Rules Don't Stop Me, We'll Get Around It

There's kind of an unwritten blogger rule book. I'm slowly learning from the millions of blogs I read. I was thinking about writing a post, and I realized it would break a whole bunch of the 'rules' it would be strongly opinionated, serious, and would have a lot of words and no pictures (from a dslr, point and shoot, or iPhone).


When it comes to the hospitality industry, there are a few rules commandments I live by.

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1. Tip heavily in any situation. Oh you bought a sub from subway and you got $0.78 back? Don't leave the poor girl who just doubletoasted with extra mayo'd your sub the 3 pennies! Throw her the whole 78 cents. If you don't have the change to spare you probably shouldn't be buying a sandwich anyways. That waitress you tipped 5% is not going to be happy, and soon enough you'll have a restaurant full of underpaid waitstaff who are rude and don't put in any extra effort because what does it matter - you're only going to tip 5% anyways.

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2. Say please and thank you. For most people, this is NOT a common practice. Unfortunately. If someone is holding open the door for you, say thank you. It your waitress brings you a refill without you asking say thank you. If you are ordering those 4 double big macs say please.


3. Make an attempt to fix your mistake. If you're at the gap and you accidentally knock over a stack of tshirts, take the 2 seconds to bend over and pick them up. I'm not saying clean the whole store - they do pay employees for that. But at least give them the little bit of effort! Same goes for knocking over straws/napkins, spilling drinks/ketchup/condiments or making a general mess.

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4. SMILE. So many people come through with a sour look on their face, hating everything you say to them. Seriously bud, I'm the one back here with the hat and apron waiting for you to pay for your overpriced sandwich. If Ive got a smile on, maybe you should try it too.


Today I had a run in with one of the most rude customers I have EVER had. He was mean and nasty, demanded everything his way (which I smiled and and did my best to accommodate). But some people you can't please. I understand that. Some people are just "having a day." I can also understand that. But it makes me sad to know that people think that being polite is an option.


Just a little rant, and yes - I am completely biased because I have worked in both food service and retail. But I think it's something everyone should do at least once in their lives - I think there would be lot more understanding and appreciation in this world.

Title of this post is song lyrics from We Are Scientists - Rules Don't Stop.