3 ms·

> But just like in parenting, this kind of experience and expectation can yield entitled personalities, which is indeed a common stereotype of Americans abroad.

> But just like in parenting, this kind of experience and expectation can yield entitled personalities, which is indeed a common stereotype of Americans abroad. Or see American students' attitudes towards their university. They also approach it with the same customer attitude, and fair enough, they do have to pay hefty sums. "The customer is always right" is more true in America than Europe.

IggleSniggle 3y ago
First time I've seen someone saying that Americans have better taste than Europeans (j/k)
- Paul-Craft 3y ago
  No need for "j/k" here. The original quote was something to the effect of "The customer is always right in matters of taste." It wasn't intended as a dictum to bend over backward to the breaking point and beyond in the name of "customer service."
  - eadler 3y ago
    Do you have a source for this? I often see people make this claim but can't find evidence that it was originally meant in the more limited sense.
- nonethewiser 3y ago
  Well, I think my tastes are better than everyone’s. That’s why they’re my tastes. But I actually have no idea what you’re saying. Have you heard the phrase “the customer is always right?” Im saying that attitude is more strongly held in the US.
  - IggleSniggle 3y ago
    I was referencing the phrase, "the customer is always right in matters of taste"
bonoboTP 3y ago
That's precisely my point. There's a lot of upsides to that. It's often much smoother to get stuff done in the US. People want to solve issues and don't sweat the small stuff. To be more concrete than just Europe, if you take Germany, things tend to be more rigid and set in stone. But it's also changing with more experience interacting with American companies through globalization. And Eastern Europe is way worse than Western Europe which itself is behind the US. In the East you as a customer are made to feel small and the customer reps just want to get rid of you. It's probably a holdover from communism where stores and everything was state-owned so there was no profit motive to be nicer. It has lasting impact even down the generations, though more travel and foreign experiences are starting to change that too.
- nonethewiser 3y ago
  I had a friend at a German company in the US that said a lot of their operational problems weren’t shared by the headquarters in Germany because in Germany they had more power to tell people “too bad, you’re just going to have to wait.” Pros and cons I guess, but im not even trying to say one is better than the other. Just that the dynamic is real.

IggleSniggle 3y ago

First time I've seen someone saying that Americans have better taste than Europeans (j/k)

Paul-Craft 3y ago
No need for "j/k" here. The original quote was something to the effect of "The customer is always right in matters of taste." It wasn't intended as a dictum to bend over backward to the breaking point and beyond in the name of "customer service."
- eadler 3y ago
  Do you have a source for this? I often see people make this claim but can't find evidence that it was originally meant in the more limited sense.
nonethewiser 3y ago
Well, I think my tastes are better than everyone’s. That’s why they’re my tastes. But I actually have no idea what you’re saying. Have you heard the phrase “the customer is always right?” Im saying that attitude is more strongly held in the US.
- IggleSniggle 3y ago
  I was referencing the phrase, "the customer is always right in matters of taste"

bonoboTP 3y ago

That's precisely my point. There's a lot of upsides to that. It's often much smoother to get stuff done in the US. People want to solve issues and don't sweat the small stuff. To be more concrete than just Europe, if you take Germany, things tend to be more rigid and set in stone. But it's also changing with more experience interacting with American companies through globalization. And Eastern Europe is way worse than Western Europe which itself is behind the US. In the East you as a customer are made to feel small and the customer reps just want to get rid of you. It's probably a holdover from communism where stores and everything was state-owned so there was no profit motive to be nicer. It has lasting impact even down the generations, though more travel and foreign experiences are starting to change that too.

nonethewiser 3y ago
I had a friend at a German company in the US that said a lot of their operational problems weren’t shared by the headquarters in Germany because in Germany they had more power to tell people “too bad, you’re just going to have to wait.” Pros and cons I guess, but im not even trying to say one is better than the other. Just that the dynamic is real.