Pushover, pushy, or somewhere in between?

This is the blog post I recently wrote for my monthly entry as a featured blogger on Girl Power Hour. In case you didn't read it on their site, here's my latest blog post! 

Picture this: you’ve just gotten home from grocery shopping. You’re unpacking your groceries and you notice that something you bought is way past its expiration date. Or, you’re looking over a receipt from happy hour last night, only to discover that you were overcharged. Maybe you’re checking out of the hotel at the end of a girls’ weekend, and at the front desk they try to charge you a different price than what you booked online.

What do you do? Do you ignore it, not wanting to make a scene? Or, do you point it out to the server, clerk, or manager?

Something similar happened to me last week. I was running late and trying to pull together a salad for my niece’s birthday party. I had gone to the store earlier that morning and bought all of the ingredients that I needed, including fresh basil. When I went to put the salad together, I discovered that not only was the basil past its prime – it was so moldy it was fuzzy!

I quickly threw together the other ingredients and swung back by the store on my way to the party. I calmly explained the situation to the woman at the customer service desk, and she was rude, condescending, and the words, “I’m sorry” never crossed her lips. Sigh. With no time to ask for a manager, I swapped out the basil and headed off to the party.

But, a few days later, I went on the store’s website and emailed the manager. I got a response this morning saying it had been elevated to someone higher up.

I don’t know exactly what I expect to come of this, but I do know one thing: I work hard for my money, and whether it’s $1, $10, or $100, I deserve quality products and respectful service.

So, next time you receive poor service, are overcharged, or find yourself with a sub-par product, speak up for yourself! Be calm, polite, straightforward, and assertive. Don’t be afraid to ask to speak for a supervisor. If you don’t receive the answer you’re looking for, simply take your business elsewhere in the future – money talks.

Expecting quality in exchange for your hard-earned dollars doesn’t make you a bitch; it makes you a savvy shopper.

Top 3 things NOT to tell a small business owner

People always ask annoying questions, in general. Remember when you were a senior in high school and everyone would ask what your major was going to be, before you even set foot on a college campus? Or, when you're graduating from college and everyone asks where you're working (as if finding a job post-college is an easy thing to do!). Or, when you're a newlywed and people ask when you're going to start having kids. The list goes on.

However (and maybe this is because I am just grumpy today), as a full-time freelancer/small business owner, I have gotten the three most annoying comments lately. Here goes...

1. "Oh, so you quit your real job?" Yep. I am now working with fake clients, on my fake computer, for fake money. Monopoly money, actually! Thanks for asking.
2. People referring to your company as your "little business". My career is not a baby or a puppy. The cutesy descriptors aren't necessary.
3. "Oh, so you're a stay-at-home wife now!" No, actually, just like everyone else, I work full-time, Monday through Friday. I'm not pretending to work so that I can stay home and let my husband make all the money. In fact, I work longer hours now than I did at my corporate job!

Sigh.