OPEN LETTER TO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES!!!!

For those of you whom think I am homophobic, listen and listen well, I AM NOT!!! I am very much the live and let live type woman. I harbor NO ill will towards anyone (okay, okay I am not fond of the used car salesmen we have in Washington, DC nor the President--those I wish would find a very large, short pier to walk off into the ocean!). 

If I read another headline about a "gay" ball player coming out, I will literally scream. You are a ball player, first. Your allegiance is to your team, the man who stares back at you in the mirror in the morning, and your significant other. I DO NOT care if you are gay, bi, or straight do your damn job and stop waving a flag for your personal life. Let's face some facts some of you shouldn't be waving a flag at all (i.e.: Drug Use, DUI, D&D, Domestic Abuse, Arrests, Probation) are NOT things to be proud of.

While I can remember a time when women were thought less than an equal of a man, and had to gain equality in the workplace and on the playing field. I remember an evening when Billie Jean King played tennis and won against Bobby Riggs, her parting shot to Riggs was a piglet. Billie Jean  along with Martina Navratilova broke the barrier, the glass ceiling so to speak . These women are lauded for their feats upon the tennis court not because of their sexual orientation.

GET OVER IT MEN!!! Women broke this barrier for you long ago and it was a much tougher sell to the public than you "coming out" of your locker to admit your "gay" to your team mates and the world. Yes, I get that you can finally breathe however which do you want to be remembered for?

Your record on the field? 

- or -

Your personal life?

The choice albeit rests with you, however I prefer to see the first, NOT the second!!!!

Memorial Day

THANK YOU to the men and women who serve and have served our country without hesitation. Without your service this country would not be where she is today, the GREATEST place to live on earth.

WHAT IS MEMORIAL DAY:  Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving the United States Armed Forces. Formerly know as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had be extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.

This weekend we here in the United States celebrate "Memorial Day". Many of the younger generation see it as just another day off, or beginning of summer. But for those of us who have military ties, either with a family member whom served, it is a day of recollection, pondering, and to honor those whom have fallen, and those whom serve and have served. 

We have a generation of children whom have no idea what World War II, Korea, or Viet Nam are other than what they have read in a book or taught in the classroom (and to be honest I doubt that what they are even being taught is honest, and forthcoming). We have a generation of children whom have no idea the sacrifice of men and women who died and are buried in foreign lands, not because we (the United States) would not bring them home, but because back then we did not have the modern technology of today. There are many Veteran's Cemeteries across the country especially down south, where there are fences separating those whom fought for the Union and the Confederacy. Today's military is better equipped, better trained, and are still the most underpaid people in the world.  Our servicemen are HAPPY to serve our country because they know what freedom is. They take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and they do that plus. 

Another thing, Why is it we pay major league ball players millions of dollars to play a game [let's face it some players are just trouble (drugs, alcohol, arrests, probation)], while we pay soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines less than the poverty level? Why is it our children worship these same players but do not know whom some of the greatest generals & war heroes are? There is something very wrong with this picture.

So this weekend as you watch a parade, grill hot dogs & hamburgers, sip lemonade, play horseshoes, watch fireworks, and celebrate with your family; bow your head, say a silent prayer for the men and women whom cannot be stateside to celebrate this holiday with their friends & family, those whom are lying in the gardens of stone, and those serving us so very far away. 

Customer Service???!!!

Before I begin this rant, I need to say thank you to the gracious people whom do their jobs with a smile upon their face, without argument, when all they want to do is go home and put their feet up! YOU are all amazing!!!

Now onto my rant!

Where has customer service gone? Have we as people forgotten what "Excellent" customer service is? Have we just been so tired when we get to the repair shop, the grocery store, Macy's, Kohl's, Dave & Buster's, Wal-Mart, Big K, and Target, that we accept the attitude we are treated with? I for one am tired of it. 

Let me begin by explaining the situation: Over the past few months, my fiance and I have been shopping at the Wal-Mart close to our home. While it is a "Super Center" it is one of the smallest I have been in. It is also in a part of town that is not quite the best. While visiting this store, the first thing we encounter is a vehicle in the parking lot with expired tags, and a flat tire. We reported what we saw to the Customer Service desk, when we went back in a month later, the vehicle was still there in the very same place; yesterday we made a quick stop, lo and behold, the vehicle was still there. Hello???? Abandoned vehicles in a parking lot does NOTHING for your business!!!! On Saturday evening, when speaking with the front end manager about the deli being closed before the actual time they close, I mentioned the vehicle to her, and her response was it is being taken care of. We will see. 

While shopping at a "Dollar Tree" store over the weekend I was assaulted by a woman who was shoplifting, when I followed her to the front of the store and mentioned something to the cashier about her removing a marker from a four-pack of markers, she stood there with her mouth open. While I realize that most people would have just let it go because it is "just a buck" the problem is, when a store loses merchandise to shoplifting the rest of us pay. When the customer returned to the store, she walked up to me, hit me in the side of the head, and screamed, "Next time b*tch, mind your own damn business!", if my fiance had not intervened I would have been on the floor. When checking out, the store manager apologized to me about the incident, and stated, "We don't have people report shoplifters", I held my tongue but thought, "I wonder why, if I was assaulted over a dollar item, what would happen if someone walked out with $10, or $20, or $30 worth of merchandise?". 

We went to the Speedway to fill the tank, when finished it asked, "Would you like a receipt?" my fiance hit the "yes" button but nothing happened. He went inside the store, waited in line ten minutes for a receipt, and was told, "I am one person, I cannot do it all!". Well part of your job is to make sure that all the pumps have receipt paper in them. Your job is to make sure that I (or any other customer) do not have to stand in line to get a receipt. I pay at the pump so I DO NOT have to wait in line!!! 

Yesterday, while I did not want to venture out of my home, I did. My fiance and I went to the Wal-Mart a few miles away from our home. What a difference ten miles can make. Everyone at the store, from the person at the deli, to the woman in the aisle stocking shelves, to the gentlemen in electronics, all had smiles on their faces, and were happy to be helping customers. We also went to Staples where we asked a some questions about printer ink, printable note cards, and some other office items, the clerk was happy to answer my questions, and when he didn't know he asked another. You see GOOD customer service exist we as the customers MUST demand it!

Yes I know what you are thinking, "how would she know what 'good' customer service is?" because all my life (I am 50) I have worked in service related jobs, whether it was being a receptionist, a cashier, an administrative professional, a manager, or a cashier. My best foot was put forth daily because I checked my attitude and baggage at the door. I always went out of my way to smile, be polite, get answers, do my job efficiently, do whatever was asked by my supervisors. While some would say, working in a grocery store is beneath them, remember "everyone has to eat!".  Here are the rules for all customer service professionals:

Rule Number One:  The customer is always RIGHT.

Rule Number Two:  See Rule Number One.

These rules are NOT hard, but they are the most important rules for anyone in the service industry. 

So I ask you again, "Where has GOOD customer service gone?" it is out there, but to insure it we as the customers have to be willing to do our part. On every receipt, there is a survey, take the survey, be honest about what you saw, how you were treated. Without feedback, a business may think they are doing well until they close their doors because of poor customer service.