Dissapointing SA Work Ethic (San Antonio, Howe: Home Depot, movies, schools)

[miriamflores]

I am not from here originally. I've had the oppotunity to travel and live in other places and can't help but noticing that there's a serious work ethic lacking in San Antonio. What is it? Why can't I find a decent dry cleaner or car wash? Why are people in customer service so lazy and mean? Why do schools mess up financial aid and lose transcripts? Why can't vendors meet deadlines or get orders right? Why is there no accountability anywhere?

No offense, but a lot of people here don't seem to take any pride in their work nor do they care whether it's done correctly.

I am not alone in this observation, as several of my friends- both natives and non-natives of San Antonio- have expressed the same frustration.

How does anyone stay in business here depending on employees or vendors that are such slackers? Is it the low wages here that make people just not care?

I am by no means perfect. I certainly don't think that my standards are all that high to begin with, but COME ON! This is ridiculous!

[210]

This isn't a website to air your petty grievances.

[Owl]

Miriamflores...

I'm a transplant from a large metropolitan city--second largest in the U.S., for that matter. I can't agree with you about your S.A. comment, though I can sympathize with you if this lack of accountability has been your experience. My own experience is that people go out of their way to be helpful, and that they take their work personally, in terms of trying their best to help customers. In fact, my husband and I were (and continue to be) downright amazed at the kindness and effort to assist, that we've experienced from people we've dealt with in business.

[Torrey]

Originally Posted by miriamflores

I am not from here originally. I've had the oppotunity to travel and live in other places and can't help but noticing that there's a serious work ethic lacking in San Antonio. What is it? Why can't I find a decent dry cleaner or car wash? Why are people in customer service so lazy and mean? Why do schools mess up financial aid and lose transcripts? Why can't vendors meet deadlines or get orders right? Why is there no accountability anywhere?

No offense, but a lot of people here don't seem to take any pride in their work nor do they care whether it's done correctly.

I am not alone in this observation, as several of my friends- both natives and non-natives of San Antonio- have expressed the same frustration.

How does anyone stay in business here depending on employees or vendors that are such slackers? Is it the low wages here that make people just not care?

I am by no means perfect. I certainly don't think that my standards are all that high to begin with, but COME ON! This is ridiculous!

Low wages.... Hit the nail on the head. However it's worse in Lousiana where I work. I'm an offshore worker, working for a company out of Lousiana, but live in San Antonio. The people in La. are much worse, trust me.

[Gabriela]

I moved in SA from Michigan about a year ago, and I think that people in SA are very nice, helpful and friendly. Whenever I needed any kind of help, regardless of the type of store, I only encountered helpful and very polite people. I did not experience this before, so I was very pleasantly surprised.

[crazedchef]

Hello,

People serving YOU are more receptive if YOU are friendly, open, and caring in the way YOU treat them.

YOU get back what YOU put out there.

crazedchef

[Robert123]

Miriamflores, as you've probably noticed before, negative threads are not welcome on this site, and the thread will likely be closed very soon, but just let me say that I agree with you. I've noticed some of the things you have, but the personal business bugaboo in SA that gets me the most is that the support staff at doctors' offices can never get their act together. In one case I had medical records faxed and snail mailed to my SA doctor four times before they showed up in my file. I don't think that lack of education would explain it. It can't be intelligence either, because how hard is it to file a paper? So I concluded that it must be a Southern cultural lack of focus on precision or something.

[wCat]

I'm finding it hard to see this as a SA problem....but more of an "industry" problem. I find bad customer service in a lot of places, but exemplary service as well.

Places with the best customer service I've frequented:

Starbucks
Whole Foods
Restoration Hardware
Lowes
Outback Restaurant
Mama's cafe
Barnes and Noble
Sherwin Williams paint stores!

vs

poor CS:

Home Depot (where do those employees go????)
Borders Books at the Quarry (they struggle with teens loitering before movies and the store is always a wreck!)
Sprint Store!
Best Buy!!!! Omg.....does anyone want to sell anything there?

Keep in mind.....I usually give a place several chances because sometimes an employee may just be having a bad day.....so these are repeat offenders or shining examples.

[AustinTraveler]

I'd like to address your remark regarding negative threads getting closed. The reason threads like these end up getting closed is because of remarks like these:

So I concluded that it must be a Southern cultural lack of focus on precision or something.

This does nothing but foster hate and discontent. As is very evident on these forums, a lot of people are constantly on the move in this country. The stereotypical "Southern" culture surely can't continue being blamed for everything. The South is now full of people who moved from somewhere else.

I totally agree with wCat that this is an industry problem. Unfortunately, you will find lazy and rude customer service in every part of the country. Naturally, it is going to seem more prevalent where you live.

[Robert123]

By expressing my opinion that Southern cultures may not be as "precise," I think I'm referring to an overall way of organizing that more regimented Northern cultures engage. This is just an opinion. If a Southerner disagrees, why is my opinion consiered an act to incite "hatred"? Suggesting people are imprecise is a "hateful" remark? It is not personal. It is not an attack. It is an opinion.

A very cogent, well-spoken poster who moved to SA from NYC wrote a post expressing her unhappiness about SA's culture. He/she was seeking support. Locals got defensive and her post was deleted within two hours. I think that people considering a move to SA could have benefitted from it. So readers here should know that they are getting a heavily censored view of life and culture in SA.