This past Memorial Day, I needed some gas and was pressed for time, therefore, could not make it to the local Costco. I went to a mom and pop convenience store which I had never been to before. The gas area was empty due to the holiday and I feared that the place was closed. It was not. A local girl was behind the register, talking on the phone and in her own little world. It took more time than necessary for this girl to recognize me, then more time for her to get her call to a stopping point. She placed the phone down on the counter and just stood there looking at me. Not a word was spoken. I handed her my debit card and said, "Fill up on pump two." She then hastily rang the order up, gave me my receipt and immediately returned to her phone call while I signed the slip. She managed to not breathe a word to me. This reminded me of the time I would commute by bus and train to some of my schools near Kawaguchi Station.
Kawaguchi Station was two stations away and the hub of the city. Several buses departed and arrived at this station with the city's only train line heading to and from Tokyo. As you can imagine, a busy place. Some days, my schedule would not permit the school lunch, therefore, I would either bring food from home or buy lunch at the local convenience store at Kawaguchi Station. There was a Japanese man who worked there who was the most diligent worker I had ever seen. He was all business and his top priority was serving the customer. My limited Japanese ability impeded me from conversing with him. He would bow when I came to the register, expeditiously scan my items, look at me when he told how much I owed, accept my money then bow again, give me my change and bow again. What would take an average cashier in Japan, he would do in half the time plus bow three times. He did this for everyone. He must have done this a thousand times every morning.
My friend from North Dakota met us in Japan back in '02. We had flown on Qantas from Los Angeles to Sydney, then to Cairns. After a few days in Cairns, we flew to Tokyo. My friend drove from San Diego to Los Angeles and few on Thai Airways. Upon his return in Japan, he did the customs and immigration procedures that comes with international travel. Somewhere along the way, he lost his way to the baggage carousel. He and a few other international travelers couldn't find their bags. A Japanese girl wearing an airline worker suit came to them and said in broken English, "Can I help you?" One traveler indicated that they couldn't find their bags. Within moments, this girl weight about 105 lbs ran 100 yards in high heels to a nearby office holding their bags. The time from when their plane docked till they cleared customs and immigration were longer than the Japanese travelers and their bags were already off the carousel. She started bringing the bags to them since there was only a handful of passengers.
When was the last time you went to a McDonald's and ordered a Big Mac and when you opened the box, found the product appearing as it did in the picture above the counter? The patties stacked neatly on top of the buns with just the right amount of dressing and toppings. Even the cheese was placed on top of the patties correctly.
For me, the last time I experienced this was in 2006. This was when I was living and working on the other side of the world, Japan. I was on summer hiatus from work and just found out my new work schedule. I had to visit a new school in a week and after going to this place by foot and bus, I returned to Warabi Station. Outside this station was a McDonalds. I ate a late lunch of a "Big Mac Set" which is the equivalent of#1. Aside from dodging the smoke clouds that the Japanese are notorious for, I had a very enjoyable experience.
Well, you may be thinking this is because the Japanese are mimicking what was created from the original. Aside from visiting a McDonald's in Tijuana, Mexico, every McDonald's that I've been to outside of the US had better service, cleaner facilities and a better attitude towards its customers and knowledge of what is going on than what you find from the original in the US.
Why is that?
I'm not just picking on McDonald's. KFC is another American original that has pathetic service but does things right in Japan. Nearly every Monday for three years in Japan, I would eat at KFC at the Diamond City Shopping Mall in Kawaguchi City. I would usually get a "Chicken Tonkatsu Sandwich Set" which
is a local dish. If not this, I would get a "Twister" which you can find at a US KFC, but the ones at Japan KFC have a wider variety of flavors. BBQ, Sweet n' Sour or Spicy to name a few. I refuse to eat at another KFC unless I'm back in Japan due to the poor customer service and dealing with workers who think that they are at a high school pep rally instead of earning a paycheck. There is no good reason for not knowing what is going on when you are on the clock. Eating at a KFC in the US is like playing Russian Roulette. You might get good service, you might not. If the service is bad, imagine what they are doing in the back with your food? Does anyone remember the convenience store, 7-11? These chains of stores are alive and kicking in Japan and have fresher and tastier food than you will find at the deli of a Whole Foods Market. The Japanese put the "Convenience" in Convenience stores by allowing people to pay their bills at the register among other things. The variety of snacks, drinks and other things found at a 7-11 in Japan can only be compared to the Georgia Visitor's Center at the SC/GA border minus the food. Clean spaces, friendly people and if these volunteers who are donating their time and hospitality don't know the answer, they will pick up the phone and find out. As far as American service providers go, only one could stand on its own outside of the US without going through a major overhaul. That place would be the chicken sandwich chain, Chick-Fil-A. The only issue that they would have to address if they were to enter Japan, for example, is whether they could remain closed on Sundays. Do you know of any other American service providers that you would recommend based on the sheer pride that you have from your past dealings? I'm ashamed of how bad the service is in the US after spending time Japan.Recently, I went to a KFC and workers refuse to accept valid coupons. At the very same store, the same register this was fine not even a month ago. I went to a McDonald's and thought I was in a foreign country due to all of the workers in the kitchen speaking Spanish. I felt sorry for the one Caucasian girl since I had been in her shoes. The only difference was, I was working for a Japanese company.
Have Americans become too tolerant of lesser results and forgotten our principles? Why not demand that the people taking your order do it with courtesy? Why not expect what you order to appear as it does in the picture above the counter? Why not expect for staff to speak to where you understand them? That is if you are in your home country. When you visit the restroom why not expect the soap dispenser to work, paper towel holder to work and the other facilities to be cleaned on a regular basis? If the floor is wet, why not expect to see a worker on the case in a timely fashion? This approach needs to be extended to outside the storefront. Stepping of empty bags of half-eaten food is unacceptable.
Better yet, if you can't get this service after making voicing your concerns with management, just not waste your money at these places that are inconsistent with your expectations? With the way the economy is, these service providers should be treating us customers like royalty.
After coming back home, I'm saddened when I see my favorite Arby's and Burger King closed. But, if you can't do the basics, you should be forced out of business to rethink why you can't even do the basics.
But, the approach Japan is the way it should be. Why is that?
Today's picture is the menu of KFC in Japan. The top right item is the Chicken Katsu Sandwich Set. The bottom middle and right items are the Twister.
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