Looking at my classmates around me begs the question, how many of them actually work part time. Education and good grades to many of my friends is the utmost important thing in their high school experience. This surpasses even the thought of working a drive thru line at McDonalds. As a part time employee, I have gone beyond the walls of SDSS to learn life skills in the customer service industry. The skills and leadership I have acquired from working at Meridian Farm Market has given me the confidence to become a better person and move up in the company. This could one day help me to reach beyond the tiny farm market, and achieve my goals in University where I hope to study management and business. Customer service is all about putting the customer first, whether that be dealing with complaints or refunds. Making the customer feel like they are welcome and cared for is a big concern for customer service workers. Asking questions like “How is your day going so far?” or “How are you today?” can be very welcoming and improve the customers experience while shopping or whatever customer service they are getting. I have dealt with some difficult customers in the past. I have had a lady throw a loaf of bread at me and some customers storm out of the store because we don't have the product they came looking for. It is very difficult in these sorts of situations to put a smile on your face. The best way I fix the situation is to ask the customer if they would like to order a certain item to the store or if they need a refund then anything under $20 is free of charge. Having that balance of producer and consumer benefits not only the company, but a higher chance of that customer coming back to our store. Three things I have learned working in the customer service industry is that each company can only have two of three things: quality, great customer service, and fair price. Meridian where I work, has only quality and great customer service. Why? Because when customer service is the number one priority it becomes the company's reputation. Quality can drive prices of food up and that is why Meridian lacks in price and thrives in quality. All of these examples of production I would have never even thought to research if I hadn’t gotten my hands dirty and put myself to work. I believe it is a life lesson to work at a young age because the skills and knowledge I have acquired have set me apart from my classmates who have had allowance and money handed to them their whole lives. Don’t get me wrong, it is a privilege to only worry about school. I find that the money is not the main part of working a part time job but the experience that you can take out from it, and apply into the real world. Having a little extra cash to spend while still living rent free in your parents basement is something that can teach a young adult the importance of saving. I have learnt to save and put money away in a separate account to save for whenever I need it in the future. Just by doing that it has taught me another life lesson that i would've never received in the public school system. When looking at the real world there are many internships that people don't get paid for. Having a part time job and working at minimum wage should be taken advantage of especially at a young age because it shows younger people a little sense of what the real world is like. Having a minimum wage job builds confidence and personal development within oneself which can lead them towards further successes in their future. It all starts with an application.
Riley M
20 Comments
Caiti Scales
10/13/2020 09:57:27 pm
Well said, I completely agree that while school can be important, sometimes experience (especially work experience) can better prepare you for the real world, and of course post secondary. Additionally, customer service in particular can be very rewarding in the future, because as you stated you have learnt how to deal with difficult people, a skill of the utmost importance.
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Kaysey
10/14/2020 12:03:06 am
Hey Emily, I totally agree with you. Working as a teenager develops so many skills that are helpful in life. Especially time management. Obviously it's not for everyone, but when the opportunity is there, I think it's definitely something everyone should consider. If not working, at least volunteering because getting involved in community and working with people really introduces new perspective and appreciation for working members of society and kind of for yourself too. Also I worked in retail for a bit and customer service is always the top priority because happy customers means better business. Anyways nice blog !
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amelie
10/14/2020 08:28:27 pm
i LOVE this blog!! see i haven't worked a day in my life and to be honest i thinks that is something i regret not taking action earlier. the reason behind it is because i have hours of dance per week all year long, which gets tiring after a while. but reading this blog gives me inspiration to get into the job world! it wont be an easy task but worth it! thank you for showing me and sharing a helpful blog that will boost up my confidence in that area!
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Emily
10/14/2020 10:47:50 pm
Very very true !! I agree working in a customer service industry is so important and such a important life skill a young person should have .. it definitely grows you before university and something that teaches you life skills out of sdss
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Brianna
10/15/2020 12:42:59 am
I really liked this blog. I can relate to it having worked as guest services in a restaurant recently. From my own experiences in this job, I’ve learned the importance of putting the customer first so that they can have an amazing experience with great service and quality especially since that’s what they’re are paying for.
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Kaya
10/15/2020 09:59:25 am
Even though I don't work a minimum wage job at the moment, I totally agree with this blog. It is really important to know how to do customer service, no matter how nice or rude the customer may be. Many don't realize this but just by asking a person how they are doing, or how their day is going, can go a long way. It is also really important that we have these qualities growing up, since when we get older with more important jobs, these qualities can help us big time. This blog did a very good job at explaining the importance of treating everyone well, even if they might not do the same back to you. These type of qualities can help so much in the future and with character growth. These are very important things to know now then later.
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Ross Bramwell
10/15/2020 10:09:34 am
This Blog was awesome! Im a cashier at Freshco and I can say confidently that you summed up the experience. Its all about the customer, even if they lack respect for you. I agree that having a job in high school, even if minimum wage, is hugely beneficial. It teaches how to responsibly handle time and money, which as you stated, school will never teach. Great Blog and a great read!
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kaelen
10/15/2020 10:14:29 am
Thank you for sharing. From my personal point of view, I very much agree with you. The culture and reputation of an enterprise are very important. However, if you want your company to have a high reputation, high-quality services and high-quality/cost-effective products are indispensable. If it is a service industry, such as restaurants, movie theaters, convenience stores...high-quality service is very important. Especially chain companies must strictly train consumer services
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Austin
10/15/2020 10:32:19 am
I completely agree customer service is pretty much one of the most important things in a job or workplace, but as fun as it can get sometimes you will come across one person who you don’t know how to help or are just straight up yelling at you. Its hard and it sucks and sometimes it’s difficult to put on a smile but in the end it’s worth either seeing people you’ve helped comment about your great customer service, or you’re boss telling you someone came in to talk about how great you did and how helpful you are. I also agree it’s great to get a job early so you know at least somewhat what to expect in the real world or what it’s like after high school, and then you also get spare money to spend on anything important you need.it’s like a head start. This was a great blog and I completely agree with it.
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avery
10/15/2020 11:26:13 am
This blog is so true. I had a job before covid hit that lasted about 2 and a half years. I loved working and being able to make my own money. As much as school is important, I found that my job in customer service acquired me to learn/pick up a ton of skills and personal attributes I never would've learnt in school which are just as important to have in life!
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Alexa Kusel
10/15/2020 11:57:53 am
This is really inspiring because I was thinking about getting a job. I want to get a job but realized I don't really care about having money; I do agree that the experience is the most important part, to prepare ourselves for future life/job experiences.
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Madison Sproule
10/15/2020 12:38:41 pm
I agree 100% with what you say. To have accountability and responsibility at a young age can really build ones character. I have worked minimum wage jobs earlier this year and with hard work and time, it pays off in the long run! I do currently have the privilege to not work while I am in school, but I appreciate the time when I can. Growing up, my parents always taught my brother and I about good customer service and examples of it throughout our daily lives, and I am very happy they did. I did not know about the three standards of meridian and I can now apply that to my work! Thank you!
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Abbey
10/15/2020 01:37:00 pm
I thought your blog was really well written and made some great points, I also have a part time job as a tutor and I have learned a lot of great lessons. I definitely agree that a part time job can give you some great experience that you can't replicate anywhere else. I know for sure that having a job has made me more conscientious and I have a lot more patience as well. While school does give you the ability to learn and further your education, I think having a part time job is essential to learning more about how the real world works, and the money is great too!
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nevada
10/15/2020 01:39:15 pm
Riley, I completely agree with this. I work part-time at McDonalds in Ladner. It has taught me so much in my short time there. I consider myself lucky to have learned about everything you mentioned and I could not agree more. You literally said it all perfectly!!
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Kasey
10/15/2020 01:39:43 pm
I totally agree with you. Working as a teenager develops so many skills that are helpful in life. Especially time management. Obviously it's not for everyone, but when the opportunity is there, I think it's definitely something everyone should consider. If not working, at least volunteering because getting involved in community and working with people really introduces new perspective and appreciation for working members of society and kind of for yourself too. Also I worked in retail for a bit and customer service is always the top priority because happy customers means better business. Anyways nice blog !
Reply
10/15/2020 01:47:07 pm
I can totally relate to your blog about customer service quite closely because we were coworkers at one point and I totally know what you mean by having to put up a smile and positive attitude even when someone is yelling or being super rude to you. It also sucks that people don't always see you as a person and think of you as a slave just because you're a teen and you have to work a minimum wage job to start building experience.
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Callie
10/15/2020 01:52:25 pm
This was super well done! I've been working since 14 and I totally sympathize with dealing with challenging customers and keeping a happy disposition. I think it's super important to have some work experience as it definitely helps with maturity and developing social and collaboration skills.
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Callum Anderson
10/15/2020 02:02:20 pm
This is totally like my life. I work a Thrifty Foods and I have to deal with customers all the time. I'm glad to have my job because it has taught me many things and appreciate people who do jobs like me.
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Taylor
10/15/2020 02:57:43 pm
This is a really good topic. I have worked at multiple jobs as a cashier, hostess, ref, tutor, and more. I have learned so many different skills working in customer service. I think everyone should work in customer service sometime in their life because it develops such important skills. Not only do you learn new skills but it allows you to have a different perspective on the service industry. Now whenever someone makes a mistake on my order I understand and don't get angry.
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Nyah Gentry
10/19/2020 09:52:56 am
As someone that also works in customer service, I found this blog to be extremely relatable. Although customer service can be hard to maintain at all times it teaches us valuable people skills and to put it nicely, anger management skills. This post was wonderfully thoughtful and I really enjoyed hearing your point of view on a topic I am so familiar with :)
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