No one wants my business

It's astonishing to me how many different ways companies have driven me away from them in just the past few weeks.

At my local McDonalds, the manager took over a register, looked at all the people in line and said  "I'm open, Come on people, get over here."  My reply just before I left was, "you do realize I am a customer and not an employee, right?"

I bought a game at Gamestop, got home and realized there  was no disc in the box.  They were closed by then, so I called the next morning and got the manager.  When I told her the situation, she asked if I had been helped by a young man with brown hair.  I said yes.  She said, "He's been doing that a lot lately.  I'll talk to him."  I asked how she could tolerate that sort of mistake "a lot."  She said she would talk to him.  I asked if I could just pick the disc up at my local GS, since that one was pretty far from my house and I'd just happened to be there.  Nope - their inventory system doesn't allow that.  I asked if she could ship the disc to my local store so I could pick it up there.  Nope.

On the highway and need to get over to make my exit.  I speed up to change lanes and the van next to me speeds up to block me.  It was a van for a local HVAC company which I had used before.  Won't use them again though.

There are other examples, but you get the idea.  I keep hearing how bad the economy is.  I don't doubt it, but I have to wonder how much of that is due to companies basically driving sales away with the way they handle themselves.  And, at least two of the people I was dealing with were middle-aged managers, so not like I can blame it on "those darn kids."

I  hear at my company all the time how hard it is to gain a customer and how easy it is to lose one.  I can't believe we're the only company pointing that out.  The good news is that I am now fiercely loyal to any place that actually seems to value me as a customer.  The bad news is that that list of companies seems to shrink by the day. 

I may sound like a grouchy old man, but COME ON world, do your work like it matters.  Treat customers like their entire opinion of your company will be based on that single interaction.  Think about what helps your customer, not what is easiest for you.

[/grouchyOldManRant]