Is the customer always right The answer, it seems, depends on which country you are in. Shopping is very much a part of a country’s culture, and attitudes to shopping and consumers vary from country to country just as much as climate or taste in food. From the air-conditioned American shopping centers to the street market of African towns, the way we shop shows the way we see ourselves and our relationships with other people.
Business competition in Europe has given consumers increased power. This has meant falling prices, plenty of special offers and a re-examination of what customer service really means. People often point to America as an example of excellent customer service. In restaurants in the south of the USA, for example, waiters compliment you on your clothes, ask about your day, compliment you on the wisdom of your order and then return every ten minutes to refill your glass and make sure that everything is to your satisfaction.
Anyone who has waited 30 minutes to be served in a restaurant might well dream of such attention, but do Europeans really want US style service As a friend of mine once told me, "By the end of the evening I had spent as much time talking to the waiter as to my wife. " It is a question of expectations. Different nationalities expect different types of service.
A Chinese-American friend loves telling people about how her Chinese mother shops for clothes: "First of all she waits until they are on sale, then she bargains until she gets an even better price and then she finds some small fault with the product and demands a further reduction. She never buys anything at the regular price. " Could you imagine trying such tricks in a department store in your country
Attitudes to service are, of course, affected by employers’ attitudes to their workers. As American sales and service personnel are heavily reliant on commission and tips, they have more motives to provide more service. But is this fair Do we think it is fair to ask shop assistants to work late evenings, Sundays and 12 hour shifts It might not be a case of "Is the customer always right" but a case of "How much service is it fair to expect\
Why does the author use the Chinese mother’s shopping experience as an example
A. To warn shop assistants of tough customers.
B. To teach people how to get better service as customers.
C. To criticize some improper shopping behavior.
D. To show how different people’s expectations of service are.
参考答案:D
解析:例证题。问的是作者用中国母亲购物经验作为例子得出什么结论,解题线索在例子的上一句。这是期望值的问题,不同国家的人期望不同类型的服务。A选项是要店员警惕那些棘手的顾客。B选项是教顾客如何获得更好的服务。C选项是批评一些不恰当的购物行为。D选项是显示不同国家的人期望不同类型的服务。所以D选项是正确答案。