USVI-On-Line

Just noticed some similarities between some of our favorite places and a favorite show.

It is a little odd to me that we have to walk on eggshells where we are spending our $.

By walking on eggshells, I am not talking about extending the common courtesies expected in the islands. That should be the way we conduct ourselves. We need to learn these customs (good morning, appropriate attire, etc...) and act appropriately.

But it is almost like we have to beg for approval from some of these vendors...

PLEASE LIKE ME! PLEASE LET ME SPEND MY MONEY AT YOUR...(insert business name here).

Hubby and I noticed a little of that same thing during our recent trip to STJ. He went in to Connections to ask to print out boarding passes and was nastily told that "we don't have internet".
Not,"I'm sorry but our internet is down right now" or "we're having a problem with the internet right now so I won't be able to do that" Jhud came back to me at the Ferry Dock a very confused man. "I thought you said that they have internet and they have done this before?" We are always super polite and cheerful because we are so glad to be there. Maybe that isn't as contagious nowadays.

I used to feel that way with the check out women at Starfish. No matter how nice I was to them, they always treated me like dirt.

But, I have to say that they were better this last trip. I'm thinking someone gave them a talking to.

Pete (Mr. Marcia) wrote:I used to feel that way with the check out women at Starfish. No matter how nice I was to them, they always treated me like dirt.

But, I have to say that they were better this last trip. I'm thinking someone gave them a talking to.

Probably Joshie. Now that you two are so close I am sure he's looking out for you.

Ya know I've found alot of people not all that friendly, many act as you are a pain in their ass. Believe me I'm friendly to them and always come at them with a smile and a nice greeting. I figure if it's at the grocery store I'll still shop there out of necessity. But if it's a restraunt or a store screw them I'll take my bussiness elsewere. Now I must clarify I have meant some very nice people on Island but I find people way more friendly here in my little town and we sure the heck ain't in paridise.

Thats one thing we really like about the BVIs - for whatever reason, seems like you are a lot less likely to get that attitude.

I grew up in Williamsburg Virginia. Take the number of tourists in St. John and multiply by 100,000. Talk about annoying.

I worked for every kind of business, you name it, since I was 11 years old. (played the harpsichord for Colonial Williamsburg when I was 11)...held workers permit from age 14 on for retail and restaurants...

Basically, we always had the customer is always right policy. You cannot imagine the sheer number of obnoxious tourists I had to deal with, 25 cent tips for no reason, etc....

Even if it is a bad day, now and back then...I am not going to take my bad mood out on anyone. If I am/was annoyed with someone/tourists....why punish someone who was being nice/civil to me?

Just because one customer is a jerk, I am not going to treat the next one like they are going to be one.

jmq wrote:Thats one thing we really like about the BVIs - for whatever reason, seems like you are a lot less likely to get that attitude.

You took the words right out of my mouth! I think so too.

I certainly can't say that I thought they were friendlier in the BVI (at least on Tortola).

I absolutely could not agree with you more!! Soup Nazi has been my own words, too, to describe some of my experiences! LOL

I started in the restaurant business when I was 13, and I think that I have done at least 2 dozen different jobs that were in the hospitality business, you name it, I have done it.

I would love to say that I always gave great service to every single customer. I would love to say that I never let the events of my life affect my attitude. I would love to say that the nastiest customer never got to me.
I can't. I was a b*tch,a snob,difficult, etc. numerous times and anyone that has had a long history in the service industry will have to agree with me.

It is nice to think that we can all be on all the time, but we just can't. If someone is rude, you can take it personally, react directly, or just move on.

Kirk- I want to come to your town. The cashiers at my grocery store took customer service lessons from Atilla the Hun

We had only one "soup nazi" experience, and it was repeated on subsequent visits to the place. We won't return there.
Overall, the attitude we received was 50/50 negative and positive. We will remember where we were treated poorly and will spend our money elsewhere next trip.
Blaine and I are both in service industry professions and I personally feel that the places where you are treated well SHOULD do better, business-wise, than where you are treated poorly. That is the business model, isn't it?
We won't return to the places where we had to beg to be treated with a basic respect.

I didn't mean to paint the island with a broad brush that the bad attitude is everywhere. Because I think overall there is more friendliness than not.

Actually, where I live (and I am sure most places) bad service=incompetence is everywhere.

But the meanness, scorn, is what I am talking about. And in St. John I was referring to a small few establishments where that really persists yet the those businesses do fine....

We don't spend our $ there either. When we have in the past (ribs) it was very much a soup nazi experience. The Senfeld episode (which seemed ridiculous) becomes plausible after our rib experiences.

I was just talking to someone about this same thing this morning. I feel really awkward saying "good afternoon". It's just not normal for me. I feel much more myself and just as polite if I say "hi, how are you today?" Most people are friendly enough, some are extremely friendly, and some are just grumpy. I always get the feeling that some locals think we're a PITA and would rather we just go home. My own suburb in Houston is made up of very few Texans, and people from all over our country and world, yet I can go into any store, restaurant, or business, and the vast majority of people are extremely friendly and go out of their way to go the extra mile. But we're all in the same boat here. Maybe on STJ it's hard for the locals to watch the tourists come and go while they are trying to scrape out a living in Paradise.

Cypressgirl said...

Maybe on STJ it's hard for the locals to watch the tourists come and go while they are trying to scrape out a living in Paradise.

Well, we scrape out a living here at home in what is quite an unfriendly state to businesses period, so unfriendly it now relies heavily upon tourism and has renamed itself "Vacationland"(Maine). Not much industry here folks. Sad to say, I've seen some of that additude among locals in touristy areas as well, sometimes directed at myself. Guess it's universal.

Still not acceptable anywhere in my book. Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated.