CTReaderEast.com Local News, Read all about it!: Manners, Please Manners, Please ================================================================================ Audrey Saunders on 08 October, 2008 08:03:00 I just returned home from another night of work at Subway. One would think that, because they are employed by the fast-food industry, Subway sandwich artists do not need much skill or intelligence to be efficient employees. Little do they know, working at the popular and hectic establishment can be as complex, disheartening, and confusing as rocket science or brain surgery. Obviously, making sandwiches is not a difficult task. If one works according to formula, they can create a neat, delicious hoagie in under three minutes. Other physical tasks that one must complete at work are just as mindless- sweeping, mopping, cleaning, baking bread, and prepping food servings require little to no effort and are about as complex as a child's jigsaw puzzle. No- Subway is not physically or mentally demanding. Yet, the challenge of working there is of a different type- one that anyone must deal with every day but on a much larger scale. At Subway we are constantly dealing with all types of people. Bratty children, impatient mothers, hurried businessmen, and inarticulate elderly people flock to Subway in large groups. Thus, the emotional strain becomes immense. I do not know how many times I have had to wait to continue my sandwich artistry for a disappointed child to stop screaming because he wanted bacon, and his mother thinks that it is unhealthy. I do not know how many times I have strained my ears to hear a person whisper what kind of cheese they want. And, worst of all, I have lost track of the occasions upon which I have inquired, “How are you today?” and the person snaps, “I'll have a foot-long on Italian herbs and cheese.” All through these terrible experiences, my smile remains the same. I will always ask politely if they want their sandwiches toasted, even if they seem to forget that the word “please” exists altogether. I will never snap back at a testy customer or ask, however sweetly, if it makes them feel better to be rude to me. I will never chuck the tomatoes I am carefully placing on the sandwich back into the container and scream, “Forget it! I do not make sandwiches for jerks!” (or perhaps some other choice expletive). I am extremely curious, as I'm sure all slaves to the service industry are, as to WHY the customer feels as if he has the right to be a mean person. I know that I never am short or disrespectful to those who make minimum wage providing me with my beverage or sandwich that costs the same amount as they make in an hour. Perhaps it is because I know what it feels like to be ignored or treated as a lowly servant, but even before I became a Subway employee, I would never do such a thing. My politeness is not even solely for the person with whom I am dealing's sake. I believe that acting rudely puts one in a terrible mood. It feels good to treat others nicely, because usually, the favor is returned. Human beings are designed to interact with one another, and behaviorally, it feels good to do good things and be a sweetheart. Who wants to be considered a jerk? And, furthermore, it is just as easy and takes the same amount of effort to be nice as it does to be impolite. It takes approximately three seconds to respond to the question “How are you?” and about one second to add please to the end of a statement. It is not inconvenient in any way, so if there is no extra exertion of effort, mean customers have no excuse. One last thing that I have noticed is that the only people who tip me at Subway are those who are friendly and polite. This, when one contemplates it, makes NO SENSE. Why should a completely kind person need to pay extra for their sandwich, when they have already improved my work day by being responsive and personable? It should be that the “other people” pay a large tip. The tip should correspond to the amount of emotional stress that this individual has inflicted upon me. If you're a complete buttface, you must pay the most. Just forgetting to say “please” and “thank you” is a smaller tip, like the coins received at the cash register for change. Maybe we should even have an official tip chart, and place it at the check-out counter! That would be an interesting social experiment. Maybe it would look something like this... Type of Person Tip Impatient .50 With Grumpy/Whiny Children .25 No Manners .75 Does not Smile .25 Outright Mean/Complaining 1.00 If this was implemented, it would simply be cheaper to be friendly. Those who are rude will be spending much more money on a day-to-day basis. They will eventually learn from their consequences and the world will be a happier place. Maybe, even, they will be changed so much that the world will soon become purely friendly. This sounds a little ridiculous and exaggerated. What is important to remember is that the person in the ugly hat and t-shirt is a human too. They have friends, mothers and fathers, and most importantly, feelings. We APPRECIATE a smile and a “how are you” back. Hey, I never charge people for extra cheese when they are sweet to me. Just don't tell my boss.