold THREE cups, put two cups down, and with the other still in her hand tilted it to her side while picking up the menus and there we were just stunned. ?! Seriously, speaking as a person who has had first-hand experience waitressing, a lack of focus just appalls me. And the place isn't even BUSY (although after seeing the lack of thriving service, I don't see why not), what's so hard?! Granted people get dumped over the week, or Murphy's Law just gets activated, but you'd have to be there to believe it. And I was there and I didn't even believe what she was doing. Okay, she spilt water but that's not the point. People make mistakes. What she didn't do next was a major PMO.
She took TISSUE to attempt to wipe the place. Good job. Tissue which disintegrated upon contact with the heavy flow of water! Cool beans. Xiu's phone got a little wet in the process. Her colleague comes, hoorah! And with the prowess of their combined brain power, use a wet cloth to dry the table. Cue dropping jaw.
Then we got our dessert! Another waitress comes by, leans over us without saying a word, grabs the candle on my side and lights it and places it right smack in our faces while the plate was in the middle.
Basically we just told the manager what happened and what ensued was nonchalance. And quite honestly, I'm never going back there again.
ROUND TWO was at Fancl House at Junction 8! Aforementioned shop's woman was fawning over tall, LV-toting customer, speaking attempted crisp English. She sees me lingering using peripheral vision and without acknowledging my presence with decent politeness, faces me with a snarl and goes, "GIRL, ni yao shi me?!" Okay firstly, just because I'm in Nanyang uniform does not mean I can't speak Chinese. The next idiot I have to deal with on this point is asdjf;lksfk;jfja;sdf. Okay nevermind, that's just a personal idiosyncracy. I ask, "Excuse me, but do you happen to sell make-up sets?"
"Shi me make-up sets?! Jiu zai na li, na li!" and she waves me off with two flicks of her wrist!!
Upon realising that I had already checked out "na li", she huffily storms over and tells me, "Mei you set la!" And with a pout, "ni yao shi me make-up?"
"How about some eyeshadow?"
"THERE LA, cannot see is it!"
Dammit. I just walked out man.
Just because a student comes to your shop doesn't mean she does not have spending power. What really bugs me is that when I head out to Orchard in everything else but my uniform, you literally have people at your beck and call, and actually pay attention to a customer's demands. But when a student comes along, you have people like the guy manning the Haha Crabs stall telling you, "Make way, a customer wants to see!" I tell you, that guy seriously lost a customer. I mean, good service isn't about whether you award good service to people who are customers. It's about putting up with crap, and being nice, fair and equal to all your customers. GEMS is not going to work out if people can't even get their basics right.
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In other news, comp tmr and I'm nervous.
Last Saturday, my darling BFFs and I went to Maestro, that little corner cafe at Cine. The waitress proceeded to hold THREE cups, put two cups down, and with the other still in her hand tilted it to her side while picking up the menus and there we were just stunned. ?! Seriously, speaking as a person who has had first-hand experience waitressing, a lack of focus just appalls me. And the place isn't even BUSY (although after seeing the lack of thriving service, I don't see why not), what's so hard?! Granted people get dumped over the week, or Murphy's Law just gets activated, but you'd have to be there to believe it. And I was there and I didn't even believe what she was doing. Okay, she spilt water but that's not the point. People make mistakes. What she didn't do next was a major PMO.
She took TISSUE to attempt to wipe the place. Good job. Tissue which disintegrated upon contact with the heavy flow of water! Cool beans. Xiu's phone got a little wet in the process. Her colleague comes, hoorah! And with the prowess of their combined brain power, use a wet cloth to dry the table. Cue dropping jaw.
Then we got our dessert! Another waitress comes by, leans over us without saying a word, grabs the candle on my side and lights it and places it right smack in our faces while the plate was in the middle.
Basically we just told the manager what happened and what ensued was nonchalance. And quite honestly, I'm never going back there again.
ROUND TWO was at Fancl House at Junction 8! Aforementioned shop's woman was fawning over tall, LV-toting customer, speaking attempted crisp English. She sees me lingering using peripheral vision and without acknowledging my presence with decent politeness, faces me with a snarl and goes, "GIRL, ni yao shi me?!" Okay firstly, just because I'm in Nanyang uniform does not mean I can't speak Chinese. The next idiot I have to deal with on this point is asdjf;lksfk;jfja;sdf. Okay nevermind, that's just a personal idiosyncracy. I ask, "Excuse me, but do you happen to sell make-up sets?"
"Shi me make-up sets?! Jiu zai na li, na li!" and she waves me off with two flicks of her wrist!!
Upon realising that I had already checked out "na li", she huffily storms over and tells me, "Mei you set la!" And with a pout, "ni yao shi me make-up?"
"How about some eyeshadow?"
"THERE LA, cannot see is it!"
Dammit. I just walked out man.
Just because a student comes to your shop doesn't mean she does not have spending power. What really bugs me is that when I head out to Orchard in everything else but my uniform, you literally have people at your beck and call, and actually pay attention to a customer's demands. But when a student comes along, you have people like the guy manning the Haha Crabs stall telling you, "Make way, a customer wants to see!" I tell you, that guy seriously lost a customer. I mean, good service isn't about whether you award good service to people who are customers. It's about putting up with crap, and being nice, fair and equal to all your customers. GEMS is not going to work out if people can't even get their basics right.
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In other news, comp tmr and I'm nervous.