Friday, September 27, 2013

Technology and Human Contact

Hello everyone!  A very warm welcome to each and every one of you!  The video I have chosen for this post is a two minute clip entitled "Retail Stores, 1940".  Enjoy!

This is going to be one of my long posts, so thank you for "tuning in."  :)  I am not sure about any of you, but I have the impression that advanced technology has diminished human contact considerably!  With e-mail and texting, ATM machines, automated cashes, just to name a few, we are having less and less human contact in this day and age than we had "back in the day."  In my view, not only has all this technology diminished human contact, it has made people less patient.  Customer service, in the real sense of the meaning, has, for the most part, gone out the window, and I find this sad.  

Years ago when I would walk into a store, I was greeted with a warm smile and something like, "If you need any help, just let me know."  Today, we are lucky to even get a greeting or a smile.  The sales clerks today (and I am not talking about all, but many), hardly even look at the customer, you don't see a smile very often and certainly, in my case, how often have I seen a sales clerk on their cell phone...or talking to a co-worker rather than focusing on the customers?  Sometimes they even look annoyed or like you are bothering them.  Far too often.

Fortunately, every now and then I come across a great sales person who cares about the customers, smiles, and seems very happy with their job and with serving customers. Whenever I do see this I always make it a point to thank him or her for their good customer service and good attitude.  It's so easy for us to let people know when we are not happy with the service, (and this is fine and good to mention it...but in a constructive fashion), but it isn't often, I am sure, that customers take the time to compliment and acknowledge good service.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this.  :)

The photos I am sharing today are ones that I took on a recent walk.  You just need to click on the images to see a larger view.




Thank you all so much for visiting me here!  I always appreciate and enjoy reading your kind thoughts, which you are always welcome to share by clicking on the 'comments' link at the end of my post.

16 comments:

  1. I agree that people are having less personal contact with each other because of technology...but then they are connecting with more people then ever before...strange. My favorite photo is number one...I love the deep burgundy look.

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  2. I do appreciate people that are happy at their job .

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  3. France was dreadful at customer service...whether in the supermarket or the small shop.
    In contrast, most of the time in Costa Rica the staff can't do enough to help you.

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  4. I was born in the mid-forties, so I don't remember shopping in the forties. But things didn't change much over the next 20 years. It wasn't until the big shopping malls appeared that shopping changed drastically. Now, department stores rarely have clerks to help you choose or find things. Instead, there are just cashiers to take your money for the things you did find.

    Just last week, I went into a Subway restaurant to order a sandwich. The guy who waited on me bordered on surly, not just indifferent. The next day, I went to the same restaurant and was greeted by a perky little gal with a big smile. I commented to her that she was a lot friendlier than the guy who had been there yesterday. I found out she was new, though...probably replacing the surly guy. I hope she's able to keep her positive and friendly attitude.

    Now, to the photos. Such beautiful colors in the variety of leaves. My favorites are the first and the third, but all are very nice.

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  5. I totally agree with you. I see it constantly in the stores.

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  6. Like you I go out of my way to thank someone for their friendly attitude and helpfulness. They are the ones that get my future business and when I think about it, they really stand out. I sometimes wonder where this technology is going to take us. Enjoyed your 1940's video very much and those leaves were beautiful!

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  7. Lovely colours ushering in the fall.

    I think too many stores have grown complacent and don't train their employees in customer service. The attitude seems to be one of indifference. I found the opposite in Florida - my theory is that with the economic downturn they've experienced there, stores are competing for customers' business and they train their staff well. We've actually been approached by staff in Florida in places like Home Depot and Lowes and been taken to the exact spot in an aisle to find what we were looking for. Contrast that with our experience back home (Ontario) where staff disappear if you happen to spot them.

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  8. I DO believe that people do not take pride in their work anymore like they used to. And here is what I experience over and over. I walk into a store and stand right in front of a bunch of clerks who are all talking to each other. They refuse to even look at me. Then my husband walks in, and they all scurry to help him, falling all over themselves. WHAT GIVES?? Women have money, and women are bigger shoppers then men!

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  9. YES it definitely has diminished the frequency of human contact. These days everyone has their heads down looking at their phones constantly...nobody makes eye contact or small talk. Sad isn't it? Nobody makes phone calls just to talk (they all text) or sends snail mail (they all email).

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  10. I like your photos!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  11. yeah, i think we've become more impatient and we're used to having things instantly. such as the difference between email versus having to post a letter with stamps and waiting for the recipient to get it several days later =)

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  12. In Brugge, Linda, unfortunetaly it's the same...
    Lie(f)s.

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  13. il y a du bon dans les nouveautés technologiques, mais c'est vrai : rien ne vaut le contact humain, le sourire.
    Les photos sont très jolies.

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  14. Anonymous11:04 PM

    Beautiful sharing !
    Thanks Linda
    Greetings from Asia

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  15. So very true it is such a shame...I enjoyed my work working with the public.
    Times are indeed changing ..love the color's of the leaves.

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  16. I think it depends on the person who's using the technology. From my Youtube channel I've become friends with people who I now visit, but I agree with you in principle. Also the fact that we've become so global means we talk to people in other countries to try to sort out our technological problems....I do hope that trend doesn't last long.

    Nice old video Linda, now that is modern technology working.
    Love the autumn colours too.

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