Last night I stopped at a casino cashier window to get some change. I asked for my usual when I find myself low on tip money, “Could I have three fives and five ones, please?”
The cashier responded’ “Well, since you said please…” To which I replied, “Of course I said please.”
It was a very friendly and joking exchange, but it made me wonder. This casino employee was actually the first I had gotten a smile from in this entire very expensive, much marketed resort. It made me wonder if smiling and saying “please” wasn’t the norm anymore.
Earlier in the day, I had the honor of sitting on a panel to discuss the merits of social media in the world of casino marketing. Somehow, the conversation veered into making marketing promises match the experience and delivering satisfying experiences. There were quite a few comments made that I disagreed on. It made me think of the experience my company tries to deliver and how smiling and courtesy have become the hallmark of those experiences. This part of our business strategy continuously makes me smile with pride.
Fast forward to today. I checked out of the hotel I was staying at. I remember when this property opened. I remember the glimmering invitations. I remember the news releases. It has since changed hands, and for whatever reason, the luster has worn off. As I departed, the front desk attendant smiled and wished me well. She had been the very first person to do that since I had arrived nearly 48 hours earlier, waiting in a registration line for nearly an hour only to have the clerk waive me to her window like I was some jumbo jet coming in for a landing.
As I waited to get through the security checkpoint at the airport today, an airport employee literally brushed passed me, flashed her employee ID and kept going…without so much as a “pardon me”. I later observed her brushing past others once again in silence. Perhaps she was late for work. Then a fellow passenger deemed me unprepared to move through screening because I was allowing the couple in front of me to pull practically all of their belongings out on the tables. Again without saying anything nearing manners, he actually said I would take too long! This justified his getting in front of me.
He unfortunately forgot to empty his pockets and had to get a more “personal” screening. I was escorted around him. I slipped my shoes on grabbed my bag of liquids and gels, dropped them into my handbag and smilingly wished him a lovely flight as I passed him again still making friends with a TSA agent.
Manners do count.
(On a personal note: I do come prepared to move through security quickly. Don’t let the purse and high heels fool you.)
