On my way to work, my mind turned down some depressing
avenues – comparing Then with Now. It’s still buzzing around in my mind, so
maybe I should get it out.
When I was a child, we were encouraged to put our
allowance into a bank account, deposits were free, the money was safe and it
was earning interest. I remember one such drive, where for every DM20 you
deposit, you’d get a piece of a puzzle – stick that onto a poster, and when it
was full, the bank would pay you DM20,- I also remember, when I was studying
and I had a bursary, I would be paid the full term’s bursary at the start of
the term (I would have to pay all study fees and books with that, plus live off
it for the term) and I’d deposit it into a savings account, which would earn notable
interest and I could live off the interest alone! To get a loan, you would have
to prove that you can budget responsibly – and don’t have any outstanding
amounts owed (such as hire-purchase, or monthly payment plans now called
‘accounts’ at stores); in other words you would have to prove that the bank
would be paid back the money you’re asking to loan!
Now, depositing money into your account costs as much
as withdrawing, interest rates in favour of customers are half the rates in
favour of the bank – and my Savings Account earns just over 5% interest; which
basically just cancels out the monthly bank charges. And rather than
encouraging a positive bank balance, banks encourage excessive negative balances
– increasing your credit limit without your input hoping to tempt you to go
into debt. Getting a loan is only possible, if you are deeply in debt to many
institutions – the more accounts you have, i.e. the more monthly
installment-payments you are committed to, the better.
And no bank is interested in opening an account to
deposit cash, a savings account – you must show them your salary-slip and as
many accounts as possible, or they simply show you the door.
Twenty, Thirty years ago, loyalty was treasured. Going
to the same restaurant, you’d be greeted, get you preferred table and service
would be sure to be good. Returning to the same book store, you would be
assisted quicker and more efficiently. Every butchery knew your tastes – and
occasionally your loyalty would be rewarded. At banks, the manager would be
available to you when you’ve been a customer for a long time. Clothing stores
tried to entice your loyalty with lay-by options and offering short-term payment-terms.
Today, if you try to extend or renew an existing
agreement – specifically with cellphone providers – you will be charged extra
for that ‘privilege’. If, however you start a new agreement, you are eligible
for a whole variety of special offers ‘only to new clients’!
This makes no sense to me. This whole modern drive to
‘attract’ new customers at the expense of existing, loyal customers? I’m still
old-school – and I do stay away from stores where I’ve been burned too often; I
give always a second, even a third chance but that’s it. There’s an old
article, which is as apt today as it was thirty years ago, when I first
stumbled across it:
Remember me?
I’m the fellow who goes into a restaurant, sits down
patiently and waits while the waiters do everything but take my order.
I’m the fellow who goes into a department store and
stands quietly while the sales clerks finish their little chitchat.
I’m the fellow who goes into the bank and stands in
line patiently while the teller tells the previous client all about her
holiday.
I’m the man who drives into a petrol station and never
blows his horn, but waits patiently while the attendant finishes reading his
comic book.
Yes, you might say I’m a good guy, but do you know who
else I am?
I’m the fellow who never comes back. And it amuses me
to see you spending thousands of dollars every year to get me back when I was
there in the first place.
And all you had to do to keep me was to give me a
little service and show me a little courtesy.
Anon.
These days, that is a silent and probably unnoticed
protest – since nobody cares who their customers are anymore, we’re all just
numbers. Franchises don’t close – only small shops do. And for every customer
lost, new ones stream through the door ... And those thousands spent on
marketing and advertising are simply added to the prices, so loyal customers
end up paying for mismanagement.
Yet at the same time every shop, store and franchise
has some sort of ‘loyalty’ program (you know, all those ‘earn points’ schemes,
requiring special cards)? On the one hand, if I had the time, it could be worth
my while to get all those cards, and include that into my budget – but it would
also mean I would get absolutely swamped in spam – e-mail & sms’. After
all, that’s the whole purpose of those schemes – to gain access to spam and, of
course, to play with numbers (trends, forecasts, etc). All of which are added
to the price – and since all big business is doing it, and small business’ have
been eradicated ... there no longer is such a thing as market choice, it’s all
a sham, the truth is monopoly.
Years ago, front-line staff received extensive
training to accommodate every possible customer request – and today? They don’t
even have a grasp on common courtesy! When they bark ‘Do you have our store’s
special card’ at you, they sort of freeze, like a program requiring input to
continue – then turn to chat with any- and every colleague in sight making a
point of ignoring your existence. If you ask a question – unless it is routine
– they have no clue and glare at you for daring to impose on them! When an item
in your basket has no price-tag, rather than rushing to make up for their
negligence – they start shuffling off, stopping for chats along the way, with
no apology. Replacing such staff with automatons would make the experience only
more pleasant for us customers, since all humanity, all personal touch is
already gone. Complaining to ‘the manager’ will more likely lead to you being
labelled a ‘difficult customer’ than any improvement or apology. Even when
mistakes are made because staff were more involved in the chat with colleagues
than listening to the customer.
Today front-line staff receive minimum training –
barely enough to deal with basic routine requirements. Faced with a non-routine
situation ... for example, I went to a small shop to buy some home-made items.
Their card-machine was offline. They did not say anything while assisting with
my requests but waited until I wanted to pay. And then they said “You must go
outside, down the road to the ATM, draw cash and come back.” Yeah, good luck
with that! I followed part one “Go outside” and never returned. Ever.
I once ordered a back issue of a magazine at CNA. When
it arrived, I was given a piece of paper – I don’t remember what it was called
– and told to go pay. I stood in the queue – which was long, and getting longer
by the minute – until it was my turn. Then I produced the paper to pay. The
cashier mumbled something, I asked her to repeat, she did. I could not
understand what she wanted, and asked her to explain. At this point she told me
to go ... somewhere, I could not understand what she was saying. She became
quite rude, treating me as if I was a criminal, trying to
‘get-away-without-paying’ making a scene in front of the long queue behind me
insisting I must go – waving her arms somewhere towards the back of the store.
Eventually a ‘manager’ came over addressing me with equal rudeness, adding her
weight to the ‘shady customer’ implications then insisted I go with her to the
back, adding more weight to the ‘shady customer’ scenario – with the whole
queue glaring at me with contempt. It turned out what the cashier wanted was
the Order Slip, only she didn’t know the correct name – and it wasn’t amongst
the papers given to me, but slipped between the pages of the magazine. Instead
of an apology for the scene they had made, or the lack of knowledge of their
staff, I was given a lecture about ... sorry, I didn’t listen. Guess what? Yep.
That was the last time I set foot in a CNA! I used to be a regular, buying
books, stationery, magazines – now I get everything online. Except stationery –
for that I prefer to go to local, non-franchised business’.
Thirty years ago the suggestion to sell bottled water
was laughed at – and now? Companies brazenly claim that water is not a basic
human right, it should have a market value and be privatised. Now you see
everyone suckling on their own, private purchased water bottle.
When the internet first gained momentum, in the days
of dial-up modems – the cost was purely that of a local phone-call; and special
contract options were available reducing the call-costs to encourage use. The
costing structure was identical to the telephoning structure – dependent on
time and distance; with special after-hour rates.
And now? In South Africa the only affordable option for
the majority of the population is to purchase a fixed amount of data. 100Mb,
200Mb, 1Gig, 5Gig, etc. An uncapped ADSL Line is beyond Joe Average’s means,
since you pay an exorbitant amount for the installation, plus the router (both
once-off, though) and them monthly fees for the line PLUS additional fees for
the data-service – and always a minimum twelve-month contract. So, for South
Africans, even ‘pirate downloads’ are not free; they cost about the same as a
purchased DVD. But do you know the most incredible audacity of these
‘disservice providers’? The purchased, pre-paid Data comes with an expiration
date! If you have not used the data you paid for, Service Providers delete ALL
unused data off your account! Every single month!
Similar scam with pre-paid electricity. The ONLY
effect of installing a pre-paid meter is to give the municipality control over
your geyser! There is no advantage. None. And I am stumped how the majority of
home-owners were duped into installing this crap?
Thirty, even twenty years ago, ‘I’ll take my business
elsewhere’ had meaning – but today, it makes no difference where you take your
business, it all flows into the same pocket at the end of the day.
Twenty years ago, I had a patch of garden outside my
flat. I planted some tomato seeds, then watched with pleasure as they grew,
bloomed, formed tomatoes! They grew as big as my hand, and were delicious!
Now, the plants need daily pampering, are prone to
disease and wilt away. Of the three packets of seeds, less than ten plants survived
– and the fruits they produced are small and several of them tasted rather
mealy. Yes, I do get a lot of pleasure and joy out of gardening – but I am
rather disappointed with the results! The flowers give me more pleasure, I’m
afraid.
The world is changing, the weather is changing, people
are changing. Change is natural, and people are not naturally opposed to change
– it is the imposed changes we object to. Changes happening without our input,
which we are forced to accept. And looking at all the changes, trying to grasp
the big picture – I feel a steering, directing control. How fast did cigarettes
go from desirable luxury to filth-status! That feels like a message. To whom,
though?
It was bad enough when lung-cancer sufferers were
treated with contempt – as if lung-cancer was a self-inflicted disease! But to
treat all smokers like we are a sub-species?
The witch-hunt is in full swing! Soon they will come
with pitchforks and stakes!
I remember clearly, watching the news on 11 September 2001
and seeing the news manipulation as it was happening! The story changed, as it
continued – and I’m not referring to new information, I remember wondering ‘But
they just said the exact opposite of what they are saying right now?’ And
channel-hopping watching how other news-channels caught on to the manipulation
and started to follow suit! THAT to me was the most frightening aspect! People
were dying, jumping to their death even – and someone was issuing instructions
how the world should think about it. It was subtle, step-by-step, I remember at
first I thought I must be mistaken, but then it happened again. And so subtly,
that I could not give you specifics – even the next day, I could not pin-point
the changes.
That changed my mind about conspiracy theories – though
not my lack of interest in them. Why? Because I am a little person, living a
little life and I am old. I lack the idealism and ambition to do ought but live
my dull, little life. And I have spent too much of my life depressed, feeling
every bit the futility and helplessness of my little life. At times my mind
still travels down these well-worn, familiar avenues; though now I look, but
don’t stare. I don’t loose myself in the depressing aspects, I always balance
with the joys and pleasures of my life. And not matter how little a life I may
live – all life matters. My life matters. Every avalanche starts with a
snow-flake – who knows which snow-flake? And what does it matter which
snow-flake? I no longer need any status or claim-to-fame. I’m happy being me –
I have everything I need, and more. So my acts may have no effect, and may be
just as little as my life – but they are mine! Changing the things I can helps to
accept the things I cannot change. And that’s the path to serenity.
So I just hope that I’ve gotten it all out of my
system now, and go back to my cheery little posts about flowers and jokes and
little joys and pleasures!
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