This article is less interesting than the original, mostly because most of the stuff he gets isn't all that outrageous or interesting. Of course the hotel staff will bring you random objects for $20, and a stripper doesn't care if you want to talk about your dog. It's only interesting on those odd occasions where you get something which is worth, in some sense, more than $20.
The final paragraph, though, about the power of calling service staff by their names, is is interesting. Maybe I should try that. Anyone got any experience with habitually learning and using names (or just reading off their nametags)?
People really open up to you when you call them by name...
I never realized it, but almost every conversation I have on the phone goes like this:
ring
ring
"Thenks for calling hacker news, this is PG, how can I help you?"
"Hey, PG, whats up?"
This totally throws the customer service rep off. Most people just ignore the name and start screaming off their question. It makes you different and "fun" to them. Think about answering the phone all day. Suddenly somebody showing an interest in you goes a long way.
I never realized that I did this until a good friend of mine pointed it out to me. I now feel kindof bad about being manipulative :( (although unintentionally).
The same thing also works for most other service people. Be nice to them. Treat them like people and suddenly things happen for you :)
(there is a restaurant in Tempe, AZ that does not serve fried pickles. However, if you're nice enough to the server, they'll generally pull some strings for you and BAM! friend pickles. I emphasize that they don't serve them because, if you get a server who is in a particularly bad mood and you ask for them, they will get sortof angry at you. I think they're a pain in the ass for the cooks.)
I'm going to go ahead and be the counter point on this. I worked at a shitty service job for years and nothing pissed me off like people using my name and trying to get friendly.
Same, though I think there's a slight difference. I used to just hate people reading my name off my badge and using it in a smarmy way (and it was always smarmy). But if you're answering the phone and volunteering your name as information, I think it's a little different.
It depends on how you do it, really. I get fed up with callers who constantly interject my name or worse, "$TITLE $SURNAME". Especially when they get the title wrong - it feels like I'm eavesdropping on one of my parents' conversations. That stuff just stinks of "I've been trained to repeat your name and I'm reading it off a screen right now". Urgh.
Umm...no offense, but how would you prefer that people be nice to you?
Did you just hate your job? There is no sense getting mad at the people that were trying to treat you like a human being. I also spent many years working in service industry jobs. People talking to me like I was a person and not a piece of shit that was somehow below them made all the difference to me.
It sounds to me like you're assuming that everybody who tries to be nice to you is being fake.
My being nice to people when I talk to them is a result of my mid-western upbringing, as well as my working the majority of the jobs I'm talking about here.
well, I live in the 3rd richest county (used to be #1) in the united states. the people here are worse than you can possibly imagine (lots of inherited wealth).
> The final paragraph, though, about the power of calling service staff by their names, is is interesting. Maybe I should try that. Anyone got any experience with habitually learning and using names (or just reading off their nametags)?
I find that not treating them like service staff works wonders. I think that's part of the $20 and name tricks, it relaxes you into a state of sublime confidence. You begin talking to people as if you know them. This faux-familiarity makes them start treating you like they actually do know and like you. And no one wants to deny a favor to a friend.
It seems to have good results for me. People remember my usual order and are more friendly. It seems to work best if you're subtle about reading their name tag so by the time they look at you and interact with you, you can just use their name very naturally. If you're a regular customer and you remember their names, that works even better.
I won't say I've ever gotten anything out of it (I get free extra cheese on my pizza sometimes?) but it's a far more rewarding way to interact with people.
I do this as a matter of course. I don't do it to achieve any goal beyond recognizing the humanity of those who are serving me. That being said, it does seem to result in more attentive and personal service.
This is how almost everything works in my country. Road police stopped you? Give money and you're free. Want bureaucrats to process your documents faster? Give money. Want better medical service? Money.
The thing is, people are now _demanding_ bribes, and are not willing to do what they are supposed to do without money.
"So I went to twenty blackjack tables and offered twenty dealers twenty bucks for their best advice."
That would have made a fine N-List.
Also just noticed that Esquire has an interesting Javascript running if you copy text. If the text is long enough, it will add a link to the article to the copied text.
I think the hack here is that $20 is the price of renting someone's loyalty. $10 isn't worth it, $50+ makes you a bit crazy and possibly dangerous, bu $20 will get people to bend the rules temporarily without worrying about whether you're a criminal.
You could get much of what he asks for if you asked for it and told the people why you wanted / needed it. Doubtful? Look at what some will do for Mardi Gras beads.
Mardi Gras beads are a good example -- nobody does anything for Mardi Gras beads that they aren't sort-of looking for an excuse to do anyway. Offering them a trivial reward just gives them an excuse.
The final paragraph, though, about the power of calling service staff by their names, is is interesting. Maybe I should try that. Anyone got any experience with habitually learning and using names (or just reading off their nametags)?