Server Not Servant

Standing Up, No Matter What

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 11/11/2010

Larry Skopnik is first-ballot Customer Hall of Fame.

In May I published a post titled, Leaders and Bystanders about speaking up, getting involved and doing the right thing to support each other, especially when someone is being abused or bullied. My brother Paul commented within the post:

As a father of ten, my dad acted when needed. No hesitation. He’d ‘do the right thing’ (Spike Lee), even when it looked awkward or un-cool to others when he spoke up to defend someone or to correct an injustice. It takes a sense of community and “brother’s keeper” thinking. Assessing a situation and formulating an immediate, appropriate response are learned behaviors. Families must teach their children to be good citizens as demonstrated by thoughtful action.

Teachers, civic leaders, etc., need to have young people role-play scenarios. This strategy provides some familiarity and comfort for the bystander to take action, and wires neurological pathways that fire from the brain and call for response when stimulated – demanding action when a wrong needs to be righted.

Paul has dedicated most of his adult life advocating for the disabled, so it was no surprise when he sent me the following story about Larry Skopnik. Larry and a few other customers exemplify what ‘doing the right thing’ is all about.

This story is courtesy of Jon Woodward, CTV British Columbia, Canada:

A man in a wheelchair is being hailed as a hero after he wrestled a would-be thief to the ground for threatening a Vancouver convenience store clerk.

Larry Skopnik says he was just doing the right thing when he saw the man charge behind the counter of the Food Stop on Commercial Drive.

“Just because I’m in a chair doesn’t mean I can’t stand up and do what’s right,”

Skopnik told CTV News. Skopnik has been in a wheelchair since an ATV accident 10 years ago in Chetwynd. He was shopping in the Food Stop on Saturday night when a man tried to pass off a suspicious $50 bill.

The clerk, Cindy Grewal, said the man became enraged when she wouldn’t take the money.

“He started using filthy language,” said Grewal. “He comes behind the counter and came at me and everything.”

Surveillance video shows the man grabbing at some of the counter items and coming at the clerk before she pushes him back.

Skopnik rolled towards the counter and put the would-be thief in a headlock. The pair wrestled for a few seconds, and then Skopnik held the man by the torso until both of them fell to the ground.

“I’m pretty sure I can defend myself,” said Skopnik. “Her not getting hurt was the important thing.”

Other store patrons held the man until the police arrived several minutes later.

Please take a moment to view the entire video on the right hand side of the article. (It’s worth getting through the commercials at the beginning and in the middle of the video and watching both segments.)

What Larry Skopnik and the other patrons did is truly inspirational. Hopefully it will inspire one of us to step up when it’s our turn.

Please click here for the full story and video.

Permalink | Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 6 Comments »

Share this post

The Audacity of Hopeless Humans

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Customer Hall of Shame

Posted: 11/9/2010

Of Moxie and Men

I’m not the only one who thinks that the epidemic of ‘entitlemania’ is raging out of control. The last post about the customer requesting a gift certificate for the doggie bag left behind generated 3,479 hits to the website on Friday alone. Thanks to the folks behind The Consumerist, Universal Hub, MC Slim JB and everyone who shared the link and commented on the post.

Denouncing entitlement and arrogance is one of the primary objectives of the blog and book project. The overwhelming, passionate responses from readers indicate that people are sick and tired of witnessing boorish behavior from fellow human beings.

Well, it gets better…

On Saturday night, I joined some friends for dinner at one of Boston’s best steak houses. The food and service were tremendous, as always. After acknowledging the doggie bag post, our server shared a story of his own.

A customer who allegedly lost a gift card worth 150 dollars called the restaurant to share his misfortune. The staff tried to no avail to track down the purchaser of the gift card to cancel it and issue a replacement. After considering the options, and identifying the gentleman as a previous customer, the manager invited him in to dine on the house. The guest accepted the offer, came to the restaurant and ran up a bill of $100. When the customer received the check, the manager told him, as promised, that the meal was complimentary.

What happened next boggles the mind.

Instead of expressing gratitude, the guest requested an additional 50 dollars to make up for the difference between his meal and the original gift card amount!! The manager politely explained that the gratis meal was a good faith gesture to the customer who conceded that HE lost the card and someone could still try to redeem it.

Well, as the old expression goes, You can’t win for losing. Despite the manager’s best efforts to work with the customer and ameliorate the situation, the ‘gentleman’ left enraged and has never returned. You really can’t make this shit up.

Do you still think the customer is always right?

Please keep the stories, comments and emails coming.

Please share this post on facebook and twitter by clicking on the tabs below. Thank you.

Permalink | Posted in Customer Hall of Shame | 32 Comments »

Share this post

You Can’t Make This Shit Up

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Customer Hall of Shame

Posted: 11/4/2010

This is too good not to share.

One of my favorite neighborhood restaurants in Boston’s South End posted this on their facebook wall this evening:

Customer forgot doggie bag w leftovers. Too far away to come back and get them. Now wants gift certificate to replace them. Thoughts?

I love the fact that they post these real-life snippets. It’s genius marketing, and it lets people know what reality is on the firing line.

Before anyone states that someone from the restaurant should have delivered the leftovers to the customer’s home, this happened on a Thursday night at the height of the dinner rush.

People ask me all of the time; “Do people really do the things you mention on your blog?” Yes, every day and night of the week.

So, what are your thoughts?

Do you have any similar stories?

If you were at the restaurant where this happened, feel free to chime in. What did you do?

Update: From restaurant’s facebook status @ 10:15am on 11/5:

Update on Doggie Bag cust: next time they’re in we’ll be sure they have enough food to bring home. Thx 4loving food so much!

Sweet solution.

Please click here to join the ServerNotServant facebook group, and please click share on facebook below to post this to your facebook wall.

Permalink | Posted in Customer Hall of Shame | 64 Comments »

Share this post

Picture Perfect

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 11/2/2010

You can often tell if someone is ‘good people’ even before meeting if you observe their energy, body language and manner. When I watched and listened to Carla Osberg interact with her students from Boston’s Snap Shot program, I had a strong hunch we were going to be friends.

Carla directs Snap Shot, a summer job program funded by Boston Centers for Youth and Families. The students accepted into the program work with Carla, learning about photography, responsibility, their city, and themselves. They photograph Boston Center for Youth & Families programs and events around the city; the program culminates with an exhibition of their work and a discussion about their experiences.

The room was buzzing when I arrived at the open house and exhibition. I took my time taking in the students’ photographs and the narratives they wrote about their work and the program. Eventually, I caught eyes with Carla, who warmly welcomed me and introduced me to her students. After talking with her young “staff”, I realized that their summer experience with Carla was much more than learning how to take pictures.

Here are a few excerpts from the students’ accounts:

AbdoulNasser Mika: Photography is more than just taking pictures; it’s about preserving the essence of your surroundings. In addition to taking pictures, Snap Shot introduced me to a lot of new people like Mission Hill’s own Farmer Bob and Holocaust survivor, Steve Ross. If anything, Snap Shot has instilled in me the drive to not only get things done on my own, but also to appreciate the beauty of things around me and how to network.

Alexander Oates: Working with Carla and with Snap Shot was a great experience and I had the chance to meet new people, form new relationships, and learn new things about the City of Boston as a whole. We went to the Copley Library and saw a photo gallery of a photographer by the name of Jules Aarons. During this trip, I learned about the West End, which I didn’t even know existed.

Susan Ahmed: Snap Shot was more than a job, it was a family. It helped me notice everything around me more and see things from a different perspective. Through exploring Boston, I realized that there was so much beauty around me that I would have never seen if it wasn’t for this amazing experience.

Daniel Garcia: I never thought I would have a job like this. I learned responsibility, got the chance to travel a lot, met a lot of people, had a lot of fun, and made good money! I am completely grateful to have this job because it kept me occupied and helped me stay out of trouble all summer. I am more independent, and I have to say that it feels great to spend money that I worked for.

Sylvia A. Casiano: This summer with Carla has been a creative, adventurous, spectacular, fun and magical journey. I’ve learned how to interact more with people. Carla constantly reminded me and my co-workers that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself and what you are doing.

Carla is a professional photographer whose work is literally jaw-dropping. I was fortunate to see her work first-hand during a recent visit to her Open Studios exhibit in Jamaica Plain, MA. I was particularly astonished by one of her photographs capturing a stunning sunrise in Provincetown, MA. I’ve included the P-Town photo and another photo that I love from Puerto Rico in this post. I recommend you check out Carla’s website to see more of her work and to contact her.

I asked Carla to reflect on the time she spent with her students in the Snap Shot program:

PM: What did you enjoy most about the program?

CO:  Sharing my artistic and photographic passion with the youth of the city I reside in brings me great pride. The scope of teaching and learning is dynamic and I love it.

 PM: What do you hope the children will get out of the program?

CO: First, a greater understanding of themselves and their environment. I want them to be able to communicate their vision within a sometimes lucrative and artistic photographic medium. I hope they become adventurous, move out of their comfort zones and learn to enjoy the journey.

I published this blog post to promote Snap Shot and Carla Osberg. I loved talking with Carla’s students and I believe in the great work that she is doing.

On Wednesday, November 10^th, the House of Blues in Boston will host a benefit and fundraiser for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families to fund programs like Snap Shot.

Please consider joining me at the fundraiser, and email me if you will be attending. I would love to say hello.

Please click on the link below for more information. Thank you.

HubNob: http://www.bcyf-events.com/

Permalink | Posted in Human-to-Human Service | No Comments »

Share this post

Service Heroes

By: Patrick Maguire

Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service

Posted: 10/14/2010

I recently read a blog post on FohBoh (a great restaurant industry site) by Bill Campion, a regular contributor. Here’s an excerpt:

Recently my cell phone stopped working so I got roped into purchasing a new one. It’s basically the same model which doesn’t mean much because I barely knew how to operate the old one. In any event I had to go in to ask a few questions on standard operation procedures.

I usually won’t enter the store until I case the joint – that’s police talk I learned from watching CSI… Seriously what I do is walk back and forth in front of the store to see if my service hero is working… and if she isn’t I don’t go in. If she is working I go in and ask for her by name. I don’t care if I have to wait 20 minutes. Dealing with her is well worth it.

I thought about the term ‘service hero’ yesterday as I was leaving Shaw’s Supermarket at The Prudential Center in Boston after receiving great service from Marcus in the Meat Dept. I’ve interacted with Marcus several times over the last few years and his service, hospitality and attitude are consistently extraordinary, to the point where I always seek him out if I need help. He has never let me down, even if he couldn’t help me.

When I got home I called John Scuccimarra, the store manager to compliment Marcus. He told me he wished he had a nickel for every accolade he received about Marcus and related that he was the Associate of the Year last year. He noted that in the 20 years he has known Marcus, his investment in his job and commitment to hospitality have never wavered. He also mentioned that they buy lunch for associates who get commendations from customers. Marcus is a great guy, and I hope he gets more than a sub and an attaboy during his next review! Say hello to Marcus and John if you visit Shaw’s in Boston.

Do you have any ‘service heroes’ in your life? They’re the servers you look for and ask for when you walk into a business, and will even wait for a little longer when they are busy.  What is it about their service, hospitality and attitude that sets them apart? What is the server’s name? Tell us the name and location of the business where they work.

My goal is to identify and recognize at least 100 ‘server heroes’ from around the world in the comments section below. Please join in. Thank you.

PS- The fresh Bell & Evans chicken Marcus helped me pick out was tremendous.

Permalink | Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 32 Comments »

Share this post