Retail Rant

Ok, this is just an observation so take it for what it is worth. I believe that we have gotten to point of tremendous selfishness in our world. I know it probably isn't a shock to most of you but for me it has been pretty amazing. Over the last 3 months of working retail I have come to the conclusion that we live in a world that is incredible spoiled and self centered.

I love technology and especially cell phones, so it is fitting that I work for T-Mobile (just for the record I'm not in-love with working retail, just love the tech). I remember being a customer of T-Mobile and going into the store to check out the latest and greatest phones. I would find myself wishing that I would have held out for the upgrade because I was now stuck with a piece of junk phone and there before me was a new shinny amazing phone that has caught my eye and I can't live without. I would go to the sales associate and ask them how much it would cost me to get this one of a kind must have new phone, only to hear the dreaded words, "unfortunately you are not eligible for a full upgrade so it is going to be full price"

"Full Price!" I would reply, "I have been a T-Mobile customer for 6 years, I have always paid my bills on time, I am a loyal customer and deserve a discount on this phone." Oh how those words are now haunting my existence.

Every day I hear these words, every day I am faced with a customer who was just like me. I sometimes wonder how much of a sense of humor God has, however after working retail for the last 90 days I wonder no more.

Seriously though, I have been thinking about how we have gotten to the point where we feel entitled, that somehow because we are gracious enough to pay a company money each month to use their services that we now deserve something, in fact we demand it. I have been yelled at, cursed, called all sorts of names, and accused of trying to rip people off. Serious it amazes me, I work so hard to try and look at each person who comes into the store as someone who I can help. I try my very best to treat each person with respect. I know that I am not perfect, some days I just want to get out of there but it doesn't change the fact that I keep dealing with the same people everyday and I have to be honest it sucks.

I go to work every day because I need to put food on our table. To provide enough money for Julie and I to keep our house and hopefully give us an opportunity to spend time together while we figure out where God is going to lead us next. I feel so fortunate to have a job right now, to be somewhere that I like to people that I work with, and working for a company I think is trying to do a good job of caring for customers and employees(yes, they are trying to make money too). However, it has made me realize how much I have been that angry customer, or the entitled customer. How there are times when I feel like I deserve something more and I look at the person who is serving me and do not give them any respect. Why should I right?

Now I want to clarify, I am not supporting all of the company policies when it comes to prices, upgrades, etc... however, I have come to realize that just because we don't like something doesn't give us the right to treat people the way that we do. What is funny to me is the fact that as I have been working in the cell phone world I have come to appreciate the fact that it costs money to do business, that technology has come a long ways (side note: I realized the other day that my current phone has more power, more storage, and can do more things than the computer I had in college, which wasn't that long ago) and while I don't want to have to shell out hundreds of dollars on a phone I feel less like I am getting ripped off and more of, I get what I paid for. Even if I was justified in my thinking, even if I know that I was right and the company was wrong, does it give me a right to demand satisfaction, does it give me the right to get what I deserve, and most importantly does it give me the right to treat the people who work for that company like crap because they work for a dumb company.

I believe that we do have the right to stand up for what we believe especially when there is injustice going on, I just wonder if we know what true injustice is. We believe that if something infringes on our lifestyle or keeps us from getting what we want is injustice. We are willing to make someone feel like they are worthless and pass judgment on others because of our injustice. How different would it be if we stepped back and realized that we have been given more then we ever deserve? How different would it be if instead of waking up each day thinking about what we are going to get we woke up thinking about what we were going to get to be a apart of, that God was going to give us opportunities to care for people, to share in His amazing plan of redemption in the world?

I will keep going to work because I feel like this is where God has placed me right now and I will keep trying to do my best to care for customers and to follow the company polices, but I will have a new understanding for my fellow service people and will continue to look long and hard at what it is I deserve.

More to come on this subject later...