Why does it take an economic recession to get good customer service?

I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon which I put down to the current downturn in the economic client.  We’ve all heard about people just not spending much money and I’m sure you’ve seen shopping centres more empty than normal despite all the sales promising up to 70% off.  So in these times where businesses are really trying to attract customers to spend money I’ve noticed that shop assistants and salespeople seem to be working a lot harder and providing some good customer service the likes of which we don’t see very often in the UK. 

I went to visit a car showroom the other day and normally when I have done this in the past the sales people are quite arrogant and full of themselves and spend more effort on those people who are there to buy the really expensive cars.  However, since there just isn’t many people buying cars at the moment anyone who expresses an interest seems to get the level of service usually reserved for the rich.  Even in shops, where usually shop assistants don’t even acknowledge your existence until you are actually parting with you money they now seem to eager to help you out to ensure you spend some money in their stores.

I’m used to this kind of service when I visit other countries  like the US or India but this kind of customer service is not something we experience very often in the UK.  I really like it and it makes my shopping experience so much nicer but why has it taken such a downturn in the economic climate for this to happen?  Surely this is what should have been happening all along but everyone just accepts things the way they are and this is quite a sad state of affairs if you think about it.  Many years ago I used to work in a shop of a large national chain and I used to love the interaction with customers which made my job more fun but also enabled the customers to go away feeling good.  In fact since I lived in a small town I would often bump into these same people when I was out and about in the evenings and weekends and it was like we had become friends.

My only hope is that as and when the economy improves again we don’t lose what we’re seeing right now and it remains as it is.  I know I am certainly very influenced by the way I am treated when I am in a shop and vote with my feet and my wallet if I don’t get the kind of service that I should receive a customer.

What about you – have you noticed this?  If not, keep an eye out on this and see if you feel there is a difference.   Is this the same in your countries/cities too…I’d love to hear from you.