Customer Service?

Yesterday I went to the bank and had to go inside for my transaction. There was quite a line - about 10 people in front of me, and one teller. A few minutes later, a second teller came and things moved a bit faster for a minute. The line continued to grow, and the first teller left - probably for lunch, as she took her purse with her. By this time, there were at least 15 people in line and only one teller. Crazy! You could tell everyone waiting was a bit disgruntled, but fortunately everyone kept their cool. Also, the one lone teller was polite and kind when I finally got to the window, but I couldn't help but think of the teller who left. Even if it was time for her to take lunch, you would think common courtesy (to the customers and her colleagues) would tell her to wait a bit longer until the line went down, and then take lunch.

I really think customer service is dead in many areas...and it's kind of frustrating. Are we just so used to everything being automated that we forget we're interacting with people? So here's something I, as a customer, am trying to do to remedy this problem - something my dad taught me. Often people at check-out lanes or waitstaff wear name tags. At the end of my transaction I try to say "thank-you (name)". Maybe if they feel more appreciated (by my recognizing that they are a person) that will translate into better service for the customers. I don't know, can't hurt to try!