Nana Gushiken
Have you ever seen customers complain about
something at cash register of a store or other business? I think many Japanese
people have witnessed this behavior. If the workers are wrong, you should tell
them about it because a customer’s input can be a good thing for their service.
In this way, a company can develop better services as a business. In fact,
though, most complainers are wrong. They are simply rude and feel the need to express
their emotions. The problem is that Japanese workers can’t really say anything
because they’re too nice. Costumers complain more, then they demand higher
quality service. That’s why Japanese workers should serve in easier manner.
Japanese workers look at customers like gods; this
is called “Omotenashi” spirit. It leads customers to be rude because
“Omotenashi” is too much about service. It’s good to be nice to customers but
treating them like gods is not the best way to operate a business. Customers
are also humans. We should just treat them like humans. There is no need for
all the extra stuff. People often like to say that “simple is the best,” so workers
should serve their customers in simple, friendly and honest ways.
Customers have the advantage over everything when
it comes to service. Japanese customers feel entitled when they shop because of
how they are treated. They complain way too much because they know they will be
treated well by the workers. There was case before about customers make strange
accusations at workers in convenience store. The customers demanded dogeza
(extreme apology on the knees), so the worker complied, but the customer still didn’t
accept the apology, and he misplaced anger. He demanded money and cigarettes in
cartons. Sometimes, customers make mistakes, but Japanese workers are too nice.
They can’t say customers are wrong, but they can only say, “I’m sorry.”
Customers are always right.
But, as I worker myself, I want customers to
reasonable and honest when they wrong. I think that’s for a connection between
individuals. I learned that way of thinking from working at an American-styled
establishment. When customers are rude, I can tell them something like that’s
not good or that’s not correct. Then, they realize that they are wrong. Even if
they become angry, they leave then and there, and the next day they tend to
return to apologize about their behavior.
This means to be human and honest. Also, it means to state what is wrong
is wrong.
I also work at a Japanese-styled convenience store,
and I often feel that Japanese customers think they’re like being our bosses.
If they wait too long time, they show anger. I can understand if we make them
wait because we are slow or are talking too much. But when I was a cash register,
one of my customers said that I lost her point card. I said, “I’m gonna check
lost property list, so wait a second.” When I was checking it, she moved and
said, “Did you find it?” I said “no, I can’t find it. You can take new one.”
Then I came back to the register. The man yelled at me, “I was standing in
line. You gotta say something to me!” I was talking to the woman about her
point card, so I couldn’t say anything to him. I thought, “You gotta say
something to me like excuse me.” This one reason why I don’t like Japanese
customers. They are too used to being treated like gods. Foreigners would never
yell. But when that was happened I couldn’t say anything because customers are
like gods. I could say only “sorry.”
So many Japanese customers tend to lose their
common sense as they make demands for high quality service. They complain about
very small things. This causes many Japanese workers to suffer great stress and
sometimes the result is a sense of hopelessness and suicide. We should live an
easier working life. To that end, I propose that we all step back and really
think about reason and how we can apply reason to our everyday interactions
with people in the places that we go to buy and sell.
