Latest news with #serviceindustry
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
The ‘Gen Z stare'? Young people need to get over this limp act of defiance
Hours after trying to explain 'the Gen Z stare' to my mother on Saturday, there it was, coming at me full beam from behind a till. I was in a stationery shop in LA, paying for a notepad, when I spotted ballpoint pens on the counter and remembered that I needed one too. Now Miss Z, let's call her, had already rung up my pad, so when, with an apologetic smile, I added 'and the pen too, please', up came the eyes. As they rested upon me, unblinking and slightly unfocussed, for what felt like a lifetime, I felt my blood freeze in my veins and my throat dry up. A nervous pulse started up at the base of my neck. Adding another hoarse 'please' did nothing, and I considered putting the pen back. The eyes were still on me, still eerily vacant, and at no stage had Miss Z blinked. How had her corneas not dried up? I never got to ask. Tiring, eventually of her own glare, the girl rang up my pen, took my money and went back to scrolling through Depop on her phone. For the past week, there have only been two topics of debate in LA: where you would and wouldn't take a lover to avoid becoming a viral meme, and what 'the Gen Z stare' actually means. According to the New York Times – one of the first to identify the phenomenon – the 'blank, emotionally unreadable expression often seen in social or work settings' on people of that age group is especially popular in the service industry, but not confined to that area. Like the flu, you know when you've had it, and it's not just a look, but a whole culture of sullenness and defiance. It's 'not about a person's lack of ability to communicate' either, but rather a refusal even to try 'with someone who's not using their own brain cells.' Although it definitely comes across as hostile (in a vague, 'really not that bothered' way), some have claimed that its roots 'lie in anxiety ' – while others have blamed it on screen usage, the Covid-19 pandemic and, weirdly, vaping. Whatever its causes, 'the Gen Z stare' is fuelling a generational feud. It's not about to disappear, either, because the more that limp little act of revolt is written about and dissected, the more Gen Z will weaponise those eyeballs.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Is the 'Gen Z Stare'? All About the Term Sparking Generational Debate
If you've ever interacted with a Gen Z worker in the service industry, you may have experienced what other generations have deemed as the 'Gen Z Stare.' Millennials and Gen X users on TikTok have pointed out a peculiar look they say members of Gen Z have given them, and use situations in the hospitality space as examples. 'People in the service industry of a certain age don't even say hello to you — they stare at you,' TikTok user @thedisneygirliesaid in a recent video, which has amassed more than 480,000 views. The creator then cites a first-hand account of an interaction she had at Chipotle, where a younger employee left her feeling as if she was inconveniencing them or being rude. 'I'm sick of the argument of, 'They don't get paid enough to be nice,'' she said. "Yeah but every single job description in the world, especially customer facing, the very first descriptor is, 'Greet customers.'" 'This generation is wild," she added. However, there are TikTokers combatting this narrative by sharing the "why" behind the "Gen Z stare." User @madylamb posted a video acting out an exchange between waitstaff and a customer, who wanted a strawberry banana smoothie without the banana, while creator @worley_cd acted out a similar scene, with a customer who wanted a ham and provolone cheese sandwich but was allergic to provolone. Gen Z TikTok user Efe, aka @thisisjenae, shared a video where she critiques older customers' conversations with Gen Z workers. The video has now amassed over over 3 million likes. Efe tells that the "Gen Z stare" exists, but examples provided by older generations don't tell the most accurate depiction. She says that the actual 'Gen Z stare' may derive from the environment in which the generation grew up in. 'A lot of Gen Z was stunted with communication. Generally, they believe they don't have to talk to people,' Efe explains. She points out that this negativity toward Gen Z mannerisms is a cycle, citing that Millennials were once at the center of scrutiny for their work ethic from more senior generations. 'It was kind of strange to me. It just felt a little, 'Let's pick at Gen Z'-type of thing,' Efe says when asked about her initial reactions to the older generations' comments. Despite the negativity, Efe says that the response from her video is a positive one. 'Instead of everyone just taking the constant nasty attitudes that are thrown at them, I'm glad everyone is speaking up and having a place where they can feel unified and speak about it,' she adds. If there's one thing that Efe wants older generations to take note of, it's to not assume Gen Z workers are "any more incompetent than someone who's older" just because of age. 'I want them to turn around and see that they might be doing the exact same thing that was done to them,' she continues. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘Tip-flation': As suggested tips increase, business practices under scrutiny
By Isaac Phan Nay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee The moments after a server or barista hands over a credit card reader can be awkward. Will it offer tip options starting at 20 per cent? Will the server stare daggers at me if I don't tip? Tips used to be more private. Dropped in a cup, or calculated after the bill came. Now suggested tips are on the rise, irking some Canadians — and raising big questions about business practices that make workers more dependent on tips and keep their wages low. University of British Columbia sociologist Amy Hanser said tipping shifts the burden of servers' wages off of employers onto customers and undercuts servers' power to negotiate for fair pay. 'It's a terrible practice,' Hanser said. 'It shouldn't be contingent on service — if you do your job, you should get paid.' As restaurants and cafés reopened after pandemic closures, tipping prompts increased. In a 2022 survey by Restaurants Canada, customers reported being faced with higher tip suggestions. A Research Co. survey published last month shows Canadians are growing irked by suggested tips. 'Canadians know that people in the food services industry don't make a lot of money,' said Mario Canseco, Research Co. president. 'We know that they depend on the tips to survive and to get ahead. 'It's not like we're against the concept of tipping, but when the venue is forcing me to make a choice, it becomes complicated.' The survey found most consumers didn't like facing a suggested tip when they paid. But 68 per cent of respondents said they believed food servers need tips to get by, and 69 per cent said that if food servers had better salaries, there would be no need to tip them. In British Columbia, employers are required to pay servers at least regular minimum wage — which rose to $17.85 per hour in June — before tips. WorkBC data shows food and beverage servers make between minimum wage and $30 per hour before tips. Ian Tostenson, who heads the British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said tips make up a significant part of servers' wages. He said servers often work three- or four-hour shifts and rely on tips for a significant chunk of their income. 'It's a bit of a big deal when we don't leave a tip,' he said. 'That's why there's incentive for the servers to provide good service, and generally that works quite well.' Tostenson rejects the idea that restaurants can raise wages and eliminate tips. The Vancouver restaurant Folke and café Cowdog have adopted that business model. But Tostenson said most restaurants that try a no-tip model give up on it. 'They have a hard time getting people to work there because servers like the upside on gratuities, and guests don't like it because they are paying higher prices,' he said. 'In North America, we love to tip and we love to have the control of tipping.' But UBC's Hanser said putting servers' pay into the hands of customers raises equity issues. Customers' biases could impact servers' pay — more attractive people might get higher tips. The reliance on tips means servers have to tolerate negative or abusive behaviour to make sure they're tipped, Hanser said. Management should be ensuring staff are performing adequately — not customers, she added. The reliance on tips makes restaurant goers effectively the employer and leaves workers perpetually subject to the judgment of customers, Hanser said. The business owner also shifts the responsibility to pay workers onto customers, and that keeps base wages low and undercuts their ability to negotiate for more pay. 'People who are in typically tipped jobs can be paid a lower hourly wage,' she said. 'That really does suggest that tipping can erode the ability to ask for more wages from your employer.' Workers in the restaurant sector don't traditionally have the union power to negotiate for higher hourly wages. Statistics Canada data shows that in 2024, 5.8 per cent of accommodation and food services workers had a collective agreement. That includes workers at a Boston Pizza in New Westminster, who are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518. The union declined to comment on tipping. But its contract shows unionizing did not change tipping practices at that restaurant. Before the agreement came into effect in 2021, employees at the restaurant pooled their tips. The collective agreement, which expired last year, kept that arrangement in place. The union also organized workers at a Cartems Donuts in Vancouver. Their collective agreement required the employer to come up with a tip policy, to standardize the practice for workers. Hanser said she doesn't think Canadians are ready to give up tipping. She said that to pay servers fair wages without tips, restaurants would likely have to raise prices significantly. Plus, she said, the practice is deeply entrenched in our behaviour. 'This is a really hard thing to change,' Hanser said. 'This is about a culture as much as it is about anything else.'
Entrepreneur
01-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
He Went From $471K in Debt to Teaching Others How to Succeed
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Joe Crisara didn't set out to be a business coach. Like most tradespeople, he started with a toolbox, some hands-on skills and the dream of working for himself. But six years into running his own company, he found himself $471,000 in debt and on the brink of bankruptcy. That's when a loyal customer — someone who'd seen how the stress took a toll on Crisara — finally asked, "How's it really going?" That simple, gut-punch of a question became a turning point. Crisara realized he wasn't just selling parts or labor. He was in the business of trust, confidence and peace of mind. Once he owned his mistakes, Crisara spent decades learning how to fix them — not just for himself, but for thousands of other service providers across the country. He founded Service MVP, a podcast and membership community, to provide contractors with the sales training and support he wished he had when he was first starting out. Related: Her Show Was Canceled – But the Setback Taught Busy Philipps a Powerful Lesson for Creators and Entrepreneurs One of Crisara's biggest lessons is to stop thinking of your work as a line item. Customers assume they're paying for a part or a few hours of labor, but Crisara insists the parts are free: "I always tell people…100% of what you're putting out there is your service. That's the product. You are only providing service, and the parts are free." Crisara encourages service providers to educate customers on their pricing structure. When done right, this kind of conversation doesn't feel like a sales pitch. It actually builds trust and often diffuses price objections before they even come up. "It's a burden that the service provider carries," he says. "It's your job to give that 30-second economics lesson to customers when they start to take you down a path that draws you into doing substandard work at a lower price." When it comes to pricing, Crisara doesn't sugarcoat it. He breaks down the ideal service business like this: Labor: 20% Materials: 20% Overhead: 35% Profit: 25% "Profit takes courage," he says. "If you're living paycheck to paycheck and you're waiting for the next thing to happen to make you successful, most likely it's not gonna come when you need it. It's very risky to operate that way." Related: This Local Bakery Has Lines Out the Door. Here Are the Secrets to Its Success. In Crisara's view, profit isn't about accumulating wealth. It's the fuel that powers everything else: better tools, better training, better service. "My advice [is] to reinvest some of that profit into a better customer service experience that inspires customers to want to turn you into their champion so they can refer you to their friends and family." Over his 48-year career, Crisara has learned that the customer experience is everything. He emphasizes that contractors need to invest in communication tools to make the experience seamless, from the first phone call to follow-up after a service. "When you answer the phone, you gotta make people smile," he says. Crisara often answers the phone with, "It's a great day at Service MVP, how can I make you smile today?" It might feel small, but that first impression sets the tone. Building trust starts long before you get to the job site. For Crisara, customer service begins with that very first phone call. When consulting with a client, he reminds himself of two goals: "One is that these people are gonna get care, respect and support. For me, that's my [first goal.] My second thing is, I don't need to be accepted. So if they don't want my [service], I'm not gonna be sad or let down or angry. They're not a good fit for me." According to Crisara, this attitude allows you to focus on providing great service, rather than closing the sale. People can sense that level of confidence, which he believes is the key to successful customer interactions. Related: Want to Work With Influencers? Here's What Small Business Owners Need to Know. When it comes to expanding your business, Crisara says the first step is making your solo operation consistent, efficient and profitable. "You are the prototype for the customer service experience that you're gonna train other people to do. So number one, perfect the customer experience," he says. Your first hire should be someone who can mirror your standard, not just take tasks off your plate. Crisara believes this is where many small business owners stumble: They hire too early or without a plan, and suddenly they're training someone to follow a broken system. "The bigger the staff you have, the higher the overhead that's gonna be in place, and the prices are gonna increase as soon as you hire more people," Crisara says. "Profit allows us the indulgence of hiring coworkers who can actually do the work instead of [you]." Finally, Crisara emphasizes the value of customer feedback. Good reviews boost morale, but bad ones can be even more valuable if you're willing to listen. "One bad review can be worth $12,000 in free business consulting," he says. "Good reviews are for vanity…bad reviews are for sanity. They're there to help us improve." Crisara encourages business owners to respond with sincerity: Thank the reviewer for taking the time, acknowledge how they felt and offer a path to resolution. "Sometimes the bad reviews are a better way to help you respond," he says. "I'm not saying you want to get all bad reviews, but if you get a small percentage of bad reviews, take the opportunity to show what you're made of and what your value system is, and don't get into negativity." Related: 5 Secrets to Success From a Sustainable Business That's Grown 95% in 3 Years Crisara's advice boils down to a few simple but powerful truths: Make people smile from the first phone call Always ask for what you're worth You're providing a service, not parts Build your business like you're training a future team Don't fear your mistakes — learn from them Watch the episode above and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Tuesday. Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Emily Moon Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Vertu Motors new car sales growth offsets drop in second hand demand
Bristol Street Motors owner Vertu Motors has hailed strong trading against a difficult market backdrop. Britain's fourth-biggest automotive retailer reported new car volumes rose by 7 per cent on a like-for-like basis in the three months ending May, compared to 5.6 per cent growth across the UK retail market. Comparable fleet and commercial vehicle volumes expanded by 3 per cent despite the UK commercial van market experiencing a decline, while the firm's high-margin service revenues increased by 4.1 per cent. However, like-for-like motability volumes remained depressed, plunging by 23.2 per cent due to market share continuing to shift away from traditional manufacturers. Meanwhile, weaker customer demand and tight supply led to a 3.8 per cent decline in used vehicle volumes. However, used car margins improved from 7.3 to 7.5 per cent during the period. Vertu also said it achieved higher gross profits in its service and parts divisions during the period and its adjusted pre-tax profits were better year-on-year. Following the performance, the Gateshead-based company expects its annual results to be commensurate with forecasts. Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu, said: 'Since the beginning of the financial year, a period which includes the important trading month of March, the group has traded well in a challenging macro-economic environment.' But he added: 'This encouraging start to the year is balanced by ongoing headwinds of a challenging consumer and business environment and the Government's ZEV mandate promoting accelerated electric car adoption.' Under the ZEV mandate, automakers must sell a minimum percentage of battery electric vehicles each year in order to reduce the number of cars on the road with internal combustion engines. To avoid fines for not meeting targets, manufacturers can borrow credits from future years or purchase them from carmakers who are complying with the rules. For the current year, 28 per cent of new car sales and 16 per cent of vans have to be zero-emission. By 2030, it must be 80 per cent for cars and 70 per cent for vans. Many automobile manufacturers have criticised the rules for being too ambitious and warned that they could lead to redundancies or billions in lost investment. In early February, Vertu claimed the mandate was causing 'disruption' to the UK new car market and called on the UK Government to introduce 'significant' incentives to boost battery EV demand. Founded in 2006, Vertu operates 195 franchised sales outlets that sell a wide array of famous brands, including Audi, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen. Vertu Motors shares were 0.5 per cent higher at 62.5p by late Wednesday afternoon but have fallen by around 19 per cent over the past year.
