AN OLD CHINESE BARBER

Since I started my present job, a few years ago, I have always gone to this barber for my hair cuts. There are a few reasons for this, namely, its cheap, its convenient as I can have it done before reporting for work and his work is not too bad. Although I must caution those who wish to try that he is old school and that is what you should expect if you use his service.

Today, as usual, I was waiting for him to open his shop early in the morning. Soon enough he arrived and started his work on my hair. Just as he started so did his rants about how unfair life has been to him. Actually, I have heard them many times before but hey, its his shop and what else have I got to do, so I'm all ears.

"I'm so unlucky, my mother died when I was just a baby. I never knew a mother's love or affection, unlike other kids who are lucky enough to experience this". "My father was such a useless person, he remarried immediately after my mother's death". "I have never spoken to him since many many years ago". "He is such a useless father, who in their right mind would neglect their children's education to finance his brother's who was then in China". I hate him". "I mean, would you be able to love such a person".

He then reached for a photograph of his mother and with a heavy heart showed it to me. "Thats my mother and with her is my elder sister". "I'm so unlucky, not educated, only completed standard six". "Do you know that I can speak and read English because of my own effort". "Many years ago, a politician showed up in my shop and was very surprised that I was listening to BBC on the radio that one of my patrons had given to me". "She was shouting so loudly that I think people from the whole block could hear her". "So, she thinks just because I'm a barber, I wouldn't know English, does she". "Useless, politician, look down on us barbers".

He then shifted his topic to me. "You are so lucky, with a degree and a stable job, earning good money". I was thinking to myself that well, it depends on what you mean by good money. If he was talking about a normal life with most of the modern amenities, then he is right. However, if he is talking about enjoying life lavishly then he is dead wrong.

Anyhow, he continued. "I have to work everyday, just to survive, because if I stop, the money also stops and I do not have any EPF to depend on". Anyhow, that was when he completed my haircut. I thanked him and paid him RM5 for the job.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Do you find service standards deteriorating nowadays? I personally do, and I think it is because of the general Malaysian “tak apa” attitude and maybe also the general lack of training given to them by their employers. Below are a couple of examples faced by me.

A couple of weeks ago our family decided to have dinner in KFC because of some coupons which we had received at some company AGM. We decided to head towards the newly opened branch at Tasik Prima to have our dinner there. Upon arrival, we noted that the place was in a chaos with rubbish, plates and chairs strewn everywhere. Only later after ordering did we discover that there were flies swarming everywhere in the restaurant. We literally had to be on guard against these pests while having our food, which by the way tasted horrible and was nothing like what Chef Wan described it, in the KFC advert. Can you imagine that?

This was before having to contend with the ordering, where we can see staff loitering around doing nothing while some were busy trying to serve us. I also find the way they prepare food very unhygienic with the all our orders being prepared at one go. Lining up 8 plates and slowly filling them up while flies were lurking around waiting for their chance to land on our food (super yuck & disgusting). The day after this, I had made a complained to KFC which they did not reply, so I guess it had gone down the dumps. No wonder I read somewhere in the news of serious food poisoning in, can’t recall which country, where if I remember correctly caused paralysis to the poor soul who consumed her KFC.

Just the other day, I was pestered by my kid to get him an ice-cream from McDonalds. As I approached the counter I was told to pay at the main one before returning to get my ice-cream, which I did. I noticed two persons ahead of the line and decided to queue there. Upon reaching my turn, before I could mention anything, the cashier decided it was time to collect food for the previous customers. I would have been ok had it not been for the fact that the food was actually not ready yet, and further she even had the cheek to disappear into the back kitchen (I suppose she is so hard working that she wanted to prepare the food herself).

All this while, I had noted the Supervisor with a few staff at the counter doing god knows what. I mean “hello”, you cannot help your staff first and talk later. I always thought food preparers were supposed to prepare food and cashiers to man their cash registers. Why is it now they are doing both while others are idling around. I had also made a formal complaint to McD but this time someone replied and acknowledged my grouses (much better then KFC).

I mean for god sake, you all Corporate crap, want to do business do properlylah, otherwise just bugger off, but maybe it’s because they are already too big to bother or care.