Heartless.

Anyway. Kids these days are part of a fast food culture, they want it all, they want it now and they don’t care where they get it from. However, like Steve said, you get some good management or good training / indoctrination, and you can turn out to be a decent member of society.

I was a total slacker in high school, skipping class in the Spring to waterski on Lake Sammamish with my buddies. Summer after I graduated I got a real nice haircut and had four guys yell at me for 11 weeks.

After I graduated from Marine Corps bootcamp I didn’t turn out so bad.

Heh.

Now, as for Bergman’s thoughts… it’s both sad and encouraging that he noticed the high level of service. Sad, because it’s actually unusual to get good service now. It’s so unusual that it almost makes you feel guilty when people treat you well.

It’s encouraging, however, because the bar for good service is now so low that it’s easy to beat the other guys. Simply be sufficient and you’re miles ahead.

I don’t blame 20-somethings for giving crappy service. This is less a reflection of the “on-demand world” than it is of the horrible management above them. Who, at any time in our history, came straight out of school knowing how to give exceptional service to the customer? The lack of quality in the service economy is a reflection on the low expectations of the 40-somethings of my generation, not the 20-somethings. Until we hold them accountable and demand outstanding service from our own employees, they simply won’t give it.

i recall renting a jeep (’84?)on maui and attempting to drive along the southern shore. the road was washed out (i was told) 15 years prior. we got maybe 10 miles off the last piece of graded road and nearly buried the jeep in the sand. yes, mai tais were involved.

and kauai? i walked from poipu beach to lihue. got a ride back from some hippie when i flashed some pakalolo.

man, what i wouldn’t do to be 18 again.

if you get to the big island go to black sands beach. nothing like it. go to one of the “local” shops and order the locomoco… fried egg and rice with a burger patty covering in gravy, served in a cup.

definitely not served at the four seasons though.