During a recent cruise,
a loved one and I
were seated
within hearing distance
of a table
of absolutely awful people.
They hated everything
and everyone,
complained about
the service, food, dining room temperature
and everything else.
I knew
that first night,
they wouldn’t pay the expected tips
because they would NEVER
be happy
with the experience.
But the waitstaff, officers, chefs
tried to do the impossible.
They doted on them.
They cooked them
special meals.
This table of terribles
sucked up the service
the rest of us
would have been happy to experience.
And then,
on the last night,
they didn’t appear.
I overheard
one of the waitstaff say
this terrible table
reduced their tips
to nothing.
There are some people
you will NEVER please.
Stop trying to please them.
That effort is sucking up
the energy
you could use
to make happy customers happier.
Focus on the people
you CAN please.