Today I made comments/complaints/suggestions to two companies.  I often wonder what they really do with these or what they think their customers are thinking when they send them.  Most of the time the reason I send them notes is because I want to help them.  I figure a company’s main goal is to make money, which is accomplished by serving their customers satisfactorily so they keep returning to that store.  So when I give them feedback, I’m doing it for two reasons.  One is so that I can vent my frustration I felt while at the store.  The other, more important, is so that they know how they fell short of my expectations.  I hope that stores/companies take this information and use it to improve their service.  I figure it is almost my duty as a customer to let them know so they can improve their service.  However, I’m sure most companies simply discard it because they don’t care.  I do wonder if there are any studies about the success of a business and their policies with dealing with customer comments.  Just something to ponder…

This past Sunday when I was attending University Lutheran Church in East Lansing for Pentecost, the children’s message was about birthdays.  One of the questions the pastor asked the children was “what was their best birthday gift?”  One of the kids said theirs was a cupcake maker, which sounded neat to me, but also got me thinking about what the best birthday gift I ever got was.  I couldn’t, and still can’t, really think of any gift, good or bad, that I got on my birthday.  This doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate them, just that I don’t remember them.

What I do remember for my birthdays is the people I spent them with.  I remember the birthdays we had with our family and one friend where we’d go bowling (or any activity we wanted, but always chose bowling) and have dinner.  I remember my friends from college coming to the U.P. to celebrate my 21st birthday.  I remember my co-workers decorating my cubicle and bringing in food.  I remember my parents taking me to a restaurant for my birthday and almost everyone in the restaurant singing “Happy Birthday” to me.

This just goes to show what is truely important in life – family and friends.  So next time you wonder what to get someone for their birthday – remember the best thing you can give – is yourself.