The Subtle Destruction of Everything

In Florida, our preferred grocery store chain is Publix, "Where Shopping is a Pleasure." The stores have always been bright, clean, and well-stocked. The employees were always friendly and helpful. They smiled when you spoke to them. They cared... these people are a memory. 

Publix was the last best hope for people like myself, who worked in customer contact positions all their lives and were trained to treat customers well, to underpromise and overdeliver. We were trained to be good to our customers, or we were shown the door. I miss those days. I miss walking into a place of business and not being treated like an inconvenience. I'm here to spend my money and help you keep your job so you can have money, too. Don't be so ungrateful about it.

I was aware of a steady, subtle decline in the quality of not only Publix's service, but the quality of their products, too. I was prompted to sit down and write this because the half & half I bought from Publix not a week ago has gone bad, despite the expiration date being a couple weeks away. This has happened several times now, so I can't keep quiet anymore. I'm sitting here drinking my coffee black. I am not happy about that.

The seed for this story came from my younger daughter, who is a big enough fan of Publix that she has stated she would never move to a state where the supermarket chain has no presence. She and I would go to Publix every Saturday or Sunday to get bread or milk or whatever was missing or needed for breakfast. She would actually give me a hard time if I ever went there without her. We called each other "Publix Buddies." It was cultish, but the Lakeland, Florida based company deserved it.

So when my daughter told me she was getting tired of the way people at our local store were treating her, I took notice. We have been going to this store longer than she has been alive. We live in the only home she has ever known. She talks about the decline of this place like one would talk about a friend who has gotten caught up with the wrong crowd and is throwing away their potential. She no longer wants to go there for the sake of going. She only goes when she has to.

The same can be said of most places we deal with. Customer service is no longer a priority for companies. It's like the DMV has taken over the world. I think I have a theory as to the cause.

It all began during the pandemic. And, yes, it's all the government's fault.

The government ordered businesses shut down and labeled certain members of our society as "Non-Essential." I was not one of those people. The company I worked for at the time thought enough of me to keep me on even as it fired about half of the company. Some of it was performance based. Some of it was because these people were deemed an extravagance, an unnecessary expense... Non-Essential. Way to make a person feel worthless. Thanks, Big Brother.

So people resented being labeled non-essential and other people resented having to work for a living while other people were paid by Big Brother to sit at home and watch TV. 

Now, we are back from the pandemic and no one wants to work. People who have to work are resentful as hell because they have been told by the parasites in DC and in the state capitals that they are not being paid enough, that corporate profits are too high, that the rich are getting richer by making the poor poorer. California mandates a $20 hourly wage for fast food workers and soon every low-skill job will be paid this much or more and this will further drive up the cost of everything rendering the wage hike meaningless, but it doesn't end there. The $20 per hour crowd will also be paying more in taxes, making it that much harder to live. I can hardly blame people for being resentful. I resent this crap for my own reasons.

I don't work for Publix or McDonalds or anyone else, but I can tell you that it affects business owners just as much. A year ago, I had to fire, not lay off, most of my staff because they were doing the same thing other workers were doing. They would not do their jobs properly. They would stroll in late, sit around while there was work to be done. I warned and I warned and I tossed three people in one day. This resulted in more work for me and my remaining team, which consisted of family and some trusted individuals, bur I'd rather bust my butt and do right by my customers than spend money to have to work nearly as hard while someone alienates my customers.

Businesses and consumers need to demand more of frontline employees. Bring it to the attention of management when you are treated poorly. No need to be a Karen. No need to get upset. Just gently share your observations with someone in charge. It's better to bring it to light and have an employee be corrected, than to allow the continued disintegration of our service culture.

It's my belief that as AI continues to grow in influence, customer service is what will separate the winners from the losers in business, and to a similar degree, in life.

Adolfo Jimenez lives and works in Hollywood, FL.