Customer Service at the Crepe Counter

The first time we went shopping, John's cousin Sal and I had a conversation about customer service in the UK and US.  In the US, the customer is always right and people who work in stores and restaurants tend to be really polished and friendly, like they are your best friends.  That level of buddy-buddy-ness can be quite misleading if you are not american.  In the UK, the customer is usually really polite and the people who are working are not typically bubbly or pandering but rather authentic.  Why act like best friends with someone you don't know?

In fact, I see this play out a lot in social interactions here-- in Harrogate with the mums group, with our neighbors here, people usually leave you alone and may not say hello until you actually know each other.  It's not rudeness, it's just not being fake.

Back to shopping.. while at the mall in Wales, we decided to stop for coffee and food.  I spotted an outdoor creperie (big sign says "CREPERIE") so we went over to order.  There was a teenager working the front and a couple other ladies making coffee.  The menu was simple:  (1) hotdogs and kids' food, (2) jacket potatoes list, (3) panini list, (4) crepes list.  I was careful to be polite with my phrasing so as to not be viewed as an efficient demanding american.

• Me to Crepes Girl (CG):  "Hello, may I have a cheese and tomato crepe, please?"

Looks to her colleague, pause, murmur something back and forth.
CG looks back at me with complete apathy, slight frown, not in empathy but disdain for my existence.

• CG:  "It will be a wait." (I can even still hear her accent)
• Me:  "Okay...

(Scan menu quickly)

• Me:  "May I instead have a panini, how about ham and cheese?"
• CG:  "We are out of paninis."
• Me:  "Oh, okay. "

(Scanning menu, next column)

• Me:  "May I have a jacket potato with cheese then?"
• CG:  "We are out of jacket potatoes."

(Pause.  Blank stares.)

• Me:  "So what do you have?"
• CG:  "Hot dogs."

We left.  Had a lovely snack at British Home Stores.