The Simplicity of Disappointment
February 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Why is it so easy to be disappointed these days? I don’t often rant, but this one..I just couldn’t let it go. I stop at the same little spot every morning on my way to the office. I pick up a scone, a dark roast coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a piece of fruit. My order is the same each and every day. Pretty simple, right?
The place is set up in a way that resembles a fast food joint. There’s a menu board outside, followed by two windows (one where you pay, and the next where you get your order). Again, pretty simple right? You’d think so. But here’s where I get lost: If you’re going to post a menu of choices, and you’re going to ask your customers what they would like to have, then why do you change your tune when it’s time to make the exchange? We all know how it’s supposed to go: You show me what you have, I tell you what I want from those choices, and then I pay you to give it to me. If you’re just going to give me what you want me to have, why have a menu? Why ask me what I’d like?
It never fails. I arrive at the second window, anticipating that spiced coffee smell and a crisp piece of fruit to counter act the buttery goodness of that heavenly scone…but something is always missing from the bag. Always. It may be cream and sugar for my coffee, it may be the scone, or they may have given me oatmeal instead of the fruit I asked for. Of course I don’t notice this until I’ve pulled slightly forward. Ugh. Now I have to park, get out of the car, go inside, and exchange what I received for what I actually ordered. This has become a HUGE peeve of mine. If I wanted to or had the extra time to go inside, I would have! The fact that I went through a “drive thru” was to save time, not waste it.
After this kind of repeated frustration, I’ve decided to let my usual go for something else. I could have walked into the bakery and purchased 6 scones, eating one on my way to work each day. So the one on Thursday won’t taste as fresh as Monday’s did. At least I know that I will give myself the courtesy of meeting my own expectations. LOL.
I now see why clients get so frustrated when they show up to meet a lady who changes her tune about what’s “on the menu” once he’s standing there in his jockeys. It’s kind of a similar situation, and all I can say is “I feel ya.”
**PSA to Those Who Frequently Disappoint: Here’s a ‘Pro Tip’ for everyone! Let’s not sit around complaining and wondering why you never get where you’re trying to go. If your outlook on your job produces disappointing results, then you already know why you don’t get what you want…whatever that may be. Coffee pushers, you wanna know why you never get to be the manager of the coffee shop? It’s because a suit, a teacher, and a damn hooker all frequently complain about your performance when they visit your establishment. “Companions”, are you sick of trying to figure out why your clients don’t turn into regulars? Let me clear it up for you. If Bob, Steve, and John all come to see you thinking they can get XYZ (because that’s what your ad says), but you are only willing to give them ABC when they get there, then sure…there’s gonna be some hard feelings. Bob’s gonna post it somewhere, Steve’s gonna confirm it later, and then everyone’s gonna call John retarded for not researching before he saw you too. For the world to be your oyster…you gotta learn how to crack open the shell. You’re welcome.
