This is a rant i’ve been wanting to write for quite sometime. It’s gonna be long, so make sure you’re sitting comfortably before going through it. By the time you’ve reached the end, you’ll feel that i’m some fanatic about Napoleon Hill’s newly revised “Think and Grow Rich” book or just a disgruntled customer.
Being an observant Jew, it is somewhat difficult to find places to eat. You can’t just go into an restaurant or pizza shop everytime you get the munchies. The place has to be kosher and in good standing with a kosher hashgacha (Kosher certification agency). So this greatly limits where a Jew can go. In the area where i live, there are for sure about 15 – 20 places to eat. Some are meat only establishments and the rest are pizza shops.
Lately, I’ve been paying attention to the way these store owners work with their customers. Since jewish customers don’t have too many places to turn to for kosher pizza (or anything – pizza is just an example), they kind of have a “**** you” attitude towards the customers. as if to say that since the customers aren’t going anywhere else, they can be screwed around with. I feel this most when the prices of pizza have jumped to $2.75 for a slice and the guy at the counter shouts “take your pizza!”, and the portions are bite size. he might as well be saying “here is a plate i just pooped on – now is your chance to eat it! woo hoo!”.
This doesn’t apply to just kosher food. Jews shop mainly with jewish business people. and in the whole industry, people are getting screwed b/c the businesses know that jews have to shop by them. one place i know sells furniture. it’s a well known place with some nice stuff, but they offer poor poor service. but since the customers won’t go anywhere else, they’re willing to be abused on price and service. i hate to sound like an antisemite, but there is a better chance you’ll get quality service when you hire a contractor non-jew than when you hire a jew.
I went into a kosher Dunkin’ Donuts today and the lady behind the counter was kind and sweet and gave me service with a smile. i felt good and got my food quickly without hassle and at a low price. yesterday i went to a kosher bagel place and not only did i wait LONG in line, but the service isn’t quick, with a smile, and at the end – the guy at the register ASKED for a tip. WTF?? a tip? i didn’t tip the dunkin donuts girl b/c i don ‘t think it’s a specialty skill to stuff donuts into bag. i most certainly won’t give someone a tip just b/c they asked for it. i tip my barber and (imy”h) a cleaning woman who uses their hand, skill and creativity to do their services. waitresses have to really impress me to get more than a 10% tip. it’s not a big deal to carry food from the kitchen to my table. but if you smile and try to make me happy, i’ll do likewise. it’s really hard to even find good service in a kosher restaraunt. thats cuz they all have the “you can’t go to too many other places-and even if you do, other people will still use our services cuz we’re jewish” attitude.
i know in my mind that people don’t live life with ordinary moments and that when they want something done, they want it with the same magic that they live their lives with. when they walk into a pizza shop and pay $2.75 for each slice and $3.00 for a small fries, they want more than the value of their dollar. i can understand increased prices based on increased rents, but don’t screw your customers with bad experiences. in non-jewish circles, if ANYTHING happens to upset the customer, the customer gets their meal free AND an apology. but in jewish shops its “eat this **** and take it like a man”.
one of the lessons which we can learn from ALL the mitzvos is that everything requires ACTION. even if it is an INACTION. but there are thoughts and intentions that go into our hand movements and anything. when we shake the lulav, it’s not just waving a branch. it can be magical if you think about it. and if you give charity, do it with a smile and it’ll have a different effect. if you’re a JEW and are working to be “greater”, what does that mean? it means being great at enhancing the things you already do. maybe i wrote about this before. non-jews who are lets say owners of pizza shops, work hard to be experts at what they do (generally). if they’re plumbers, they’ll be kinder, cheaper, and probably give WAY better service. i hate getting BAD service from jews b/c it’s a chillul hashem and reflects on who they are as a person. when you give good service, and practice giving good service, it’s a kiddush hashem and makes you a better Jew. kind of like conditioning your actions.
people in a business just for the buck and not into what they do won’t last long in the business. unless they are jewish and other jews are suckering themselves into giving them money. then they’ll have a nice business but won’t happy living their lives. wtvr.
in my own business as a computer technician, i’ve made the decision that i won’t give my customers that attitude. even though there aren’t too many other technicians around here and i could have that attitude. i’m not trying to toot my own horn, but i try to provide my customer with a positive “i won’t screw you attitude”. sometimes Esther wishes she was a customer.
take a look at microsoft and apple. two famous rival computer companies. both were nice and humble in their beginnings with customers. now, apple is working harder and harder each day to develop new ideas and inventions to cater to the customer. microsoft is screwing people who started using pc’s instead of mac’s because windows was cheaper and now windows Vista is poo-poo. who would you invest with?
Whatever. I just hope Jewish businesses get their act together soon. Because when the competition arrives with great service (and better prices), they’ll all go out of business (or change).
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