One of my pet peeves (though I must admit, in comparison to thermo-nuclear war, is a very small thing) is when people say “No Problem!”

The server asks me if I need a refill on my iced tea, I say yes, and he/she says “No Problem!”  I call for information at a business, get what I called for, and the person on the phone says “No Problem!” If I ask that an appointment be moved from one date to another, the person says – you guessed it – “No Problem!”

Why would it be a problem?  Do I look like a problem person?  Do they think that I think getting me a refresh on my iced tea might be a problem (lack of supply of iced tea, that it might not get to my table before midnight, that I might be dissatisfied by the fresh iced tea, etc.)?

Is serving someone or answering a question really a problem to be solved, and if so, who created the problem?  I didn’t – all I did was call or come to the place where they work.

Here are a couple statements that might work better.

“Would you like a refresh on your tea?”  “Yes, thank you”.  “I’ll get that for you ASAP” or “Yes sir, right away!”  I tried this last one on my wife and said that’s how I would like to be addressed from now on. My black eye is healing and I can almost see out of it now.  😉

Be courteous to the people who serve us!  Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself “What kind of customer was I today?”

Blessings!

Pastor Mark