If it's all bad, maybe you should take a look in the mirror...

I just went to the website of a local store that I really like. I like them because the employees are all so attentive! They are friendly and helpful. They have gone out of the way for me several times and helped me problem-solve when I've been working on projects that are a little out of my zone of expertise.

So I was shocked to find the reviews of the store were filled with comments about rude staff and slow service. I had to stop and ask myself... are we even talking about the same place?

My theory is that there are a couple of things going on here.

1. People don't tend to give credit when they are satisfied. I know I have been guilty of this myself. If a business makes me happy, I pay them back with repeat visits and I like to think that I recommend my friends go there, but I can't say I ever take the time to go write a positive review on their website. If something happens to me at a store that makes me angry, however, I hang on to it for years. I not only avoid return visits, I tell the story of how lousy the service was. And though it happened 7 or 8 years ago, I probably tell the story like it happened yesterday.

1. I truly believe that you get what you put out there. If you are impatient and angry, it bounces right off whomever you are dealing with and comes right back at you. I think people are generally kind and helpful, and I believe that it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I generally try to be a kind and helpful person. It doesn't always work. There are people whose attitudes continue to baffle me, but for the most part, I encounter people every day who are pleasant to deal with.

I really think it's just that simple. Smile, and the whole world smiles with you. Cry and  you cry alone.

Now I'm off to write a couple of positive reviews... and I'm going to try to keep this in mind. Return visits AND acknowledgement for a job well done. It only takes a minute.