treatment of service workers
 

Over the years that I have lived here I have had many opportunities to speak with various service workers, landscapers, pool people, sales people, movers, etc. I always ask how they like working in the Villages and I have learned that Villagers for the most part are nice but there is a huge group that are rude, demanding and arrogant. People are always complaining about the 'lazy young people that won't get a job' and yet, there are hundreds of young men and women doing things for us. The young man cutting your lawn or trimming your shrubs is NOT a master gardener, he's just a young guy trying to make a living doing a job that you don't want to do and usually in 100 degree heat. The landscape companies have a hard time keeping employees because of the mistreatment. If you don't believe me take the time to ask how they are, offer them something cold to drink and talk about working in the Villages. You will be surprised at some of the stories. We sit in our airconditioned homes, complain about the heat while golfing all the while these young people are working their butts off and getting flack. Please don't tell me 'well, I'M paying them" or 'I worked my whole life" So are they, and they physically work harder that I ever did. Show them some respect, please.

I so agree with you! Recently I commended a wait-person in one of our well-known restaurants and you'd have thought I'd given her $100.00!!! It takes so little effort to offer kindness and you'll receive it back 10-fold!!

I was raised to do just that, work hard and work long. I also remember how some of the people I worked for treated me. I was once hired by a local store owner to mow his lawn, a little over half an acre, I was 12. He had a nice self propelled lawn mower. He picked me up the first day, a very hot day, I went in the garage with him and he gave me a non-propelled mower and stated the other was for him, that was 60 years ago and I still remember how I felt 50 cents per hour, I received 75 cents to mow and trim around his house with hand squeeze trimmers once a week. I also cleaned out garbage and trash from butcher shops, flower shops, and larger stores when I was a child as my parents had nothing to spare. They almost all paid the same and one thing I learned from it was working hard eventually pays off. When I was even younger my father and I cleaned out the trash for a men's clothing store owner on a weekly basis. One time my dad needed a new pair of work shoes and he asked the owner if he could pay half from that days work and pay the balance the following week, the owner turned him down. He eventually got the shoes the following week but everyone in town found out how he was treated, the store owner lost that round. These workers for the most part are young, they'll get over whatever flack they are getting, the ones that stick with it will have a future somewhere the ones that give it up will always give up. Sad to say but that's how it goes. Just one man's opinion speaking from experience.

Well said Trish

Very nicely put, and so very true.

What does "huge group" mean? Who are they?
Is it a dozen, a hundred...……..?
In 16 years I have never witnessed any of these folks being abused.

Have you ever asked? I have personal knowledge from someone that works in that field, getting screamed at, cussed at, and it happens a lot.

Whether it's a dozen, a hundred, or one doesn't matter. The point is it's a good reminder of how to treat people. I remember telling new teachers when I was a teacher/coach - treat the custodians and the kitchen staff with care and respect and you'll probably have a great experience.

I can only speak for what I’ve witnessed on our particular street.
I have only seen service workers treated with respect.
And there are a great number of firms and their workers busily doing there trade.
Of course there probably are jerks that behave as the OP stated,
but I really haven’t seen, or experienced that happening.
I really appreciate how hard they work in the Florida heat!

Absolutely. And let's not forget those friendly villagers who complain when the workers use the bathrooms at the pools. And like you, I too have spoken with workers at local grocery stores and "drug store" chains who have similar sentiments about certain residents.

Nice post. Unfortunately you are either the type of person to thank and take care of the person working for you in a rotten job, or you turn away and say I came up the hard way and so should you. I don't think people change.

Some of the people who work in Doctor's offices that I have been in could use a little adjustment but over time they have become that way because of the way customers may treat them. Not an excuse just my observation.

That being said, our OP is really perfect with the assessment. Tough life for many of these hard working people. One really nice guy around 25 years old who has been slinging Coffee at DD'S for a long time showed up at the car wash on 441 wiping cars for $5 an hour. It's only to take care of his son who has major medical issues. He works 15 or more hours 6 days a week. A smile, a couple buck's, a water when its a thousand degrees or a kind word is a beautiful thing and we are proud of Trish Crocker for bringing this up. People by our age are set in their ways for the most part. Try doing something for somebody and then keep it quiet. Its a feeling you can't buy. Bravo Crocker!

I agree. The premise of this thread is totally bogus. Where is the evidence to back it up?

Outstanding post! :bigbow:


You have a big heart and an empathetic nature...which we need a whole lot more of these days. :ho:

Always do. They are hard working people, and the ones that aren't - I fire. The good one I treat wonderfully.

......timely PROOF of my comment. :ho:

Treat others the way that you expect to receive treatment. Golden? No, just a good rule to live a happier life, but it is worth solid gold to others.

I agree “Treat others as you would want to be treated”
And I would add “ Judge not unless you wish to be judged”

So, it's okay to accuse people of being rude, demanding, and arrogant with no specific evidence or incidents to back it up? I don't. My experience is that most people are not rude, demanding, and arrogant. As, others have said on this thread.

Boy, you turned a very nice positive post into some kind of debate.

The Op made no accusations, simply stated that we need to be mindful that there is an element who does not treat service workers with respect.

By the way, I have witnessed such things, but choose not to complain on TOTV. I have sen service people treated with respect and with little respect.

The message which you are trying to close the door on, it seems to me, is just be aware...everybody is not all sunshine

:bigbow:

When we had a house built for us in Melbourne FL, I brought over lemonade and home-baked chocolate chip cookies for the construction crew during the construction period. The first time I did this, the crew was shocked, and one of the men said this was never done for them.

The worst I have seen is the measly tipping for the waitresses.

So now evidence and back up is required? Oh please.

And I agree with some others. Why look for something to criticize in a post that promotes kindness?

Ok, I give up. Be nice to the service people. And all of you rude, demanding, and arrogant people, stop it. But, I am not making chocolate chip cookies.

I don't live in TV, so I cannot speak for its residents and workers. But we lived in Melbourne three times and believe I can speak for the waitresses there. I witnessed several incidents in various restaurants where elderly patrons were miserly and mean. Every fall the local newspaper would print an article or two describing the waitresses' strong dislike for the elderlies and were not looking forward to the opening of the snowbird season.

No one in The Villages thinks they are rude, but you only need to listen to the way they talk to waitstaff in restaurants, or doctors offices to feel the arrogance of some people. At Cane Garden a customer complained because the toast had too big of holes in it, the toast was replaced only to be left untouched. I have been at doctors offices and patients continually argue about their appointment time. It is never about what is said, it's about how it's said. If you knew of the lives of some of the workers in the Villages, you would have more empathy.

I was always under the impression that to have any impact at all about your subject, you should know your audience when you choose to speak or write about something. Judging from the responses this is the wrong forum for this subject
since it is not reaching one person who is guilty of this behavior but plenty who are quick to say that it is the other guy. That in itself is very interesting.

First things first - great post to the OP.

Next up, response to this post. Have you really opened your eyes to see the looks of disgust and verbal abuse that a hell of a lot of the privileged/entitled here give toward these service people?

I see it because it's the same look of disgust and the same verbal abuse my family used to get when I was growing up on a small farm in Arkansas. We didn't have much, every year was a struggle with crops, relying on the weather to give just the right amount of rain and not flood us out. Each night we prayed to the Good Lord to help us make it through another season. We didn't have the best clothes, but they were always clean. We always had good food because we raised EVERYTHING we ate.

So I can recognize and I know firsthand what people that are looked down upon and verbally abused everywhere (yes, even here in The Villages) go through everyday; that's why I treat the service people the way we are supposed to.

I have to say we have lived here for about 5 and a half years. In the past 3 years I've witnessed an increased disrespect of restaurant wait staff, retail workers, and villages staff by the way coincidentally is reflected by the way people seem to drive lately regardless of it's snowbird season or not.

I second that sir. You are dead on the money.:ohdear:

I was at Panera and witnessed a Villager yelling at an employee for not bringing the big coffee pot fast enough. It was morning and the place was busy.

I went over to the young man and told him we are not all anger people here.

I then went to manager to report.

This old guy was way out of line cursing and yelling at this young employee.

My only though was that he had dementia, but it could have been his entitled self.

I was at Publix the other day and this woman had parked right where people walk out to the parking lot. People had to go around her car to get to parking lot. Sense of entitlement.

Good morning Mr. Retired Guy:

You want to see evidence of the rudeness of many elderly people living here? Come with me to Aldi's on 441 at almost 9:00am and listen to the OLD MEN bit**ing about the door not being open yet, then when the young woman opens the door they make snide remarks about them being late for work and not opening up on time. Then wait until they get to the cash register and listen to them complaining about something. I was behind one really obnoxious old man at the register complaining about them closing down for a month.

On the other hand, this happens not just in The Villages, it is epidemic.

I agree.

In particular all members of that "huge group"!

Agree

I think if people had any idea the daily abuse and complaining employees of various departments in The Villages endure on a daily basis, they'd see the "evidence".

I agree.

Things have changed.

I think there is an ever increasing pack mentality of MEism here.

Look around at the grocery or wherever and observe the number of smiles compared to the number of scowls. (Sometimes, I do a little experiment on my fellow Villagers and smile at the scowlers to see how hard it is to get a smile back. Try it. In the name of science. :) )

(sigh)

“Entitled” ?? Yes. “Entitled” to be rude, crude, and sometimes even lewd.

“Entitled” to exercise some kind of pathetic need to control others — especially because their targets are seen as helpless, in a position of not being able to talk back.

(One evening at dinner, a server thanked me for being so nice to her. ??? That woman must have been having one helluva day at work.)

I could go on and on.

But, for now, I will simply attribute this not-so-subtle change in attitude to the prevailing wind in TV.

The scowls outweigh the smiles by a long shot. We've been commented on our politeness as well. Someone on TOTV once posted, do you know what the most asked question here in the villages is? "Is anything ok?" I can't remember who it was to give them credit.:a20:

Priceless!

:1rotfl:

:p

:thumbup: