UUFS | Customer Service . . . and UU Principle #1 | From Comments, Essays, and Sermons (Collection 1)

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, California Comments, Essays, and Sermons (Collection 1)	Back to index

*The Last Word:*
Customer Service . . . and UU Principle #1 What would Jesus do . . . if he were a customer in consumerist America? With summer vacations on the way, my mind turns to waiters, waitresses, and those who work in customer service and retail. It is hard work. Usually the pay is not good. Frequently the treatment is worse. A friend was on the phone with a high-tech customer service rep. He got exasperated with her. He demanded to talk to a supervisor. Then he asked her name. He said, "I should have expected someone with a name like that would be an idiot." Recently, I had lunch at a diner with three other friends. The check came. We all chipped in, with enough for a 20% tip. But one friend threw down $2 more, saying "I’ve read Barbara Ehrenreich. We can do better than this." [She meant Ehrenreich’s book Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.] Waiters, custodians, nursing assistants and workers in sales and customer service have to act a lot happier than they are, for our benefit. Customers need to find a company appealing, warm, cheerful, good. But many workers in many firms are miserable, doing hard work in unjust conditions. I believe that we should volunteer, vote, donate, and speak out for those who work in difficult situations. Meanwhile, we can smile, be kind, say "please" and "thank you," be patient, and tip generously. By doing so, we can affirm human dignity. By doing so, we remind ourselves and those around us that defending human dignity is good work.

The Last Word:

Customer Service . . . and UU Principle #1

What would Jesus do . . . if he were a customer in consumerist America? With summer vacations on the way, my mind turns to waiters, waitresses, and those who work in customer service and retail. It is hard work. Usually the pay is not good. Frequently the treatment is worse. A friend was on the phone with a high-tech customer service rep. He got exasperated with her. He demanded to talk to a supervisor. Then he asked her name. He said, "I should have expected someone with a name like that would be an idiot."

Recently, I had lunch at a diner with three other friends. The check came. We all chipped in, with enough for a 20% tip. But one friend threw down $2 more, saying "I’ve read Barbara Ehrenreich. We can do better than this." [She meant Ehrenreich’s book Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.]

Waiters, custodians, nursing assistants and workers in sales and customer service have to act a lot happier than they are, for our benefit. Customers need to find a company appealing, warm, cheerful, good. But many workers in many firms are miserable, doing hard work in unjust conditions. I believe that we should volunteer, vote, donate, and speak out for those who work in difficult situations.

Meanwhile, we can smile, be kind, say "please" and "thank you," be patient, and tip generously. By doing so, we can affirm human dignity. By doing so, we remind ourselves and those around us that defending human dignity is good work.

Yours in faith,

-- Roger Jones

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, California Comments, Essays, and Sermons (Collection 1)	Back to index