The Customer is Usually Wrong

I am avidly avoiding writing this Ancient Rome and its Monuments paper, so I'll write another blog entry instead, this time on the topic of customer service.
Customer service does not exist in Italy. "The customer is always right" is a completely foreign concept here and I love it. Having worked in retail, I despise the notion of having to treat a customer with polite respect, even if that customer is treating you like dirt. I don't really understand how America got to the point of treating service people like sub-humans. The customer most certainly is not always right, so why must we pretend that he/she is a deity deigning us with his/her patronage? Italy has got it right and instead of "customer service" has mutual respect between customer and shop owner. Here is the difference:
In America, a man walks into a clothing store and demands three button down shirts of specific colors and size. When the size and/or colors are not in stock, the man flips out and blames the sales people, not taking into account that they are not responsible for his size being out of stock that particular day. The sales people work their hardest to calm the man down, but he insists on seeing a manager. He yells at the manager for "poor customer service" because his need for these shirts was extreme, so to assuage his anger, the manager give him a coupon, the man vows to never shop in that store again, and storms out.
In Italy, a man walks into a clothing store and demands three button down shirt of specific colors and size. Since all the sales people are currently busy with other customers or on their cell phones, he will just have to wait. Once he is finally helped, if his size is not found, this will be presented as a cold hard fact with no apologetic explanation. If he throws a fit, he will be ignored until he leaves the store.
Some may cringe at the Italian scenario, but I think it is much more efficient and makes so much more sense. In the American situation, precious time and energy is wasted and taking care of this one crazy man, while in the Italian situation, since he's not nice, they're not nice, and the nice customers who actually deserve help from the sales people get service.
Mutual respect is key and I don't know why this isn't a tennet of American shopping. It's obvious; if you are nice to the people who are helping you, they will be nice to you in return. If you're a jerk, sure they'll help you in America, but they won't do their best work. In Italy, that's taken a step further. If you're nice, you are the worker's best friend and get special perks (like extra chocolate powder in your cappuccino or a look at the latest clothing arrivals). If you're a jerk, you will not be helped at all and you might as well just take your complaining outside because it will get you no where. This is how I envision a Utopian commercial environment.
True, things run slower in Italy and it is not perfect. You can stand around in a crowded store for a very long time, waiting to be helped. In a shoe store, for example, a sales person will get you your shoes, help you put them on, then wait with you, examining the shoes, getting more sizes and styles, until you have decided on a purchase. Therefore, if all the sales associates are with customers, you have to wait until someone buys something and leaves until you are helped.
Shopping in Italy can be a bit awkward since once you try something on or look at something for an extended period of time you are expected to buy it. I was trying on gloves yesterday at one of the many glove shops near the Spanish Steps. It was just me and the shop owner in the store and after trying on one pair of gloves, I knew I didn't want them. However, since I was being "nice" and she was being "nice" she brought out several other pairs of gloves she thought I might like and had me try them on. I did not want these gloves. I finally escaped with a "promise" of returning later to buy the gloves, but the woman only gave me a dirty look as I was exiting. Shopping around isn't a very Italian ideal, I guess.
The sales people in Italy (and Italians in general) can be a bit blunt. Actually, they are incredibly straightforward. They will tell you if something looks bad, or if you need a bigger size, or if that outfit is just not for you. Such comments are never meant to be offensive, they are just meant as brutal truths that one should accept. I've mentioned before that buying knee high boots here has been a struggle because my "man calves" won't fit into the tiny Italian boots. An instance of boots not fitting happened again yesterday and when I told the sales person that they didn't fit in the legs, she said, "Yes, you are no model. Let me find you something with elastic." Shocked and appauled were the first things that came to mind, but when I considered where I was, I was not offended at all. She didn't mean it as an insult, it was simply a fact and an example of the size-consciously blunt Italians. This kind of mentality would come in handy in the states, where muffin tops and too-tight jeans abound. The women here are indeed skinnier, but it's no shame to not be stick thin. You just have to realize your size and buy the elastic boots.
So there's my analysis of shopping in Italy. Lessons learned? America should ditch its system of being nice to disrespectful customers and adopt Italy's blunt and self-respecting lack of customer service.