Shopping trolleys and bored shop staff; Wayne lets off steam

No use banking on polite service.

NO DEAL: Are you ever made to feel like you are interrupting the day of store staff by entering? Picture: Juanmonino

I FEEL like having a bit of a gripe this week.

Parking in shopping centre carparks can be a frustrating experience.

It is bad enough having to battle the traffic getting there - slow drivers, intersection lights, stop signs and all the other road issues associated with driving that help increase the blood pressure.

So, you manage to get into the carpark. You have successfully negotiated all those little irritations and you find a spare park and commence to drive in and there - in the middle of the vacant park - is an empty shopping trolley. Argh!

It is one of my pet hates - shopping trolleys left in the middle of the carpark or to the side so you end up banging the door as you open it on a trolley.

Why is it that people can't return their trolley to the return bays?

Usually these are just a few paces from where the trolley is left.

It is plain and simple laziness.

People these days just do not care about others.

It appears that it is too difficult to put the trolley back in the return space provided.

It's okay because someone else can do it. I am not going to walk another dozen paces to replace something I have just used, they must think.

So now you get into the store and there are very few staff who want to actually provide any service.

You get the impression you are interrupting their day by entering the store and expecting a friendly smile or some help - heaven forgive.

This is another pet hate - lack of service.

One particular well-known bank's branch in a shopping centre I know discourages customers due to the unfriendly nature of the staff.

There is one instance I have heard where the bank manager became rude just because the person wanted help with a transaction.

Is this what we expect from the staff of these organisations?

These people get away with this type of behaviour because customers are polite and don't want to make waves or put on a turn.

Well, we should be sick of being treated like this by these big conglomerates, all of which charge exorbitant fees and charges.

And let's not leave out the utility companies.

I have witnessed the frustration of many people trying to contact one of these organisations and negotiate the phone system.

Trying to get to speak to a real person is like pulling teeth.

If only they would employ more staff, accept less profits and provide a proper service to their customers, then we may not have the large unemployment problem.