Consumer aggression and general crankiness are increasing. Customer satisfaction is at the lowest level since 2005. Product shortages, labor shortages, and people’s short fuses are all cited as part of the problem. A WSJ article last week explores exactly why so many people have become such jerks when dining, flying, or shopping. Is the pandemic to blame?
In part, yes. The supply and labor issues make all of those experiences worse, but I kept thinking about the old cliche that you should never trust someone who is rude to a waiter. If experiencing a flight delay, or finding a product out of stock, or being asked to put on a mask in a store turns you into an angry tantrum-throwing jerk… you should probably start by working on yourself, instead of blaming the pandemic.
How do you feel about what seems to be a complete disregard for civility in our lives recently? David Nour