Dear Jeanne & Leonard:
My nephew, who recently graduated from college, has started a service that helps people set up and maintain their computer systems and other home electronics equipment. To help him out, I went door to door in my neighborhood passing out flyers. βLukeβ has gotten a good response, and his business is doing well, but hereβs the problem: Neighbors who have hired him keep asking me when he plans to finish the projects heβs begun for them. Since I donβt know his schedule, I encourage them to contact Luke directly. But even after I do, they continue to ask. Whatβs a nice way to get these folks to stop? Iβm not in business with my nephew; I just helped him get started.
β R.W., Tucson
Dear R.W.:
Your nephew needs more help β help in the form of being told that he needs to do a better job of responding to customer inquiries and completing the jobs heβs begun. Because why else would so many neighbors be pestering you unless theyβd given up on trying to get Lukeβs attention? So do your nephew a favor: Explain to him that he needs to shape up.
Also: It may be true that youβre not in business with Luke, but you did pitch him and his services to your neighbors. Of course thereβs nothing wrong with doing so. But thereβs also nothing wrong with your neighbors now looking to you for help with the problems theyβre having with the person you encouraged them to hire.
Dear Jeanne & Leonard:
When I went to buy a shirt at a department store, the woman ahead of me in line handed the clerk a handful of coupons that apparently offered different amounts off for different size purchases. The two of them then spent close to 10 minutes working with the coupons to ensure that she got the maximum discount possible for the many items she was buying. Donβt you think they should have allowed me to pay for the single item I had before going to work on a series of sales they knew were going to take forever?
β Michael C., Southern California
Dear Michael:
So βfirst come, first servedβ doesnβt work for you? Look, weβre sympathetic to the frustration you felt. Instead of being a straight-up transaction, paying for goods too often resembles a game of bingo, especially at department stores. But that doesnβt mean sales clerks should make the storeβs regular customers β the ones to whom the coupons are sent and for whom the promotions are designed β cool their heels so that couponless customers can go first.
As for the woman ahead of you, it would have been nice had she allowed you to pay for your shirt before she and the clerk began fiddling with her coupons. But to be fair, she had no way of knowing you werenβt going to, say, pull out your own coupons or ask the clerk to look for a different size βin back.β Plus, what about the customer behind you who has only one item? Where does she draw the line? Sorry, Michael, but maybe you should consider shopping online.