Currency Exchange

Isn't it interesting or down right remarkable how invariably you will get the same kind of service at any of the thousands of Currency Exchanges across the country? I work in Human Resources myself and I am intrigued at the way HR reps can expertly hire the same time of person at all Currency Exchanges. You know the type.... ignorant, rude, obnoxious, eye-rolling, teeth sucking, ghetto, heffa-ish, sassy, neck-rolling, attitude having....ok I'll stop.

Praise God that I have a bank account and do not have to engage with Currency Exchange customer service often but I do have the unfortunate task of getting quarters from there. It's really the most convenient place to get them. However, with that convenience comes all the attitude and stupid behavior. I've never seen a worker there in any mood other than miserable.

And if I'm being totally honest, it's not just Currency Exchange employees anymore. It's McDonald's, gas stations, Walgreen's, Jewel grocery stores, Applebee's, even my optometrist's office has a lady in there who is rude!

So I'll elaborate on the lady from the eye doctor. I go there this morning to pick up my new glasses. I walk up to the counter, she draws back the glass partition (and I am not sure why she is behind a glass partition in an eye glass office) and I look at her waiting for her to greet me and she just looks back at me with her eyebrow raised. As if to say, "what you want hoe?!"

This woman has to be a minimum of 50 and she is ignorant!! So I look at her and she looks at me and then I raise MY eyebrow and twist my lips (I have a tendency to let ignorant people pull me down to their level. I can't help it), and only then did she say, "how can I help you?"

The same thing happens in the McDonald's I go to every morning. I reach the counter and look at the person and they look at me and so I look at them until they open their MF mouths and greet me!!!

I love it when I am in McDonald's waiting for my order and meanwhile the cash register girl is talking loudly about her personal life to the boy at the fry station. "Yup me and my baby daddy broke up last night so what you wont ta do?"

I remember being a teenager working fast food. We were silly acting but we had enough sense to be stupid when customers or adults are not around! Today even the store managers are ignorant.

And I guess you can't just limit it to the service industry or lower paying jobs. My boyfriend's boss (the principal of a high school) was in the midst of a School Board meeting presentation and answered her cell phone mid-sentence. Then later pulled out a sucker and started slurping on the sucker (maybe practicing for later than night). She saw absolutely nothing wrong with this!!

At what point do we learn manners, customer service ettiquette, professionalism? I don't ever remember anyone sitting me down giving me the do's and don't of professionalism. I just knew how a person should conduct themselves at work. Why aren't we all held to a higher standard anymore? I want to buy a McDonald's one day and I would NEVER employe anyone who I thought was remotely unprofessional. Why is it okay for people to act so poorly?

Are there any industries left where you are required to act like a professional? Even one of the architects at my company wrote a note that said, "ya'll suck!" He was annoyed with the 401k plan.

If acting like an idiot became acceptable in the workplace I surely did not get that memo.