Do you remember the show Undercover Boss? There was one episode where Joe DePinto, the CEO of 7-Eleven, went undercover at a 7-Eleven Store in Shirley, NY, to find out why they sell more cups of coffee than any other franchise. Shortly after arriving at work at 5:30 a.m., Joe discovered the secret of their […]
It is incumbent upon me to report an alarming, and I believe dangerous, trend growing in our society today. I am convinced that sauntering is once again on the rise. Historical note: As you’ll no doubt remember, sauntering enjoyed its heyday back in the mid-1920s, when gambling, moonshine, and gangstering were all in vogue. Coincidence? […]
Customer service means never saying “no.” I went into a sweets store at the mall this past weekend to buy a gift basket for a visiting client. As I browsed the store’s shelves, I noticed the goodies in the baskets looked less than appetizing, so I asked Jeff, the customer service representative, if he could […]
I just caught a cold and feel really lousy. I don’t think it detracts from my masculinity at all to say I want my mommy! It’s amazing how Mom always used to know exactly what to do when I got sick but, if I’m being honest, her cold remedies were usually way worse than the […]
I found the exact computer I wanted online, but I needed to know one thing before I hit the “purchase” button: Did the company also sell the extended-life battery for this model? If they did, then they automatically had an instant, add-on sale. I called the company and told the person answering the phone that […]
I needed a new printer a few months ago so I headed to my office supply store. I don’t want to publicly bash any company so let’s just say the name of the store was Stooples Office Supply. Moments after I walked in the front door, a well-meaning Stooples sales associate greeted me and began […]
It was the best of customer service. It was the worst of customer service. For legal purposes, I’m not going to mention the name of the mega airline to which I am referring in this article, but will disguise their name so you don’t know who I’m talking about. So, a couple of months ago, […]
Most postal carriers I know are hard-working folks with great attitudes. That said, it seems to me that the Post Office management and bureaucracy are cut from a completely different cloth. A while back the Post Offices found themselves flat broke and were looking for ways to become profitable again. So the brilliant solution they […]
I was sitting in a hotel room a couple of months ago when I received the following instant message from a lady I didn’t know: “Mr. Marshall, I believe you have been hacked. Some creep has been messaging me on Facebook, wanting money. I did an image search and found you, and you don’t seem […]
It really isn’t what you say, but how you say it, isn’t it? Not long ago, I received a letter from the Post Office notifying me that it is time to pay my annual bulk rate mailing dues. I was expecting the letter but what I wasn’t expecting was the verbiage it contained: Dear Charles […]
