For those of you who have never had a crappy customer service job, I highly recommend it. The benefits to be gained from catering to the whims of thankless idiots for unending hours at minimum wage (or less) are simply too great to ignore.
I've been a shoe store cashier, retail salesperson and newspaper deliverer, and I've made sandwiches at Wendy's, Hardee's and Jimmy John's. Now that I'm eligible for salaried work, not only will I never go back to crappy customer service jobs again, but I will never forget the most important lessons I learned during my stint as a low-wage worker.
First of all, the Golden Rule does exist, and it exists with a vengeance. Stomp into a store and start making demands without so much as a hello to a worker, and it's unlikely you'll get good service -- in a fast food place, your food will probably get spit on also.
Smile, say hello and ask a question in a calm voice, and you will receive not only gratitude, but likely a person who is willing to go the extra mile to make sure you get what you need -- and an unadulterated sandwich. Remember, the people behind the counter are still people and still deserving of common courtesy. Saying "please" and "thank you" are highly underrated in our "I want everything now!" society and will go much further than you think in personal interactions. Plus, being nice to others is satisfying and gives you a chance to forget your own troubles.
Secondly, one comes to appreciate the myriad identities of people through a job in which he or she interacts with the general public. Perhaps the excessively rude woman who wants "curly fries, not straight fries!" is a brilliant professor of economics who enlightens enraptured students every day in class. Try to think creatively about what other roles customers play besides just being a hostile imbecile; this technique is useful in deconstructing just about anyone who irritates you for any reason. If you see them as more fully human, they're more difficult to hate.
Finally, a crappy customer service job will inspire anyone to practice more kindness in the world. One will no longer get upset with harried employees or busy salespeople, because one has gained the understanding that it's not always their fault. Don't get me wrong, employee negligence does happen, but keep in mind that situational truth is not always evident. This newfound empathy for customer service personnel makes waiting in lines easier, product returns and exchanges downright pleasant and the eternal chore of shopping seem much less like an eternal chore.
An excellent conception of crappy jobs comes in the form of Barbara Ehrenreich's wonderful investigative book, "Nickel and Dimed." Former freshman reader or not, it's worth a read by anyone who's ever had or ever wanted a job. Ehrenreich takes jobs as a waitress, maid and Wal-Mart associate then carefully details what she goes through to keep those jobs (and her sanity).
I also highly recommend a visit to www.customerssuck.com. This Web site has been criticized for its naughty words and poor spelling and grammar on occasion, so if you're sensitive to that kind of thing -- or find nothing wrong with the atrocious customer conduct on the site -- maybe it isn't for you. But for those of us who know what it means to be oppressed, humiliated, unappreciated and just plain miserable, there is strength in knowing that others suffer as we do, and there is relief in laughing about it after we've gotten better jobs.
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