| Comment | >>die Leute machen ihren Job so, wie sie es "von oben" gesagt bekommen und da will ich ihnen keine Schwierigkeiten machen. Die können ja nichts dafür
Yes, that's what everyone always says, and I'm sympathetic to how tough it must be to work in one of those thankless jobs. Nevertheless, the consequence of that is that the system never changes. If you're always sweet and kind to telemarketers, they will keep calling, and people will keep taking jobs at telemarketing companies. If you're sweet and kind to door-to-door salespeople or missionaries, companies and churches will keep sending people door to door. If you're sweet and kind to companies that ask for unnecessary information, they will keep asking. Maybe what would really benefit the low-wage employees is for them simply not to have to ask such questions at all. I bet they would actually prefer that too.
That is, the point is that all those are inherently invasive ways of doing business. It's the method itself that is harmful, both to the worker and the customer, because it traps them in a situation where they have no real choice. The company is the one that has the power to choose, and if it chooses to use an impolite method, it deserves to know that that method annoys people. Hopefully we will not go so far in the other direction as to be rude or offensive ('You &*#$% idiot! How dare you ask me that!'). But I think it's reasonable to communicate our displeasure, and I don't think we have to be politer than they are. Even a lowly salesclerk is a representative of the company -- he or she is the first line of communication. If a company policy annoys a significant segment of its clientele (not even necessarily a majority), the salesclerks need to tell the managers that, and the managers need to tell the home office, and the company needs to rethink its policy.
All that said, I too have heard the explanation about zip codes being used to determine new store locations. That's fine; it doesn't bother me if people want to participate on that basis. But the company ought to be upfront about the reason, and ought to train its sales staff to ask in a polite, nonintrusive way. It may be a little more effort for them to say 'Would you like to give your zip code? We're taking a survey to see where we might open a new store.' But there's a difference between that and just demanding 'Zip code?' as if it were not a free choice.
I believe in the potential for good of humankind, but I also believe that there's something about large, anonymous, mechanized systems that inherently tempts people to be less human. To me, resisting that insidious tendency (in a nonviolent way) is a mark of good, not evil.
goat aka |
|---|