Caring for Customers

             A caring situation that I often find myself in happens within the workplace.  I work at a retail store and therefore I am required to "take care" of customers that enter the store.  It is expected by the customer, my manager, and store policy that I greet customers that enter the store and furthermore help them pick out their desired clothing.  These expectations are important because if I were to ignore customer’s needs and not take care of them by grabbing clothes, answering questions, or giving them suggestions, I could be fired.  Also, customers expect to be taken care of by employees when they are shopping, especially where I work because our clothing is aimed towards an older generation.  The women that shop with us expect care.  If care expectations are not met they can inform my manager, they can act outwardly rude towards me, or they can file a complaint with corporate.

This kind of care is important for all parties.  It is important for the customer because they want to feel welcome when they enter a store.  They also may want or need help making decisions if they are buying clothing for a specific event.  It is important that we as sales associates help these customers so that we can be sure they will shop with us again.  It is important that I help customers that need care because it is my job, and if I did not do my job correctly I could lose it.  Also, I take pride in my work and being professional on the job.  Customer’s needs and care are of extreme importance to the store and the sales associates.  If customers are not treated with care, they may not shop with us again.  This is crucial because we need their business and we also want to be sure everyone that shops with us is happy with the company so that we may attract new customers, as well.

An institutional structure that is also involved in the care of our customers is the mall our store resides in.  The mall must be sure to take care of shoppers, so that they keep coming back.  This includes making sure shoppers are taken care of with parking availability, access to restrooms, plenty of dining options, and cleanliness throughout all mall facilities.  We rely on the mall to take care of all these structures to keep customers happy.  The mall relies on us to take care of customers and encourage them to come back and keep shopping with us.  They do not necessarily change the care of our customers, but rather aid in the process of caring.  They make "care" for shoppers accessible and efficient and personalize the experience our customers have.

Although it is very true that some customers are undeserving of our care, such as rude customers or shoplifters, but we must always care for them anyways.  We have to think the best of everyone that walks into the store and help them out as much as possible.  If someone were to enter the store that you previously had a bad experience with, it would not change the fact that you must care for them in the same way you would for any other customer.  This reminds me of Kathy's decision to care for Ruth in the novel, Never Let Me Go.  Although Ruth had previously been rude to her, Kathy cares for her anyway.  She sees the good in her character when she could easily focus on the bad.  This is what employees in retail often have to do with difficult customers.  It may be fair to say that Ruth did not deserve Kathy's care, but she does it anyway.  It is our duty as humans and our duty in our place of work to do our job.  Although we could be selective with who we care for and possibly get away with it, it is never in one's best interest to act this way.  "Care" in my situation and that of Kathy and Ruth suggests that we must care for others sometimes even if we do not want to.  Regardless of the situation you must smile anyway, do your job, and be a good person so at the end of the day you can be happy with yourself and your actions.