Whether a function of age, dissatisfaction with the cold snap gripping the county, or too little exercise to offset life’s stresses, we sense a shortage of patience in ourselves these days.
For some time, we have wondered if a pet peeve column would be a useful addition to our Newspaper. Sometimes things go on that should be challenged – or at least held up to the light of day. Often, many of those items are a case of not thinking.
While delivering papers with the girls over the holiday, we were amazed to see first hand how few people know to stop at a cross walk. Perhaps the rules have changed, but our impression is that when the cross walk sign is flashing and a person stands at a crosswalk and demonstrates an intention to cross, traffic should come to a standstill.
In Fergus, not one, but four separate vehicles flew through that crosswalk without regard for two kids, plainly visible decked out in colourful snow suits against a white background. Finally, a car stopped on Garafraxa Street, allowing them to cross. Other cars followed suit and stopped as is the law. Luckily, the girls knew enough to catch the driver’s attention and wait until it was safe.
We can only imagine why those four drivers chose to sail on through. As we watched it unfold, it was clear one couple was a bit lost; pointing here and there, oblivious to what would have unfolded if a kid darted into the street, let alone made the innocent mistake of crossing a bona fide cross walk before traffic had stopped. Two drivers seemed to enjoy whatever song was on the radio; again entirely unaware of the hazards on the street. The final driver just seemed to be in a hurry and as we edged our truck slightly into the intersection with a few gestures to suggest it was maybe time to pay attention to the road, she looked entirely startled that anyone else was on the road in that part of town. Luckily nothing tragic happened that day and for the record, not one offender was a young driver.
Another driver type nuisance that seems to be gaining traction in Fergus is pulling a U-turn on the main street downtown. In recent weeks, on three separate occasions we have seen drivers turn from east to west, leaving a parking spot or getting one. All three times traffic was backed up, creating a safety issue for pedestrians and drivers alike.
The busiest shopping season of the year also brought to light a few customer service pet peeves – and customer issues. In most businesses, the customer is always right but there are times when the customer is pushing the limit to such an extent that other shoppers are held up unnecessarily. Typically, that happens at the busiest of times.
Like many customers, the break time of a cashier or the goings on over the weekend are of little importance to us. That Johnny broke up with Sally is of no consequence, but over and over retailers seem to fail in getting the point across to their staff that clerks play an important role in meeting customers’ needs courteously and efficiently. In these times, as doing business locally becomes increasingly important, owners and managers must get this point across.
We were stunned over the weekend to drop in for gas at a rural service station we have attended since a kid. It has recently changed over to a self-serve, which in itself isn’t a big deal, but certainly the customer service element in the transition from a full service station needs work. Patrons who have dealt there for decades, supporting each new owner, are now greeted with a grunt and told to go ahead and pump. We’ll have to see how that approach works.
As we mull the prospect of a question or observation of the week, please feel free to send along examples that might interest our readers. We don’t want to see it get personal or be an entirely negative collection of anecdotes, but we have to believe it could provide a gentle nudge to improve the quality of our days.
