I’ve been following a series of stories similar to this one where an interracial couple was targeted by the LAPD and it’s disgusting and scary.  Why? Because the cops are targeting and harassing everyday citizens for non-crimes. For instance, this incident, where a mother was arrested when her husband took her kids to a restaurant to use the bathroom, happened across the street from my office.  I would like to believe it’s not race related because I don’t know all the facts in all these incidents but chances are, it is race related.

Today it is Race X or Race Y. Tomorrow it will be another race…when did the police stop protecting, and start harassing?

For the floor and surfaces, I have a weekly cleaning schedule where I dust, sweep, swiffer, mop and vacuum in an attempt to keep the home as allergen free as possible. That said, there are some weeks that get skipped (laziness, too tired from work, insert an excuse from my endless list of excuses here) though I don’t think I’ve gone as far as more than three weeks without adhering to my cleaning process because the dust and specs on the floor would bother me too much.

But despite my best efforts, the floor doesn’t stay clean very long. I can almost find a dust bunny right after I just did the whole cleaning routine (or a day after). Where do they come from! Some of the floorboards have gaps and cracks and that doesn’t help as dust falls into them and then gets kicked up later on.

I have been wondering about the Roomba for a few years now but just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on a small little cleaning device that may be too loud for the neighbors downstairs!  (I don’t want them pounding on the door to complain while I’m not home.)  Plus I don’t know if I trust having the robot on while I’m not home. Would it actually turn off or turn on? Would it rip up or trip on any wires on the floor (I have a lot of wires all over the floor for the fan, the printer, etc).

I was looking at the Roomba 780 and then reading this post about the Roomba and it sounds enticing. But is it worth the money? That’s A LOT of money to spend on a tiny vacuum.  Is this just going to sit in the closet after a few tries? My biggest worry is the noise.  I’ve heard that some models are pretty loud and we’ve got thin walls and floors here (as I hear the kids upstairs running around the apt day and night- BUMP THUMP BUMP THUMP).  The second worry is does it actually clean well and is it going to require a lot of maintenance. I would be annoyed if it jams often or breaks after a few uses!

I had a bad customer service experience recently at a “brand-name” clothing store (meaning I expected more) here in NYC and while walking home, I started thinking about the customer service experience I had in HK vs NYC.  There are no absolutes because every experience is different and if you’ve visited both cities, you may not have the same experience I had but I find that with certain types of shopping, like clothing shopping, HK has it hands down.

Shopping in Hong Kong

• Clothing – Most clothing stores like Giordano and G2000 open till 11:30pm. And even at that time, the sales clerks are attentive and perky and genuinely helpful. Every time I’ve been in a clothing store in HK, I was greeted with a smile (not a bored smile or a fake smile but a smile, that if faked, appears to seem more warm and genuine than most) and a “Hello, welcome.” As I look around, a sales clerk may come up to me after a few minutes and offer assistance and it is done in a subtle, non-pushy way.  Their hands are politely clasped in front of them or behind them as they explain the latest sale.  The clerks help with sizes and even hold your purchases at the register so you can continue shopping. They are attentive and ask if you want to try something on and if you seem hesitant (as I often do because I hate trying things on), they gently guide you to the fitting area as if to say, “in case you change your mind, this room is set aside, just for you!”
• MTR (their subway) – I had to interact with the MTR customer service agents regarding my Octopus card (metrocard) and what did I encounter? Great customer service! It wasn’t effusive but the clerk was attentive, greeted me and thanked me. It helps that the MTR doesn’t smell like anything and it is clean and well run.
• Restaurants – ok this is hit or miss depending on where you go. The local diner? Yah, you are going to get diner service (which in HK can be quite abrupt — better know what you want to order when you get in!)  But when we went to the dim sum restaurant on the 20something floor of the iSquare building? Good service.

Where am I going with this? For a long time, I’ve been immune to the NYC level of service (some call it rudeness, for New Yorkers, it is business as usual) but maybe I need a break from it. I’ve grown up in it and maybe I’m getting old but I welcome a little “niceness,” especially if I am about to fork over some hard-earn money!   And maybe having visited HK and Iceland recently and having experienced top-notch service, I’ve become fed up with NYC customer service where the employees are constantly chatting (joking, laughing) with one another as if that’s the main reason they came to work today.  If you need help, you have to stand in front of them (when you can find one who is “free”) and then repeatedly ask, “Excuse me? Excuse me..um, sir, can you help me please???” Then you may get a roll of the eye and a tone of boredom as the reply comes, “What? What do you want?”  Wow, like sorry that I interrupted your hearty conversation.

I get it – working retail isn’t easy and it’s very tiring physically and emotionally to be on your feet and folding clothes and dealing with all kinds of customers — foreigners, unruly entitled or picky, indecisive customers.  But isn’t that part of the training or management? The goal of retail is to get people to buy and come back and buy more right? Well, I couldn’t find other articles comparing NYC customer service but does anyone feel differently?