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The ER Nurse and the Convenience Store Employee - Where do you see yourself?

My wife and I both had a rather long day today. I took care of our three kids and ran various errands with them, and visited a friend of mine who is in the hospital with a second bout of cancer (this will probably be a separate post of mine soon). At any rate, we wrapped up the day assisting my mother-in-law in the emergency room of the North Austin Medical Center. It is a very involved story, but suffice it to say that she was admitted in order to get a blood transfusion and she will be leaving in the morning.

I went to the ER to pick up our kids because my wife had them with her this evening so that I could do some work. She asked to take them to the large lobby area to "decompress", and perhaps to get some snacks from the vending machines there. I rarely carry much cash, and tonight was no exception. I had exactly one dollar, along with my debit and credit cards. My wife told me that they had a cash machine, which they did. I swiped my card and asked for $20, hoping against hope that the machine (which appears to be only for the snack machines, honestly) would give me some fives rather than just a $20 bill. You already know what happened - I soon had a crisp $20 bill and no way to spend it on snacks for my hungry kiddos.

I went to the desk and there was an ER orderly/nurse/greeter sitting there. He looked friendly enough, and I asked him if they had change for the snack machines. He said no, that they didn't have change. I told him that it seemed a bit pointless to have a cash machine that only dispensed bills that were too large for the machines, then I turned and told my kids that we couldn't get snacks there because we didn't have the right kind of money. We started to walk away (well, my 18-month old was in the stroller happily babbling away). Suddenly, I heard, "SIR! Would you be willing to take twenty ones? I have that and I can go get it for you." It was the guy at the desk taking pity on me and my mini-entourage. He disappeared for a minute or two, then returned with a wad of singles in his hand for me. The exchange was made, and I had three happy kids (and one happy dad, too).

On the way home from the hospital, I stopped to get gas because my "low on gas" indicator light had come on during my trip TO the hospital earlier. I was pumping the gas and it was about halfway finished when I heard a small beeping sound and the gas stopped coming. The LED screen said, "All pumps are now stopped." I couldn't really comprehend what had just happened. Did I press something inadvertently? Did someone else press an emergency stop button? What was going on? I waited for about 30 seconds for it to resume, then I looked around the pump to see an older man locking the front door of the convenience store and taping a small sign on the door. WHAT?!

I looked at my watch, and it was exactly 11:30pm. I didn't bother to go up and knock and get into an argument - what good would it do anyway? Ostensibly, it appeared that they close at 11:30 and not ONE MINUTE LATER, even if you are in the middle of a transaction. This is probably some of the very worst customer service that I have witnessed, and it kind of taints the idea of using that particular station again. Who closes on the half hour anyway?

So, what is your point, Crouch? You had a bad day? Well, not particularly. The issue here is how these people handled service. The ER nurse could have just done nothing to help, but he went out of his way to help me get what I needed right then. The gas station manager/employee created an obstacle for me that was unnecessary. I would have been finished in roughly two minutes, and I wouldn't be blogging right now about his horrendous "service".

Here's the crux of this post - which one of these men do you identify with more strongly? Are you the type of person who anticipates the needs of your clients and friends and takes an extra step to help make things easier and smoother for them? Do you ever sacrifice of yourself for others?

OR...

Are you the type of person who leaves clients confused and then hides at the first hint of a problem? Do you create new obstacles with your communication methods?

As for me, I choose to take the "road less traveled", seemingly. I want to be the guy that goes above and beyond to help others, not the guy who surreptitiously locks the door and puts up a sign.

Stand out in the crowd - do the right thing! Always remember - real estate is a SERVICE business.

Posted by Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) on 10/17/2007 02:21 AM

Comments (58)

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Originally posted at: Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog : The ER Nurse and the Convenience Store Employee - Where do you see yourself?

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58 Comments on The ER Nurse and the Convenience Store Employee - Where do you see yourself?

OCT

2007

WOW, Jason. What a day, huh?

A) I hope your mom-in-law gets to feeling better after the transfusion.
B) Kudos to the ER guy who stepped up to the plate to help you out.
C) As far as the gas station guy. What an a-hole. Sorry but that's how I feel about that one!

I'd like to think of myself as the person that has change of $20 when someone needs it!

Hugs to you and yours.

This happens to many of us at times and you ask which path to take. The easy one

Jason, in defense of the gas station attendant, the pumps are probably on an auto-program and he could do nothing about it. They are programmed by owners & managers, and not the attendant. Perhaps a quick note to the owners to ask them to adjust their program to let someone finish a transaction would be in order.

Kudos to the nurse at the ER. What a nice guy!

I hope your mother-in-law is released today feeling much better.

Oh, do I ever sacrifice myself for the good of my clients!!! You betcha, and most of the time, they don't even know the half of it. If they walk away happy and have a better perception of Realtors because of it, then I'm satisfied. You know Jason, crap happens but it's how we react to these situations that really count. As for me, I wouldn't go back to that station. I hope your mother-in-law is better soon.

Jason, I hope and pray that your mother-in-law is doing okay. Extra service above and beyond is always appreciated. I'd much rather be the nurse than the gas station guy.

One of the things that I always notice in the grocery store are the employees who not only tell you where some item is, but drop what they are doing and lead you there. That's above and beyond customer service.

Jason,

I hope your mother-in-law is doing well. I know it's been a struggle for you lately.

The nurse/orderly did a great thing there. He probably didn't see much sense in the vending machine/atm setup either. I'm glad he had the twenty one dollar bills for you. Who has twenty one dollar bills on their person these days?

When I first read about the gas station attendant, I was thinking that this was a real jerk for doing something like that. Then I read Kris' comment. Now, that would change things altogether, wouldn't it? It's always good to look at everything with our eyes open so we don't miss the whole picture. It's easy to look at that situation, blaming that attendant for the problem, when he could very well be just as frustrated with the situation as we are. I'm curious to know the whole story there.

This was a great customer service post. You're really in the groove lately for this type of post and I can see that taking care of your clients takes a high priority with your business. Way to go, Crouch!! Keep it up!!

They definately program them to shut down at certain hours of the day. But, that's not your point. So I will say in real estate as in real everyday life, you are never sorry if you go the extra mile. We reap what is we sow, and sowing extra help to others will allow you to reap it in your own life. It is a life principal.

JASON: Terrible customer service happens everyday, and yet I was still able to shake my head in disbelief at this moronic gas station worker. It blows my mind when common decency goes out the window. You've given me an idea to blog about a similar experience that I had. (at least something good came of your experience....JK)

Jason - bless your heart, what a day this was. My mentor in my first sales job always said "underpromise and over deliver". This is a great example of how we should treat our customers with higher service standards.

Jason, the gas station guy is like a real estate agent who shuts the doors of a 1 to 4 pm Open House at 4 on the nose, even if there are folks walking up the sidewalk! I think that most of us have a totally different relationship to customer service that people in other businesses - and that holds true sometimes when they own the business!

Jason, Unfortunately bad service is becoming the norm in many cases, not the exception. Why is that?

Those that provide great services and desire to meet their clients needs will always stand out head and shoulders above the rest. That greeter understood something very important (other than your kids were hungry) - he was the front line of that hospital that many don't and his job was very much about first impressions - not about him, but impressions of the whole hospital. The gas attendant may not have been the owner - but what he did left you with an impression of the whole gas station, not just that worker.

Jason- I pray that your mother- in- law gets well and healthy soon. I choose to be the one that goes and gets the change. I choose to be the one who gives first and goes beyond the call of duty with no expectation of kudos for doing so. In so doing, you are rewarded financially and otherwise. There is a lot of talk about this in the internet marketing world. I am working up some posts about it. The success internet marketers of today are the ones that give first and thus it is in all businesses. Katerina

I sacrifice and sacrifice some more. And it doesn't feel like sacrifice if I'm making the world a little sweeter for someone. How anyone could see it differently is an endless source of amazement to me. (and clearly for you too Loveseat!)

So glad the kids got treats!!

Jason, great post. I have to say I have always strived in my personal and profession career to be the first that you described. I try to go out of my way all the time to make sure that I can services everyone's needs.

Jason...I am not sure this is exactly the meaning of the "road less traveled" but you did make your point :) :) You asked which would I pick....well, I am not sure.....sometimes things happen in a moment of time.....and my judegement, if I were to make one, would have to be for that moment.

I was surprised at the gas guy....but then again maybe he had a mother-in-law in the hospital, and just wanted out of there. Have you every had anthing happen and it took every bit of your strength to finish your day, your shift? It was extrememly inconvient to you, but how do we know why he did what he did?

And the ER guy.....do you have any clue how many people probably ask for change :) :) Now, let's take away the cute kids, and put a scraggly guy in your place....would that clerk really go out of his way to go get change?

I wouldn't pick.......I would wonder though, and I would experience the different scenerios as a part of life :) :)

Great post Jason. I am the guy who anticipates needs. Service has always been natural for me and I am more comfortable helping people. Having said that I think we all get stressed and tired and at times we are the other guy.

NANCY - Thanks for being the first one to comment on this post. I also hope that my mother-in-law perks up following the transfusion. The ER guy was extra nice to help at that time, and I have to agree with you about the gas station dude. I didn't want to overstate what happened there, but there were actually three or four people inside the store (presumably all employees, since he locked the door). It just seemed offensive to me.

GARY - Do you mean "easy" as in doing less, or "easy" as in doing what is the right thing to do? Either way, thanks for your comment.

KRIS - As I mentioned to Nancy, the guy who locked the door was one of about three or four people inside the store. Maybe they were going to do an inventory? At any rate, while I can certainly understand if they are programmed to turn off automatically, it wouldn't be difficult for one of the people working there to make a brief announcement over the intercom system to let the customer know what just happened, or that it is about to happen. The other part which bothered me was the fact that he pre-emptively put up a sign and immediately locked up, so that they could avoid having any customer contact.

Kudos indeed to the ER guy, and we are hoping for a much better day today, although it will be filled with several more medical appointments.

Jason your days are getting worse and worse based on your Blogs. I hope your Mother in law gets better. On top of the medical condition, and the kids, and the jobs, you guys need to take a little time for yourselves, as hard as it may be. I hope you guys don't forget to take care of your needs. You can't help anybody if you are sick!

All the best to you and your family. I hope to read a positive outcome in the near future!! You are in our prayers.

DONNA - I loved your comments here. I may or may not return to the station, but if I do, I also intend to at least communicate with the actual owner (which may have even been the guy I saw, since there were four employees there). However, my gut tells me that I just won't go back at all, even though it is conveniently located. Like you, I am happy if my clients get a better overall impression of our industry. Keep up the good work!

BRIAN - Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers. It's funny that you mentioned the grocery store guy - I had that very experience a couple of days ago. I probably could have used that guy in this post instead of the ER guy. As you have seen from my other posts, I am always quick to compliment someone for doing a good job. Have a good one!

ANDREW - Thanks for your great comments. I am always one to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but it wasn't just the fact that the pumps shut off. There were three or four employees inside the store - how hard would it have been for one of them to make a quick announcement, such as:

"We're about to close. The pumps are programmed to turn off soon." OR after the fact,

"The pumps are programmed to turn off automatically when we close."

They could even play a prerecorded message, or put up a sign on the pump (very passive, but it would get the point across).

The fact that he was locking the door so quickly just left a bad taste, since there was no communication at all.

I actually meant to include in the post that I asked the ER guy if he waited tables, since I used to run a restaurant and the waitstaff always had tons of ones on them. He said that his dad gave him a bunch of ones, and then I joked with him by asking if his dad was was a waiter! Either way, he was helpful when I needed it, so it was much appreciated.

Thanks for your kind remarks about my recent posts. It means a lot. I may try to call you today sometime.

MISSY - Thanks for your poignant comments. So true. As for the pumps, please read my above comment to Andrew. Have a great week, and thanks for being such a faithful reader of my blog!

ADAM - Thanks for your remarks. I felt the same way that you did (head shaking in disbelief). As for your upcoming blog on this topic, I guess every cloud has a silver lining. I can't wait to see it. SPHTTBTL

MICHELLE - This is among the most basic sales and service principles out there, and I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your kind words, and for your comment.

PATRICIA - Yours is a perfect analogy. We all know agents like that. I hope that we have a different outlook on service, but I am not sure sometimes, based on the contact with others in our industry. Thanks for your terrific remarks!

STEVE - This was exactly the point that I was trying to make, and I'm glad to see your comments confirming that. Service is becoming a lost art, I am afraid. It seems to really be a big deal to get good service at any establishment now, so much so that we don't soon forget it. Conversely, we don't forget the really bad ones either. As you said, the ER guy did something to help both me and his place of work. Thanks for your comments!

KATERINA - I know that you are the type of person who already has this principles tucked away in your mind and heart. I appreciate your comments, and I look forward to seeing your upcoming posts on this topic. Thanks!

JENNIFER - I have no doubt in my mind that you give sacrificially to help others, both in life and in your business. Yes, the kids were VERY happy about the treats, and it made the remainder of our time there much easier. Have a terrific day, and we'll talk sometime soon.

DANNY - Thanks for the compliment. Good for you - keep up the good work! By the way, I can put a hold on that "castle" home in my other post if you feel ready to make a move. :)

I guess the good side about bad service is that people who do the right thing are getting more recognition for doing so while people who don't are as well. It kinda tilts the scale in double favor of the good guy. It's like getting double points for a good post like this one! :)

KATHY - I won't debate the meaning of "road less traveled" here, but suffice it to say that I meant the unconventional or uninvestigated option. As I mentioned above in another comment, I feel that service is a lost art. I am glad you liked the overall point of the post.

As for the gas guy, he was not alone at the store (there were two or three other employees there). This probably changes the impression for you a bit, or at least it did for me. As I mentioned to Andrew above, it would not be difficult at all for one of them to make a very brief announcement, either before, during, or just after the time that the pumps turned off. With the extenuating factors in mind, I can't excuse this behavior. I hope that he is not in the same boat that I am currently in, but it doesn't change the fact that it was wrong. I am not angry about it, but I probably won't return, either.

I have no idea how many people ask for change in that ER, but it is probably a LOT, considering the setup that they have in place currently. You're right - if I were a homeless vagabond without cute kids in tow, it might have been a different outcome.

I was not trying to imply that the first guy was always right, or that the gas guy was a terrible person, but rather to point out their actions and try to draw a comparison and to discuss the impression they left on me.

As for choosing not to choose, that is certainly up to you, but I don't think everything is relative. I think that there are some objective truths in this life, regardless of our immediate surroundings at any given moment.

ALAN - Please read my comments above to Andrew and Kathy. While I can certainly agree with you about getting stressed and/or tired (believe me), this man was not alone, so that is not a valid excuse in this case. I know that you are a true servant at heart, and I respect you greatly for this. Talk to you soon -

CHAD - Thanks for your incredibly kind comments. We are trying to do the best that we can to take care of ourselves, but it is a bit overwhelming lately. My mother-in-law is starting on an antidepressent today and a new, improved pain medication tomorrow. We were blessed to have found a doctor yesterday who has taken a sincere interest in her, and who seems to be a great problem solver. Maybe we can turn the corner with her soon. I really appreciate your prayers! Have a terrific day!

SHANNON - Thanks for bringing your unique and fun perspective to this post. I agree with you - it makes it easier for those who are doing the right thing to shine! - CJ

Great Post Jason - I pray for all Nurses to be campassionate and serve :)

as for Grandma- have doctors considered overnite exchanges with peritoneal dialysis if she could be evaluated she would not lose as much blood as hemodialysis and with some erythropoetin injections (which she should be getting for sure anyway if on dialysis, blood transfusions and exhausing trips to the ER like the one you described would be scarcer hopefully.

take care

Sincerely,

Grace

GRACE - I was actually thinking of calling you after reading your previous comment about the peritoneal dialysis. This was something we looked into previously, but she can't do this because she cancer of the mesentery about 35 years ago. My wife's grandmother has a caregiver who has also been helping us lately, and she mentioned that they may be able to bring the dialysis to our home. Of course, my wife and I would both have to be extensively trained to do this. We are hopeful that things may begin to improve soon for her, since we have a great new doctor working on the case. I may still call you if we have questions.

We all have bad days. I don't follow the logic of allowing for poor customer service due to a "bad day" however. Some folks would seem eager to give the gas station guy a pass because he might have had a bad day. Well, my clients don't give me a pass, nor would I expect it of them. It is easy to go the extra mile on those days when you have some bounce in your step. True character reveals itself through adversity. How does a person behave when things are not so rosy? So while gas station guy may have had excuses for such poor customer service, his inability to rise above it and provide quality service does not speak well of his character. Very good post, Jason.

PAUL - I must agree with you on this. I wrote a contract with some buyers a few years ago on the final day of a THREE DAY migraine (my first and only to this point). I was not having a good day, but they were very pleased with the service and they are still happily in that home, which is also in my own neighborhood. Thanks for the compliment! Have a good one -

Hey LOVESEAT--- I'm Back!! Why don't you just get it over with and start putting all this "stuff" in a book and write "Positives or Negatives, Your Choice"....you have such a great way of putting together a clever outlook on lifes happenings!! I say you and Waldman co-author it and stop keeping us waiting any longer!! BRAVO on this one!! As you know I am a huge advocate on proper customer service. What goes around comes around and that store mgr/employee will one day "get it"....

Hey CANDI - Good to see you here! Actually, I have been seriously considering authoring a book with Adam, so it is interesting that you brought it up. Thanks so much for the BRAVO! I don't get those very often - you put a smile on my face with your comments. Have a terrific day!

Hi, Jason,

I was just having this conversation today with a restaurant owner about how much I HATE bad service. It's just that we work so hard to offer exceptional customer service! And when we are the recipients of poor service, we realize how unfortunate and unnecessary it is. The restaurant owner basically told me that I'd better be nice to waiters/servers (note the title "server"... a service provider??)... or else they will spit in my food. She warned me that it happens all the time.

Well............... home cooking certainly is sounding like a concept that I need to revive in my life! I really am tired of bad service and now I have to worry about what might be mixed into my food!

Anyway, great blog post! Thanks for standing tall on that road less travelled!

JAN - I used to manage a restaurant and I know that it happened there a few times, both in food and in drinks. Pretty gross stuff. Thanks for reading this post, and I'm glad you liked it. I appreciate the compliment!

OCT

2007

Hi Jason: It has always been my opinion that being a Realtor, and working in an Emergency Room were very similar. We deal with emergencies all the time... and some of them can actually be life threatening.

KAREN ANNE - That is an interesting thought. I actually wanted to be a doctor (pediatrician) when I was growing up.

Jason: Wow... ya know, I really try to have at least one interesting thought each year. If my comment actually is an interesting thought... that brings me all the way up to 1982. Only twenty-five more interesting thoughts to go til I get caught up. Whew. It's not easy being older. <g>

KAREN ANNE - You keep things funny and interesting, and I respect you for that. Please check out my latest post (just posted about two minutes ago). I would love for you to see it.

I can't believe that guy just closed up shop while you were pumping gas! Call me a trouble-maker but I would have been on the phone with someone higher up the chain, the very next day.

LISA - I don't think you are a troublemaker. I usually would have done the same thing, but I am frankly too tired right now to bother. I thought it was ridiculous myself. I didn't want to include it in the post, but I probably left part of my tire in the parking lot from peeling out of there angry. Thanks for your comments!

OCT

2007

Lisa and Jason: Not that I know anything about convenience stores and gasoline pumps, but perhaps there was some sort of automatic timer/shutoff on the pump that was out of the control of the store worker, and he had no way to turn the pump back on. Just a thought. I agree that him turning everything off like that makes no sense, so maybe that is an answer.

KAREN ANNE - I recognize that it could have been an automatic timer, but there were several employees there inside the store, and one of them could have made a brief announcement before, during, or after the pumps going off. Also, it seemed extra inconsiderate to quickly lock the doors and post a sign, rather than taking a second to explain to their paying customers what was going on. Just my opinion, but it felt wrong to me. As Patricia stated above, it reminded me of a real estate agent locking the door of an open house promptly at 4pm when there are buyers walking up the sidewalk to take a look.

Jason: Of course it was wrong. It was also stupid business sense. To upset people like that... how many people have you told about the incident. Bad news travels fast. So, even from a marketing standpoint, it was a dumb move on their part. It would have been nice for them to come out, explain what happened, and then apologize. What dull-heads.

KAREN ANNE - Well, I guess I have told a bunch of people here at Active Rain, but I also didn't specify that it was the Exxon station at the corner of 1325 and 45, just to the south of the La Frontera Shopping Center in Round Rock, Texas. You are right - "dull heads" pretty much sums it up.

FEB

2008

Jason, this one got no new comments. What a shame. Service is a dying art, but so is good sense and manners.

Bill Roberts

BILL - I agree with you. Service is indeed a dying art (perhaps with one foot in the grave already). I enjoyed the original comments that this one garnered.

Jason:

It is difficult to analyze yourself. I hope that I am the one who anticipates needs and helps. I probably struggle most when I am focused on myself. This was another great post for deep thinking.

FEB

2008

ALAN - It is definitely difficult to do this. Thanks for your compliments.

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