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Let us take hotels as an example. There are many different types of hotels that range from very simple to very luxurious. The prices of these properties will vary due to things like location, size and the amenities offered. But suffice it to say that you would not expect the same accommodations in a $50 a night motel as you would a $500 a night suite hotel. Surprisingly though the rules for behavior for both are very similar; treat the room as if you are an invited guest and follow the rules of the house. Would you go to a friend’s home and sneak in extra people when they were asleep? Would you throw your trash on the floor or stain the beds and break the furniture? Would you stay up late into the evening drinking and having a party while your friends were trying to sleep in the next room? Finally, would you smoke in the room or house of a friend when you were specifically asked not too simply because you felt discriminated against or just put upon? I dare say that if anyone did these things in your home they, at the very least, would never be invited back. So, why do them when staying in a hotel? Just because you are paying to stay there? Newsflash! You are paying for the accommodations, the location and the convenience it affords you; you are not buying the hotel. If you are not pleased with your room you have the ability to talk to the management and complain (remember you catch more flies with honey than vinegar). If they are unwilling or unable to help you with a reasonable request then you always have the option to take your business elsewhere.
By the way, on the smoking part, the law stipulates that hotels and restaurants must now be non-smoking in many parts of the country. The businesses are simply following the law, so if you have a problem with the law go to your state legislature and light up there. That would be the democratic and courageous way to express your discontent.
There are also many different types of restaurants with an even greater disparate range of prices. But, again, the rules of behavior are similar. First of all it is your responsibility as a customer to know the type of restaurant you are entering. Ask the front desk staff at your hotel for some information, read the menu before being seated and talk to host/hostess. If the prices and food are to your liking then proceed, if they are not just say thank very much and try the next place. Once seated order a drink and take your time reading the menu. Ask the server any questions you might have about any item, they should be trained to have your answers. If you do this simple thing you will never be forced to say those words that every restaurateur despises “This isn’t what I expected”. It is your responsibility, as much as the restaurants, to understand what you are ordering. Something as simple as a Club Sandwich may be prepared differently in different restaurants. If something as egregious as your steak not being cooked to your specifications occurs simply ask for it to be corrected. Most restaurants will do everything they can to make your meal a pleasant one.
Understand that your attitude and behavior is infectious to the staff as well as to the customers around you. Maintain a reasonable volume level to your party’s conversation. If you have children control them. Simply because you have children does not mean you need to share them with everyone else in the dining room. No one likes unruly adults or children.
Finally, if you have a problem with the service you received inform the manager. A poor server reflects badly on the restaurant and I assure you they want to know. You may leave less than the normal 15% gratuity but let the management know why. If the food was the problem then also ask to speak to the manager when the problem occurs, normally they will try to make things right immediately. Don’t wait till the check arrives and you have eaten your meal, no one will take you seriously at that point.
It all comes down to a matter of good manners and respect. To paraphrase the late, great John Lennon, ‘The respect you take is equal to the respect you make”.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.1 / 380 )There’s a reason it’s called the “Service Industry”
In these current uncertain economic times the “Service Industry”, restaurants, hotels, casinos…etc, is taking an especially hard hit. With less disposable income one of the first things families do is cut back on perceived luxuries. They cut their vacations shorter, they travel closer to home, and they don’t eat out as often and so on. Because we live in a family resort town this puts our livelihoods under extraordinary stress.
The question arises “What can we do, as business owners and employees, to survive these troubled times?” Well, as business people we all know that we must control our costs by purchasing more carefully and watching waste. We must control our personnel costs by hiring and scheduling more effectively. Also, we must monitor our energy costs by conserving fuel and electricity whenever possible. These are all things that are tangible and through vigilance attainable. But what about the customer, after all we are in the “Service” industry; just by the name alone the product we sell is ourselves and our ‘service’.
Ocean City became a resort destination because of our unique natural location and beauty. We grew by hotel, restaurant and condo because people enjoyed our beaches and weather. Families have come for generations to swim, to sun themselves and forget about their daily lives and troubles for 1 or 2 weeks a year and we have thrived as business owners and as a community. Now we find ourselves wondering how to keep our guests coming back and wanting to spend their limited dollars with us. And that is where that word ‘service” rears its head.
The dictionary defines service as “work done or duty performed for another or others”. I believe that the best way to guarantee that our guests return to our businesses is to provide them with the best product through the best service possible. This can be achieved by constant employee training and reinforcement, by owner and management commitment to a high standard and by instilling pride in the workplace. Those properties that take their customers for granted and treat them as if their patronage doesn’t matter will fall by the wayside very quickly in these economic times, no matter if you are a young property or a well established business. Treat your guests with respect and give them the best product you can at a fair price and most of them will return and even better yet they will send their friends.
One final thought, don’t think for a minute that there will always be another customer following the one you just lost because of a non-caring, arrogant attitude. I promise you, if you want to remain in business in these tough economic times, every customer needs to be thought of as a potential return customer. The day's of endless lines for mediocre products served by untrained, unpleasant people are over.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3 / 434 )The Government as Super Fly
Some of the first taxes to be raised have traditionally been those euphemistically known as “sin taxes”, with the tobacco industry being the current target. The Federal government has recently increased the tax on cigarettes to $1.01 per pack and a local State government has increased it even further to an additional .45 per pack. There is also legislation being considered to raise alcohol taxes. Proponents of these taxes will argue that tobacco and alcohol are a drain on our health care system and that as such should be excessively taxed to fund said system. In some ways this argument makes sense until you remember that neither the sale nor usage of Alcohol and Tobacco is illegal in this country. Gambling is also legal in certain states and has been given by the Federal Government as a gift to the Native Americans as recompense for past evils. So the question comes to mind, “Is our government the pusher of our addictions?” Think about it for a moment; a dope dealer starts you off free or on the cheap and then when you’re hooked starts increasing the price and restricting the product. A bookie will take your bets and let you slide for a while until you are so far in they own you. How is our government behaving any differently? The Federal and State governments are getting fat revenues to fund their fat initiatives from the addictions/enjoyments of the American people. This affects us on the Eastern Shore in very real and immediate ways. Increases in alcohol taxes mean higher prices in bars and restaurants. Higher room taxes mean higher rates for our hotels and motels. These increases make our resort town more expensive to our visitors; their stays become shorter and their dollars spent are decreased in value to them and revenue to us. During these tough economic times is this really the right way to go? Should tobacco be legal? That is a question I will let each one of you decide for yourself but what isn’t a question is that we will force more Americans to loose their jobs because of higher taxes on an industry. And, finally, who can forget all the promises made by our elected officials about how great gambling is for a community, county and State. If gambling is such a magic bullet then why are taxes still being raised to cover shortfalls in States revenues? Taxes directed at a single industry to advance social doctrine are wrong. To increase taxes on a certain segment of the population because you don’t agree with what they eat, drink or how they spend their time is unconstitutional.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.2 / 385 )Mr. Obama seems to have a split personality when it comes to America and its people. Recently in a speech given on his current European trip, Mr. Obama called "America arrogant" in its policies towards Europe. Now, it is interesting to note that he did not say "America's Foreign Policies" or even the "past administration's", which is obviously what he meant, but he actually condemned America. On the other hand when the new Attorney General, Eric Holder, made his comment that "Americans were cowards" when it came to race, the President quickly moved to repudiate Holder saying that he "did not agree" with those ideas or comments. It seems that Mr. Obama is quick to apologize for missteps of his own administration and the Democratic Party, while being as quick or quicker to condemn the previous administrations or Republican Party’s policies. This can be called politics as usual except for the fact that the President did his condemning and repudiating on foreign soil. His comments were much the same type as those of "The Dixie Chicks" when they went overseas and insulted then President Bush and I am sure you can remember the uproar that caused and how it hit the brakes on a rising musical career. Will we see the same uproar for Mr. Obama? No. In both cases the comments were gratuitous attempts to "win the crowd". The difference is that we have come to expect this type of behavior from "entertainers", after all how smart do you really have to be, but from the President of the United States! This will probably be either ignored by the main stream media or dealt with as a simple verbal misunderstanding. But if you look closely you will see a pattern arising, one of blame and condemnation first, thereby separating himself from America before the Obama Administration, and then inserting himself as the "New Messiah of Change" for a new America. Will the world and its leaders fall for this rhetoric and if so for how long? Only time will tell.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.1 / 378 )I don't even know where to start, so as unorganized as this blog might be, I have to share some thoughts.
First of all, it may surprise those who believe I'm a die hard liberal, but I'm very anti-welfare. Disabililty assistance is a little bit different, because I do believe that if a person has a justifiable reason to not be able to work, that it is helpful that the government help the quality of life for that person. If a woman doesn't want to stop having babies and doesn't want to work because she's had so many, we should have no business funding her irresponsiblity.
I don't blame the doctors because they are doing what they are paid to do. Also, it's really "out of their hands" once the delivery is over with. Jack brought up a good point that before a woman tries for multiple births, they should undergo a psychriatric evalution. Obviously this woman really doesn't care for these children, otherwise she wouldn't be as selfish to try and care for them all. There are tons of wonderful people out there that would adopt one or two of those children, bring them to good homes, that are self sufficiently funded. I just have to pray for this woman, that she be at least grateful for the State of California's stream of funds that are coming her way. God knows what the media is paying for her photos and story.
Personally, I think welfare should be time limited. You receive food stamps and cash assistance, and have one year to get a job. If you don't get a job, uh-oh, no more welfare for you. If you're a woman and you get pregnant in that year, uh-oh, you're irresponsible, welfare revoked. Sounds a little cold hearted, but what ever happened to personal responsiblity? There was a time that I was jobless and living in a hotel, and had no money for food so I applied for food stamps. I received $83 worth since I had no kids. I got a job within the next month, and never went back to reapply. Why was I going to make other people's tax money pay for my laziness? UGH! And yes, I'm going a little to the right here, when I say, that I don't believe in universal healthcare. I earned my health insurance here at WQMR.
I feel for low income families. Some of them are poor by choice because they don't grasp at opportunities. Some of them are unfortunate because they haven't been given the opportunity. The rest of them don't feel bad using our tax money, because they don't know what it feels like to have taxes being taken out of their check every week and wondering where the hell it's going.
In conclusion, Ms. Octuplet Mama, take some responsiblity, do what's best for the kids, and give them to good homes. You're in my prayers.
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