You have heard the rumours, the stereotypes and the clichés, and we are here to tell you, that the majority of gossip, they are, in fact all absolutely true!
‘Treat your customer like a king’ is not really how the service is organized in many shops, institutions, transportation or restaurants in Belarus. The occasionally bad service can spawn some nasty feelings of mistreatment and surprise, for example if a cashier barks at you with a pretty harsh tone ‘what do you need???” or a taxi driver who looks angry at you, leaving you with a feeling like you just killed his favourite cat, it’s nothing unusual If you plan on spending any time in Belarus you had better get used to this treatment, and fast.
It may appear that everyone got used to this form of service and that you are the only one left with a feeling of surprise. Well, let us reassure you that the Belarusians are maybe used to it but definitely are conscious about this bad service.
There are actually many Belarusians who try to change the service and battle this with humor and smiles. A friend of ours has made it his mission to improve the service by smiling and joking with these angry looking ladies. And we can tell you sometimes it really works!
This low service mentality can be explained somehow. Its not because the cashier woke up on the wrong side of the bed, well... in some cases it might be, but we believe the roots of this trait lay deeper. Maybe because we are dealing here with mostly publicly owned services, the cashiers, receptionists and sellers lack incentives to sell, and therefore don’t feel like they need to be friendly to the customer. For now, just remember that it is not a personal attack, the angry looking lady in the supermarket will probably like you and even bake you a delicious apple pie, if you have met her in other circumstances.
On a more cheery note, to experience some good service visit the market. Yes, this is the oldest form of trade and the service spirit is kind! Probably this has to with a very visible competition and sellers consider themselves as entrepreneurs. They want to attract customers to their stands by using their charm and smiles (and shouters). Try it out at Kamarovsky Rynok, for example (Metro Jakuba Kolasa)!
We look forward hearing your experience on the Belarusian service, or maybe your thoughts, theories about why the service is the way it is.
Read more about Belarus on our newest platform HiFive Belarus!
‘Treat your customer like a king’ is not really how the service is organized in many shops, institutions, transportation or restaurants in Belarus. The occasionally bad service can spawn some nasty feelings of mistreatment and surprise, for example if a cashier barks at you with a pretty harsh tone ‘what do you need???” or a taxi driver who looks angry at you, leaving you with a feeling like you just killed his favourite cat, it’s nothing unusual If you plan on spending any time in Belarus you had better get used to this treatment, and fast.
It may appear that everyone got used to this form of service and that you are the only one left with a feeling of surprise. Well, let us reassure you that the Belarusians are maybe used to it but definitely are conscious about this bad service.
There are actually many Belarusians who try to change the service and battle this with humor and smiles. A friend of ours has made it his mission to improve the service by smiling and joking with these angry looking ladies. And we can tell you sometimes it really works!
This low service mentality can be explained somehow. Its not because the cashier woke up on the wrong side of the bed, well... in some cases it might be, but we believe the roots of this trait lay deeper. Maybe because we are dealing here with mostly publicly owned services, the cashiers, receptionists and sellers lack incentives to sell, and therefore don’t feel like they need to be friendly to the customer. For now, just remember that it is not a personal attack, the angry looking lady in the supermarket will probably like you and even bake you a delicious apple pie, if you have met her in other circumstances.
On a more cheery note, to experience some good service visit the market. Yes, this is the oldest form of trade and the service spirit is kind! Probably this has to with a very visible competition and sellers consider themselves as entrepreneurs. They want to attract customers to their stands by using their charm and smiles (and shouters). Try it out at Kamarovsky Rynok, for example (Metro Jakuba Kolasa)!
We look forward hearing your experience on the Belarusian service, or maybe your thoughts, theories about why the service is the way it is.
Read more about Belarus on our newest platform HiFive Belarus!
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