What Is Up With This World?

Let’s be real about this. We are living in a time of economic uncertainty, financial strain, credit crunches, and the like. This is a bleak period financially for most of us, to say the least. In the grander scheme of things, we may not being doing as badly as what we perceive, but certainly our country seems worse off than it did five years ago. Honestly, a lot of us are cheap by nature to begin with, but for some of us, we lose our ever-loving minds during hard times like those we are just now beginning to face. Here are a few things that I have either observed or that have been shared with me:

- POLITENESS TO SALES PROFESSIONALS/CASHIERS: In my years in the legal profession, I have seen some things that have shocked me to the core. I have personally witnessed people do and say things that I was under the mistaken impression that only happened in the movies or on television. After being verbally abused more times than I care to share, or after having doctors’ offices share certain things regarding patient behavior, I remember thinking, “If people act like this in a supposedly professional atmosphere, how do they act when they patronize a fast food restaurant or retail outlet?” I could only imagine the terrible behavior exhibited by some of these folks. Let us always remember that we should always treat the person in front of us with respect and courtesy. We would not want anyone treating us with anything other than the utmost respect, nor would we want anyone to treat us disrespectfully. In fact, this holds true anywhere we venture. Anywhere. (To the Least of These - Matthew 25:41-46)

- BARGAINING: I am sorry, but when you go into a store or anywhere else, if something is too expensive, leave. You can voice your complaints to the manager or owner, but do not take it out on a cashier, stocker, deli worker, or anyone in between. Some times we need to stop for a moment and think that something may be priced higher than we expected, simply because the costs of goods have risen so quickly as of late. Some times it is as simple as that. When it is not and it is because a business is attempting to take advantage of consumers, the best thing to do is voice your concern and leave, never to darken the door of that business again. Arguing with or showing disrespect to employees is not the best way to handle those types of situations. Salespeople and cashiers deal with enough headaches on a daily basis, without having to endure verbal abuse or worse.

- AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPS: Some dealers still offer a quality product. Case in point – Honda automobiles – this is the highest quality vehicle you can find at any price, hands down. My compadre is a sales professional at Moss Honda in Lafayette, Louisiana. He co-authored this post and gave me some very good input in the process. Though it is certainly true that most of us have a need at this time to save as much money as possible, consumers still have to take into consideration the cost of goods as a whole. When a seller provides a service or product, they not only have a specific goal in mind in terms of profit margin, but they also have overhead. More specifically, if that business is selling a product, such as an automobile, that business had to pay for the product before ever receiving it into inventory. Thus, the setting of the final price begins, at least at invoice cost. Certainly situations exist where some auto manufacturers do not charge a great deal for their vehicles. When such is the situation, there is a larger profit margin and both the dealer and sales professional stand to make much more off of a sale. Keep in mind that this is not always the situation. Do your homework on www.edmunds.com or similar sites. Know the product inside and out before you ever step on the lot. If you educate yourself about the sales procedures, cost of goods, type of vehicle, time of year in which you plan to purchase and things of this nature, you will stand a much better chance of getting a good deal and of being able to see eye to eye with your sales professional. Do not assume that he or she is trying to make a fast buck, because this is certainly not always the case. Whatever the situation, we should always make an effort to be polite and courteous to our sales professional and the last thing we should do is hurl an insult or make a comment to the effect that we could not care less if the dealership or sales professional makes anything on the sale. This is wrong on many levels, as a dealership – or any other business for that matter – does not exist for the sole purpose of pacifying one customer. They are in business to make money and in order to keep that dealership going, they spend a great deal of cash in the process. They still have overhead and employees to pay. Give some thought to this and you may have a better appreciation of the process. To add to our responsibilities as a consumer, we must also realize when dealing with a sales professional who works strictly on commission, that when we utilize his or her skills and expertise, that should we choose to purchase their product, they are only making a small percentage of each sale. One common misconception is that all auto salespeople are “ripoff artists”. While a large majority of them might be known for playing games with our money, such is not the case for many of them. In addition, a lot of people fail to realize that most auto dealers make the crux of their profits not from the automobiles they sell, but rather from their parts and service departments.

- WAITERS/WAITRESSES: The same rules from above apply to restaurant employees. First of all, it is just plain dumb to tick off the person serving your food. So many things could go wrong there, but I will not get into that at this point. I am sure you have a mental picture of what I mean about that. I have witnessed waiters or waitresses being verbally abused on many occasions. This is completely uncalled for. We should never treat someone else as a servant, even if that is their actual job title. We should always be respectful of others, no matter what their lot in life. If nothing else, you never know when you might need them.

In case you are wondering, I am going somewhere with this. There is indeed a reason for this post. Stay tuned and you will learn more. In the meantime, be nice to others, unless they really “ask for it”.

[Post Co-Authored by Mark A. Hebert, Sr. of Moss Honda in Lafayette, Louisiana. Mr. Hebert is a Silver Level Honda Sales Professional with over a decade of experience. For all of your auto needs, please contact him at Moss Motors, 1401 Surrey Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501, 337.235.9086, or via e-mail at markh@mossisboss.com.]