Sometimes it seems as if we’re surrounded by service that, as our former premier famously said of Thai Airways, sucks. Moronic waiters, bitchy flight attendants, sluggish tellers, corrupt cops, psychopathic taxi drivers—every one of us can come up with a long list of horror stories, which of course we enthusiastically share with everyone we know. As the saying goes, “A happy customer tells one or two people; an unhappy customer tells 10.”

But how often do we praise good service? And have you ever thought about what it would be like to work in their shoes? Just imagine being one of the service industry workers you run into every day: the cashier at the mini-mart, the bartender, the taxi driver, the person collecting tickets. How would you like to be blamed for things you have no control over, or asked to do things that could get you fired, or yelled at not for something you did but because the customer has had a bad day? Be honest: how would you like to serve you?

On the occasion of International Labor Day, May 1, we thought we’d speak with a few people who work in the service industry and let them tell us about their jobs—and what it’s like on the other side. They don’t all deserve our gratitude and appreciation—but a lot of them do.

Take These Jobs

Orawan, 20, has been a cashier at a Family Mart for a year, working part-time while she is studying. She has to do literally everything in the shop—mop the floors, stock the shelves, take care of customers and close the place at night—and for that she earns B24 per hour. That’s a whopping B120 for five hours of ding-dong! everytime someone walks in the door.

Choocheep, 31, has been a bus driver on the same route for 15 years. He starts at 4:30am. After that, depending on traffic, it could be four or five hours before he gets a break (i.e., use the bathroom), so patience is a crucial element in his daily life. In the face of this, though, he’s amazed how uncompassionate, and at times ignorant, passengers can be. “Sometimes when the traffic’s jammed, people will start complaining about it. That annoys me a lot, but I can’t do anything but tell them to be patient,” he says. “Try to understand that this is Bangkok. The traffic can be horrible.”
When asked about bad customers, Thongchai Saroj, a 31-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, gives a picture of how nasty some of us can be: “I’ve been doing this job for 10 years. Most of the customers are good, but some are pretty annoying, like people who refuse to put a helmet on even after I beg them to wear it.”

If caught carrying a passenger with no helmet, police charge him up to B200. Sometimes Thongchai gets stiffed outright. “The worst people are those who have me take them a long distance, and then they don’t pay. I can’t do anything about it. I can’t force them to pay, and going to the police is way too much trouble.”
Thongchai says that some of his friends race through red lights to get revenge on difficult passengers. He’d love to do the same, but, for his own safety, he just can’t. “If an accident happens, my life’s at risk, too. I can’t even tell you how hard it is to control my temper every time a car cuts me off.”

Tida Prasertsing serves drinks at the bar Taksura. She makes B200-300 per shift. A recent night is typical: “This one guy was really drunk and started yelling at the other customers in the bar. I tried to calm him down, but it didn’t work, so I had to ask him to leave. He insisted on staying, though and kept disturbing others. Finally, all the waiters had to throw him out.”

In Their Shoes

OK, no one said that life was easy, but there are things people in the service industry have to deal with that most of us don’t. Just think if you not only had to wear an ugly uniform, but pay for it, as well. (And don’t even think about getting your money back when you leave the company.) Imagine being a waiter and having to pay out of your own pocket because you misheard a customer’s order. Or how would you feel if none of that 10 percent “service charge” ever made it into your paycheck?

Customers can be downright nasty. Those who work in the service industry are at the “front line” of the companies they work for. Many times they’re forced to deal with situations that are beyond their control. It might be the kitchen’s fault that your dinner is slow, but you yell at the waitress. The operator on the helpline isn’t the person who disconnected your internet connection, but you slam the phone down while she’s apologizing anyway.

Buyer Beware

Ask anyone who has worked in a restaurant, and they’ll tell you how dangerous it can be to get on your waiter’s bad side. You can imagine the things that end up in the meals of hated customers, from gobs of spit to...well, take your pick. So there are practical and selfish reasons to be courteous and to tip generously.

In the US, restaurant workers have websites like badtipper.com where they compare notes on customers. Service industry employees in Thailand aren’t compiling blacklists yet, but there are sites like thaicabincrew.com, guidescenter.com and thailandhotelstaff.com, where workers swap stories, give advice and post salaries and monthly hotel service charges.

Service Goes Both Ways

Quality service is often being the bigger person and acting more mature, even if the customer is older. It takes patience, poise and being adept at the art of compromise.

According to Embrahim Hengpiya, who has spent seven years working as a hair stylist, “The heart of service is to please our customers and make them look good at the same time. Sometimes my customer wants a haircut that just won’t match.” Faced with such cases, Embrahim gently encourages him or her to choose a style that will better suit them. After many years in salons, he has witnessed all sorts of customers, from boring aunties to picky uni students. To deal with them, he has to be super-calm and make them realize he’s doing his best.

Flight attendant Chayanit Kritsirithanarat agrees. “The hardest thing is to not to lose your patience, to compromise, to be punctual and to be alert…. Good service has to come from your heart, making passengers feel at home. We have to treat them the way we want to be treated.”

This applies to both service people and customers. As customers, we can help make their lives easier by treating them with kindness. Say “thank you” when they do a good job. Be patient when you’re in a queue. Tip. Show your appreciation, and next time you pay your electricity bill or walk into a convenience store, you might get an extra smile or two.

We talk to the people in the business of serving other people and BK guides you through the delicate protocol of international tipping.