I was waiting in a long line at Pressbryan recently (a convenience store like 7/11) and contemplating the customer service concept in Sweden. Or should I say, I was contemplating the lack of customer service. Even though the line was out the door, only one of the staff members waited on customers while the other continued to slowly stock the shelves. When the person in front of me finally reached the cash register, she then pulled her backpack off her back and proceeded to look for her wallet.
Of course, she did not do this while she was waiting in the long line and of course it took her a long time to find her wallet. She basically emptied her pack before she found it.
And of course the clerk did not ask to serve the next person in line so as to move things along more quickly. Once the women finally found her wallet, she then proceeded to chat with the clerk for a few minutes, completely oblivious to the glares she was getting. I would have laughed if I was not so annoyed.
At my old office, there was a cafe where you could buy snacks and coffee. Inevitably, the line was long but only one clerk would wait on one person at a time. Instead of starting a latte and then waiting on the next person while it brews, the clerk stands and waits with the coffee. I always wanted to go back behind the counter and show them how to multitask. But that would not be very Swedish of me.
Long lines always seem to bring out the American in me.
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But why are you in such a hurry? I would not want to shop somewhere where there wasn’t time to chat a little. Doesn’t sound like improvement to me. Just saying, there are always more than one side to things.
So true. I have slowed down a lot since moving to Stockholm. So much so that I am afraid that I will not be able to keep up with the pace in the country where I am from! It is ironic.
As for my hurry that day, I needed to catch a train for a doctor’s appointment…
Is it entirely Swedish, Sandy? Even in the States, pace and attitudes about service can vary for a wide variety of reasons. Lines are part and parcel with living in a big city. And what you observed that day happens here, too. Many New Yorkers read as they wait in line. I’ve gotten into some amazing conversations with people, as I have waited here. Adapting to living with a larger population requires a bit of patience and strategy, depending on what you need. If I’m running late, I’ll put off an errand with a line. If there is a line, I just go with it. And, I do relish returning to places with an easy going pace, as a general rule. Part of why I like living in my current neighborhood is that when I get off the subway here, people talk to you and things sloooww down.
Since reading your post and commenting, I realized that I am constantly adjusting to different modes and styles of service all the time in NYC, and I just slip into whatever mode I’m presented with, the line thing aside. In regard to the shopkeeper and person stocking shelves, I have seen that exact scenario in a drugstore, bodega, post office, etc.. The attitude is: it is what it is, deal with it. Each person is waiting in line and is due their time at the register. You can either get frustrated with it or go with the flow (reading, chatting, meditating, whatever!).
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