Throughout countless high school movies, there is often a teenager seen working in a diner, coffee shop or a fast food restaurant. While stereotypical portrayals simplify the experience, many SCHS students have lived the realities of working in customer service and navigating the ups and downs of interacting with shoppers.
Senior Gicel Cardenes works at Journeys in Valley Fair, an alternative shoe store. Working in shoe sales differs from other retail stores due to workers having to communicate with buyers more often in order to increase interest and sales in various shoes.
“As a salesperson, you have to interact with everyone,” Cardenes said. “My responsibilities are sitting the customer, getting them the shoes they want, maybe pushing a second pair if they like, basically sitting down with them and having a whole conversation on who they are and getting to know them.”
Customer service workers often have to use specialized language to speak with shoppers. Sophomore Brianna Brasil, who works at Nick The Greek, has observed that regardless of who is right in a situation, a worker’s job is to create a positive environment and assist in any way possible.
“There’s times where the worker is right and the customers want you to literally feed them and do everything for them,” Brasil said. “There’s simple things like when people ask for napkins, but they’re right there, and of course you want to say, ‘We have napkins right there,’ but the real response is, ‘Yes, let me get you some. I could get you some right here.’”
For some stores, however, customers can be less open to conversation. Senior Ethan Pham works at Matcha Town in Cupertino and has observed that many can be quick to order without acknowledging him and his coworkers.
“When I’m working gelato, I greet them, ask how their day is, but some customers just come in and say, ‘Can I try this? Can I try that?’ without saying anything first. I feel like that’s kind of rude,” Pham said.
Consumer attitudes can also vary depending on the environment, as well as the demographic of consumers. Working in the mall can mean exhausted customers who let their irritation bleed into their attitude, especially as a parent chaperoning kids.
“It’s a pain to sit down there and wait until everyone’s done with their stuff and then go to a different store and do the same thing over and over again. I feel like that’s where the whole vibe or mood comes in,” Cardenes said.
Interacting with countless people in a day can require remembering numerous facts in order to help everyone in need. Counseling secretary Desiree Sa is the first person students communicate with when coming to the counseling center and understands she must remember many details to answer the various questions that may arise.
“When you work in a school, there’s a lot of people. With my customer service that I provide for others, if I don’t know those finer details, then my job is near impossible, and I can’t provide that service to others at all,” Sa said. “I can’t direct you to the right place, can’t answer any of your questions. I’m essentially useless.”
For Sa, adapting to different students’ emotions and needs helps her build a more safe environment in the counseling center. Being a friendly face can help boost the moods of students who stop by during difficult times.
“You might need a moment to yourself, had a bad day, but allow me to get to know you in those few minutes because that can help me make your day better next time,” Sa said. “This is the counseling department, so if someone came up to me, I wouldn’t shove them away because then this wouldn’t be a welcoming place. Part of my customer service is to make people feel wanted and come here.”
A common frustration for many who work in customer service is a lack of understanding from customers. Cardenes hopes they will learn there are many interworking parts to a job, meaning many people are responsible for creating a product, and pointing fingers will only create a more stressful working environment.
“They’re trying to help you, and you’re being rude. The person who is serving the food is different from the person who is cooking the food, and the person who is cashiering isn’t the person that’s serving the food, and it goes on,” Cardenes said. “There’s sections of a job. There’s certain people who do certain tasks.”
To make food related jobs easier when products are made in front of customers, Pham noted that communication from customers can get a job done faster.
“For gelato, it’s like ordering at Chipotle. If you tell us what you want all at once, we can do it all way faster,” Pham said.
Patience and understanding in customers can make the biggest difference in the attitude of someone working in customer service. Treating all individuals with empathy and respect can create a better overall experience for everyone.
“I just wish that people would wait their turn and be more patient, especially when the second after people order, they’ll be like, ‘Where’s my food?’And it’ll be only five minutes later,” Brasil said. “I want people to be more considerate of waiting their turn and (see) that there’s other things to do.”