Buttery, fresh-baked, cookies. The feeling of peace and well-being.The gathering of family.
But, as I begin to shop for holiday gifts, the treatment I receive from clerks has turned me into The Grinch, once again.
Service, dear readers, is all but dead! If it were a cartoon character, there'd be harp-toting angels flapping comically over its head.
I'm not here to revive service oh, no, I believe it's too far gone for that I wish instead to write its eulogy, to honor and grieve it.
Dearly beloved (I'm about to show my age), I remember when the customer was always right even when she was wrong; when clerks, phone operators, nurses, waitresses and cashiers were there to assist with a smile.
I fear those days are gone.
Today, you're hard-pressed to get assistance, let alone a smile.
It used to be, you'd go to the doctor, and feel a bit better because the nurse seemed sincerely concerned with your illness.
Today, the overworked desk clerks, insurance processors, receptionists and medical staff look as though they'd prefer a tetanus injection to giving assistance.
By the time you see the doctor, your blood pressure is through the roof because of the nurses' indifference.
And, what happened to restaurant wait staff who greeted you, and, with a professional, meticulous manner, took your order? Now, you're lucky to get their attention, let alone your food.
The Watt & Shand stores of yesteryear were well-known for service-oriented shopping.
In the early 1980s, I was lucky enough to be employed there, first in the housewares department, then in advertising.
Surly sales clerks were "called on the carpet,'' and slackers were "reassigned.'' James Shand, himself, walked the floors, keeping an eye on us all.
We were proud of our departments, and our abilities to defuse touchy customer situations. We listened; we commiserated; we cheerfully made exchanges. And, usually, the customer left smiling.
Meeting that challenge made us feel good, too.
When I shop in stores today, the clerks, if you can find them, are often too entrenched in discussing a recent date or cell phone call to bother with you or your purchase.
Company policy, from a corporate office halfway 'round the globe, determines how all transactions and returns are handled.
So, sadly, this leaves little room for personal satisfaction in the customer-service challenge.
I think I'm a fairly low-maintenance person, but darn it, I still demand service. Especially if I'm paying for it! Too many times I've been made to feel as though I'm bothering a sales clerk, when I simply want to ask a question or with wallet at ready make a purchase.
It's getting to be a much more casual world, and in many ways I'm all for that, but I miss service.
I miss smiles, and pleasantries, and answered questions. I miss feeling like a customer, instead of a nuisance.
So, friends, as we mourn the passing of customer service let's take a moment to reflect on how it used to be ...
"Thank you for listening, and have a nice day.''
E.A.H. Goss is a Sunday News staff writer. "Four in the 40s'' is a weekly column that rotates among Living staff members.
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