Deb is right when she says that if the service had not been such a nightmare
the dress and demeanor of the employee wouldn't have been an issue.
(Actually the incessant gum smacking and her slovenly attitude was the
annoying part!)

But, since you mention it, the reality is that we are all judged day in and
day out by our appearance, our dress, our voice quality, our grammar, and
even our writing skills. It is OK to judge and be judged. In fact, our
ability to judge people and situations is what keeps us alive. 

(By the way, I think your attempt to equate describing the dress and actions
of a Kinko's employee with racial bigotry was inappropriate and hateful.)

First impressions are important. The way you dress, your age, your make-up,
your vocabulary, the jewelry you wear, even your handshake technique tell
others something about you, your education, and your goals. Why do you
reserve your alternative look for weekends and after hours? Probably
alternative dress styles are inappropriate in your particular workplace. 

I have a friend and former colleague who is an IT wizard. I have the utmost
respect and even some awe for Carla. She also has a most flamboyant goth
meets Scarlet O'Hara dress style. Her IT colleagues are mostly male, who
wear jeans, t-shirts, and mis-matched socks. Her dress is perfectly
appropriate to the situation. On one occasion I took Carla with me to do
some client trainings - I almost didn't recognize her in a tailored business
suit. The only clue was that it was black! :-) She understood that our
conservative clients would have trouble trusting the goth/Scarlet IT gal,
while the black business suit conveyed the message we wanted to send.

I used to work as a consultant to school systems all over the nation. I have
perfected the art of "blending in"...becoming sort of a chameleon. If I was
meeting with District or State officials I wore a suit, heels, etc. But if I
was going to be in a school meeting with teachers I wore tailored slacks and
a sweater. My consulting wardrobe contained no sleeveless shirts or dresses,
and no open toed shoes. They are inappropriate to school situations, since
many faculty are not allowed to wear them. Bottom line - I needed to fit in!
They were the client and I needed them to see me as professional and
trustworthy.

Now, whether you like it or not:
I don't like to buy food or drink from servers with long painted nails
because they can harbor filth, or from servers with multiple facial
piercings because it's unappetizing. I dislike medical workers with long
nails for the same hygienic reasons. I find it difficult to have a serious
conversation with young men's who pants droop below their underwear.
Likewise, I really do not want to see belly buttons - jeweled or un-jeweled,
or g-strings above a young woman's jeans.  I also don't want to see a
middle-aged plumber's behind either! I expect my financial advisor to show
up in a coat and tie - if he wants me to trust him with my cash. On the
other hand, I would be mistrustful if my lawn service guy showed up in a
coat and tie. I choose not to sit next to the drunk on the subway. And I
choose my vegetables by color, texture and aroma. Finally, I am fascinated
with folks who have multiple tattoos - I always wonder what they'll look
like in the nursing home when they're all wrinkly. 

My interns are required to wear clothing that is appropriate to meeting the
public. No t-shirts, no shirts with slogans, no jeans. Slacks and a golf
shirt or a button down shirt are fine. Female interns can wear slacks/shirt
or skirts and dresses. I ask that they do not wear heels, since we are a
historic site, with 45 acres and the steep stairs that go with historic
buildings.

I also use court appointed community service workers. I have guidelines for
them as well. Their dress should be similar to our interns, and I do not
allow I-Pods, cell phones, or smoking during their work session. I recently
sent one of the community service workers home when she showed up in a
sports bra and low slung sweatpants - and she was about 8 months pregnant. I
also sent a young man home until he could obtain a belt. He couldn't do any
work that required two hands, because he had to hold his crotch up with one
hand. 

A pretty well accepted piece of business advice says that if you want to
move up, dress like you already have the job. 

Best Regards,

Becky Fitzgerald


These last two posts have caused me concern.  Please judge people by their
actions and not their looks or their age.

On occasion I sport an "alternative" look (generally reserved for after
hours and weekends) and am youngish but I have always strived to maintain a
professional demeanor and provide excellent customer service.  I have
frequently been praised for my success in these areas regardless of my
appearance or age.  I also have many "alternative" friends and colleagues
who pride themselves in doing the same.

You may not realize it but judging someone on their appearance can be
perceived as akin to judging someone for their skin color.  I'm sure that is
not Becky or Linda's intention in reacting to the inexcusably horrid
customer service Becky received at Kinkos.

Many young people are sporting more "alterative" looks these days - tattoos,
colored hair, piercings, etc.  These looks are becoming more "normal" as
time passes by.  Soon these young people will be entering the professional
world.  They may tone down their "alternative" look for the business
environment but may still look "different" from today's norm.  Please try to
appraise them on their deeds and not their appearance.

I am not trying to persecute either Linda or Becky.  I am merely offering a
different perspective.

Sincerely,

Carrie Hoover




On 10/2/06 5:00 PM, "Linda McAllister" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Yipes!  What are our young people coming to?
> 
> 
> 
> Linda McAllister, CFRE
> Curator of Advancement
> Office:  863-644-2431 ext. 142
> [log in to unmask]
> 
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Rebecca Fitzgerald
> Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 4:37 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Framing an historic map
> 
> I would suggest finding a local printer who can make your copy - I live
> in a very small town, but we have a print shop that will scan and print
> photos or maps for me at $5/sq.ft. Kinkos is a minimum of $7/sq.ft.
> 
> Now let me tell you about my experience at Kinko's this week. Thinking
> that Kinkos could do the work quickly, I took a photo (8X10") to them
> last Tuesday and asked them to enlarge it to 16X20", mounted on foam
> core. (The photo was an head-on action shot of my husband swimming in a
> triathlon.) They said it would be ready on Friday after 4:00 P.M. I
> stopped in on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. to pick it up. The store
> was only partially lit, and one (ebony haired, nose ringed spiked
> collared) employee was working. After waiting on line for much longer
> than was really necessary, she popped her gum at me, signaling my turn
> for service. She retrieved the folder and the finished work.
> 
> I immediately knew something was terribly wrong, since I could see that
> the finished work was 8X20" instead of 16X20". (I can tell you that my
> husband had REALLY broad shoulders in the Kinkos rendition.) She started
> to ring up the order and finally noticed me standing there, wide eyed
> and mouth hanging open in shock. So, she says, "Ya like it?" Two
> customers behind me snickered. I told her they'd made an error. I pulled
> the original out of the folder and laid it on top of the "new" version.
> She still couldn't see the problem. So, I patiently explained that they
> only doubled one dimension rather than two. She still couldn't see it
> and walked to the back of the work area to find a ruler. By this time
> several customers had inched forward to see the problem - all were
> giggling and rolling their eyes. She came back with the ruler and
> finally saw the problem. In addition to the obvious, there was also a
> large 2" gash across the photo as if someone had dragged something heavy
> across it. Goth Girl popped her gum again and said, "Hey, I'll give you
> a dollar off because of the mark on it." I finally explained that it was
> to be a piece of art, hung on a wall, and I wanted my original enlarged
> as ordered. She said, "Hey we can do it over - it'll be ready on
> Wednesday after 4:00 P.M. They didn't get the second chance. Nor did the
> get the business of the two people in line behind me - they left too.
> 
> I've had good luck with Kinko's all across the nation - but this one
> experience does teach a lesson. It's not the business, organization,
> etc.
> that you are dealing with - it's the ONE person who's doing your work.
> Try to develop a relationship with that person so they understand that
> you're leaving precious artwork, maps, artifacts, etc. with them. I
> would NEVER leave anything important with our local "Kinko's Goth Girl."
> 
> Becky Fitzgerald
> 

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