Business Posting - Mihran O.

I learned a very valuable lesson while working at the Little Yogurt Shop in Carytown. Giving the customer what they want, even if it means bending the rules, always pays dividends. I worked at the Little Yogurt Shop part-time over the 2004 Fall Semester. My job description basically consisted of standing behind a counter and serving high quality frozen yogurt and ice cream. During my shifts I was the only individual working and it allowed me to bend some rules that benefited my employer and I.

I was instructed in the amazing difficult art of pulling down the lever of frozen yogurt machines and scooping ice cream from buckets in a large freezer. I was told to only give a specific amount of frozen yogurt or ice cream for each particular size the customer requested. However, I quickly noticed a direct relationship between how much extra frozen yogurt I gave and the amount of money I made in the form of tips. This relationship was also true for the amount of toppings I put on a customers ice cream or frozen yogurt. Now after careful consideration and knowing that I was the only person working during my shift, I decided to make the practice of giving a little extra, a staple of my serving routine. The customers literally and figuratively "ate it up." I had customers who would come during my specific shifts to get the little extra that they could not normally enjoy. They were not afraid to show me their appreciation in the form of tips. Furthermore, some customers who came in would specifically tell me that they came during the time I work, from a recommendation of their friends. Needless to say, this created a win-win situation because the amount of tips I made and the reputation of the Little Yogurt Shop for quality customer service grew with leaps and bounds.