May 29, 2008 Issue

Depending on who you listen to; our country is in deep trouble, or it isn't.
We are in a recession, or we aren't. The war in Iraq has turned into an unwinnable quagmire, or it hasn't. The globe is warming, or maybe not. The housing market will rebound next year, or maybe it won't and record foreclosures are already a foregone conclusion.

Locally, many lunch conversations are concerned with when the economy in Destin will turn around .Lawyers, bankers, and real estate brokers all have different opinions.† The consensus that I hear regarding our tail spinning economy is that things should start getting better next year. I have to wonder, how would anyone know?

The world's most brilliant economists have spent the past year debating whether oil prices could reach $100 a barrel. Now they are arguing whether it can reach $200 a barrel. I don't think they know.

I can assure you that I don't know. I don't know what is going to happen to the price of oil or how many homes will go through foreclosure next year. Our society has enough problems that I confront every day that keep me from worrying about the big issues our country faces.

The† quality of every† possible element of service in this country is declining as quickly as the price of oil is rising. Whether it is at the local big box hardware store, the 16 screen cineplex, the 30 pump gas station/convenience store, the impersonal chain bookstore, the credit card companies with service desks in India, or the gigantic banks where no one knows your name; service with a smile is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

We have dumbed and numbed down our expectations to the point that mediocre service now seems like good service and good service seems spectacular. The consumer's experience is one of rapidly narrowing options. Airlines merge, banks gobble up other banks, independent retail stores disappear, and our sprawling suburbs become a blur of fast food signs.

One aspect of corporate chain stores that is unsettling is that they seem to be becoming less corporate in nature. And not it a good way. I've been traveling this week and my morning started at a well know coffee shop. It opened 10 minutes late, and as I stood waiting to order my latte, I was forced to wait while the clerk finished her cell-phone conversation.† The topic was decidedly unrelated to coffee, and continued throughout our transaction. It may still be going on for all I know. Except for the fact that the extremely personal nature of the phone call led me to believe that a break-up was imminent.

Cell phones are becoming more of a problem at all businesses. I'm afraid that workers think that there are first amendment rights that somehow protect their use of cell phones even while being paid by someone to do a job unrelated to their phone.

Lack of education, improper dress,† poor grammar and many other factors are all responsible for lowering the level of service that we experience every day. But the most frustrating aspect of poor service is a basic lack of manners. People may not know how to speak these days, but they also don't know how to act.

Unlike many ancient cultures, we seem to have forgotten how to treat our elders with respect. We've forgotten how to treat people different from us with respect. Hell, we've forgotten how to treat ourselves with respect.

As always, I like to think that you stand a much better chance of being treated properly at an independent establishment. Whether it's a restaurant, or a retail store, or whatever, you are more likely to find someone who will show concern than at a corporate, chain store.
If you can't find out who owns a business within five minutes of entering it, don't shop there.

And if you happen to be grocery shopping in South Walton, wander into Modica's Market, and if you can't find someone named Modica in the store within five minutes, please let me know. In 25 years, that would be a first.

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