One man's opinion on 4 hot topics

[Xislandgirl]

...if the service industry we are talking about is from a waiter or captain of a ship . . . that is a problem. These people need to really be chipper or do something else. That is their job. xoxo

Bingo! This is really the issue. Don't expect everyone in the "service industry" to be customer oriented, just like back home.

BUT...if we're talking about the hospitality industry in a tourism driven economy, that's an entirely different story.

I can handle a grumpy grocery clerk, but if someone's job is supposed to be all about me on vacation (waiter, captain, receptionist, villa greeter, etc), I get a bit peeved with surley. A huge part of your job is to NOT be in my face with your bad day.

Sorry, but I have to comment on this. All about you? That is pretty selfish. Everyone in every industry has bad moments. Is it really too hard to be understanding to another human being...even on vacation? Why is it ok for the grocery store clerk to have a bad day but not a server? It is not like you can not show up to work when your girlfriend dumped you or maybe you got a call that a relative or friend in the states has fallen ill. In most cases you need to get your butt to work to make money to pay the bills and do the best that you can given the circumstances of your life.

You never know what that person is dealing with, every day life happens to people, even on STJ.
I am not saying that you should excuse bad behavoir, but if your server or sales clerk isn't radiating hearts and rainbows when you are on vacation, it may be that they are just having a bad day...and expecting people to pretend that real life is not happening to them is just silly.

Just my .02.

[Exit Zero]

[all about me on vacation (waiter, captain, receptionist, villa greeter, etc), I get a bit peeved with surley. ]

Surly is `always an inexcusable attitude but you may not get the friendliest greeting or service with that "me" attitude yourself.Show the proper respect to a server, captain etc. and you are much more likely to get an excellent response - even if they are having a tough day at work - they are in the service industry Not the servant industry.
Surly visitors are not unheard of either and the service industry tries to deal with your bad days too!

[17th Hole]

One time at Morgan's Mango, our waiter, Bryon, got a little surly with us. We threw a little surly back at him and actually exchanged much surly back and forth throughout the night. It ended up being a hilarious evening and we were all laughing at how absurd it had become. It has become one of our best memories from all of our trips to St John. By time we left we were in a great mood and left Bryan in a good mood as well. I still have the stub from our check. He wrote "Thank you for the mediocre culinary voyage of self-discovery! - Surly, Bryon"

[XOXO]

Xisland: the mentioned service industries requires people with the right attitude. If you watch the reviews it only takes a few seconds to see if the person is in the right job for their personality. They are the people getting consistently good reviews. They are able to get in the moment and let what is going on at home bounce off of them.

You mentioned selfishness. I think that it is selfish to go to work with a chip on your shoulder toward innocent people, because YOU need the money. Innocent people don't need to absorb your bad attitude because of your bills or your girlfriend.

Suck it up and direct your frustration where it belongs.

xoxo

[Xislandgirl]

Xisland: the mentioned service industries requires people with the right attitude. If you watch the reviews it only takes a few seconds to see if the person is in the right job for their personality. They are the people getting consistently good reviews. They are able to get in the moment and let what is going on at home bounce off of them.

You mentioned selfishness. I think that it is selfish to go to work with a chip on your shoulder toward innocent people, because YOU need the money. Innocent people don't need to absorb your bad attitude because of your bills or your girlfriend.

Suck it up and direct your frustration where it belongs.

xoxo

Gina, my frustration belongs will people that feel entitled. II stand by my OPNION that anyone that goes anywhere, the grocery store in their hometown or a restaurant on vacation, and thinks that it is all about them is selfish.

I don't have to suck up anything, I always get treated well no matter where I go, maybe it is my attitude...hmmm that is something to think about, isn't it?

Moving on, I have trip reports to read

[XOXO]

X: I hope you understand I was using the universal "you". And my suck it up comment was meant more for the person in the service industry having a bad day than the person who is getting service. I am not sure by your response if you understood that.

I am not someone who feels entitled any more than I am the person who thinks it is my right to act crummy to a stranger because I have had a bad break up and have bills to pay. It isn't about "it is all about me" as much as it is about treat me nicely. Put a smile on your face and remember I am your customer.

Anyone in the service industry has had to work with someone with entitlement issues. I can guarantee that I would suck it up and give them the best service they deserve just by choosing to do business with me. It isn’t about their attitude—it is about my business and reputation. Those who get that succeed.


xoxo

[ClevelandDave]

For clarity's sake and in the context of my post, "all about me" is meant to be descriptive of the job requirements of someone in the hospitality industry in a tourism driven economy. For those employees, "all about me" can be translated as "it's the tourists, stupid". It should be their motto.

To imply that these folks are incapable of performing in a professional manner because they're having a bad hair day, is simply demeaning.


Anyone who presumes that "its all about me" represents my attitude while in the islands couldn't be more wrong. I certainly agree that the visitor who aggressively exudes this attitude deserves what they'll get. The ground rules are simple and universal...give respect, get respect.

Having said that, anyone who devotes blood, sweat & tears for that 1 week in paradise every few years DESERVES to feel like this visit is all about them. They deserve to be taken care of graciously by the folks who's living comes straight from the visitor's wallet/purse.


Remember, we are not there by accident, stumbling upon these folks as if they're a lost tribe in New Zealand. Big bucks are spent to lure us to the islands with the promise of wonderful things. Its the hospitality worker's job to fulfill that promise. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

[Jorge]

[quote="ClevelandDave"







Remember, we are not there by accident, stumbling upon these folks as if they're a lost tribe in New Zealand. Big bucks are spent to lure us to the islands with the promise of wonderful things. Its the hospitality worker's job to fulfill that promise. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.[/quote]

YES!

[sherban]

We all like to feel special ever now and agin....

That's what keeps us coming back...or not...

[bayer40601]

There is one thing Pip did fail to include in his 4 topics, particularly the Safety topic:

Be careful of strangers driving down the street yelling, "Get the **** out of the road."

[StJohnRuth]

This is a good discussion. Life is complicated, isn't it?

- Ruth

[rpplano]

Good points made. A friendly greeting and a good attitude is more likely to get a response in kind, but no guarantee. You just never know what kind of day the person on the other end is having.

Sort of like "Trunk Bay sucks as a snorkeling spot - we went there and it was really windy and the waves were big, I don't get why people think it's so great - it looks much better from a distance."

Augie, your post needs more "whine". cheap and with ice!

[pipanale]

There is one thing Pip did fail to include in his 4 topics, particularly the Safety topic:

Be careful of strangers driving down the street yelling, "Get the **** out of the road."

I think it's safe to say that as long as you don't walk in the middle of the road, you won't get yelled at by water-logged hooligans.

But you can never be too sure
Water-logged, beer-starved hooligans are unpredictable