I popped in here to buy an envelope and mail something at around 9:15 am. The ladies behind the…read morecounter seemed preoccupied; I wasn't told why, but I was informed that I'd need to wait for a bit. I still needed to fill out the mailing details, so I figured a short wait would be fine. I should have known the experience wasn't going to go well, because when I asked for the smallest envelopes, I was glared at and provided with a general pointing towards a wall of envelopes. Then, after unsuccessfully looking around a very disorganized postal area (Shoppers Drug Mart uses most of the space for storing toilet paper it seems), I finally asked the ladies again for a pen. One just stared at me, while the other matter-of-factly said "you will need to wait, as our computers are down and you can't pay for anything anyway". I asked if I could just buy the envelope and mail it later, I just received a "No, our computers are down".
I understand technical problems happen, and am not disappointed because of this... it's the way the customer service ladies approached the situation that was a bit surprising. When computers aren't cooperating, the thing that can make or break a customer's experience is the way the employees deal with the situation and the people involved.
A simple smile, positive attitude and "oh shoot, we're really sorry - this computer has been acting up all morning, so it'd be better if you came back later" would have sufficed! I'll head to the downtown postal office from now on.