Make "THIS GUY" (Herman) in Charge of OBS - Bar

[rrdude]

Saw this on Facebook today. Man, talk about "Going the Extra Mile"!

He makes the little hand-written and typed signs I made back in the 70's and 80's look, well, "Antique". i actually got "written up" for having "non-approved" signage with me once on the Chief. I was working the downstairs snack bar, and i had made some sings directing PAX to "Come down and enjoy the lounge,buy a deck of cards, yada, yada, yada..."

I used to carry all KINDS of extra crap: Sharpies, black white cardboard (the kind you get when you have your shirts laundered, and boxed) I recently found two or three boxes with a lot of my old Amtrak crap, uniforms, time sheets, extra forms, commendation letters, it was fun.

This guy's name apparently is Herman, works the Cap Corridor in Cali. KUDOS to Herman!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Amtrak needs more Employees and OBS like this!

 

[rrdude]

I'm just guessing here, but I bet Herman is able to bid-and-hold a regular run, drives right to the crewbase, parks his vehicle, and carries these signs with him. (the neon look-alike signs)

That would really make things EZ. I had to catch the L, then transfer to a CTA bus, then walk from the bus stop to the 14 street yards. Carrying all that extra crap sucked. But I was young, and "Me-looved-the-nice-tips".

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Restaurant Depot / Jetro stores will have signage like that.. Restaurant Depot is general not open to the public (you need a tax ID) Jetro are cash and carry.

http://www.restaurantdepot.com/locations

 

[crew]

Looks tacky to me. As a longtime employee, I can assure you that passengers have enough difficulty reading the regular signs that are placed in front of them to find the restrooms, exits, etc., without adding all of this visual clutter.

 

[Ryan]

As a long time customer, I'd rather deal with Herman than someone with your attitude.

 

[Railroad Bill]

As a long time customer, I'd rather deal with Herman than someone with your attitude.

Ain't that the truth! :hi:

 

[FriskyFL]

Guest, if you're so embittered, perhaps a career change is in order? Your attitude encapsulates all that is wrong at Amtrak.

 

[roomette]

 

[SarahZ]

The menu is right there on the left window. I can see it in the small picture; I'm sure it's quite easy to see in person.

I think the signs are fabulous, and they show he's not only dedicated to his job, but loves it too.

I'd rather have him serve me than someone who thinks I'm too stupid to read a menu that's plastered six inches from my face.

 

[seat38a]

On two different trips on Amtrak's pacific surfliner, we had "Nitro" as our cafe attendant. He makes funny announcement through out the trip. When you go visit the cafe when he is working, pretty much everything is sold out or running low. I told him, he needs to stop making those funny announcements so there is something left for me to buy when I board. Now on other trains I have taken, the cafe is fully stocked. Good for Amtrak bad for me.

 

[crew]

As people who supposedly want Amtrak to be financially successful, you might want to take a step back. Inconsistent signage is just one symptom of an unprofessional environment - and my university degree, which entailed lots of design elements, took note of this. A place with a lot of handmade/random/inconsistent elements just makes it look shabby. Do you want to see your TAs wearing flip-flops and jorts? Do you want your SAs to wear halter tops and bikini bottoms? Most people, for your information, do NOT want such things. They want to see a professional environment, with cohesive elements of design from uniforms to signage to seat coverings.

I am not "embittered", but I believe that wearing my proper uniform is as important as making sure that proper signage is in place, and that everything is consistent, system-wide. There are plenty of horror stories about LSAs "going rogue", that I needn't repeat to prove my point...

 

[crew]

As a long time customer, I'd rather deal with Herman than someone with your attitude.

What attitude is it that you have a problem with? One who is polite, punctual, well-informed, and follows the blue book as closely as possible in terms of presenting the image that Amtrak asks for as part of my job? It's not supposed to be an anarchic, do-as-you-please-and-rules-be-damned environment...

 

[Ryan]

Sarah really said it best.

I'd rather have him serve me than someone who thinks I'm too stupid to read a menu that's plastered six inches from my face.

I'm the biggest supporter of the Blue Book in the universe, but you get extra credit for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Edit to add: I do think that this is a bit much, though. We don't need sweeping generalizations based on a single post.

Guest, if you're so embittered, perhaps a career change is in order? Your attitude encapsulates all that is wrong at Amtrak.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Looking at the photo, I see a smiling face; one who looks happy doing his job. Everything seems to be in order except for the neon sign, which adds a nice touch to the display of items for sale. A rather inviting atmosphere, as opposed to a majority of people working the cafe car with an attitude. I appreciate order and stability, but I see nothing wrong with an employee who wants his customers to enjoy their Amtrak experience. There are so many Amtrak employees who make up rules as they go, that at least, in this case, it is a positive reflection on the company.

 

[guest]

For your consideration:

 

[Ryan]

That's not dreadful.

It's also a far cry from what Herman is doing.

 

[VentureForth]

Ready! Shoot! AIM!

 

[Tumbleweed]

As people who supposedly want Amtrak to be financially successful, you might want to take a step back. Inconsistent signage is just one symptom of an unprofessional environment - and my university degree, which entailed lots of design elements, took note of this. A place with a lot of handmade/random/inconsistent elements just makes it look shabby. Do you want to see your TAs wearing flip-flops and jorts? Do you want your SAs to wear halter tops and bikini bottoms? Most people, for your information, do NOT want such things. They want to see a professional environment, with cohesive elements of design from uniforms to signage to seat coverings.

I am not "embittered", but I believe that wearing my proper uniform is as important as making sure that proper signage is in place, and that everything is consistent, system-wide. There are plenty of horror stories about LSAs "going rogue", that I needn't repeat to prove my point...

Lighten up Frances......

 

[Bob Dylan]

As a long time customer, I'd rather deal with Herman than someone with your attitude.

Ditto! Hope I Don't have to ride that OBS" Train! :help: (And from what I see "Herman" IS Professional with a Sharp Looking Uniform and a Smile on his Face! Believe me when I say that most Customer Service people. especially in Transportation, don't Measure up to him no matter how much Experience or Education they have! Attitude is Everything in Customer Service! YMMV

 

[the Other Mike]

Looks tacky to me. As a longtime employee, I can assure you that passengers have enough difficulty reading the regular signs that are placed in front of them to find the restrooms, exits, etc., without adding all of this visual clutter.

Well, it seems to me you missed an important part of your argument. While I actually LIKE what he has done, should the menue not be on the right side since the majority of people ( who are right handed ) tend to look to the right to read ?

MY biggest problem is that "his" signs partially block the line of sight of the patrons, but then again, what difference does that make since so many people usually wait till they get to the window and ASK what they sell. On most trips to the lounge I've found people in front of me who answer the employee's question " What can I get for you ?" with Uhhhhhhh you got Coke.

IMHO, the lounge attendant puts up with more crap than any other crew member. Between idiots that can't make a decision or the number of kids that need their dry packed mac and cheese cooked for them ( without even a "thank you" much less a tip) then proceed to spill their foods on the tables and leave, makes the lounge a place I'd rather not be.

The fact that this guy has a smiling face AND takes pride in his work station makes me want to ride HIS train.

It's not like he's putting flowers on the tables

Just saying

 

[TVRM610]

I'll echo what others have said...

Amtrak needs more employees like Herman who take pride and have fun with the work they do.

And less employees like Guest_Crew who think their college education trumps a smiling face and someone who "gets" customer service.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Most folks riding the train are there to relax and even get away from the rigid structured corporate environments that dictate so many lives these days. While Herman may not be "by the book" I would much rather come to the Cafe and see someone like him enjoying his work and sharing that pleasure with his patrons who in turn will relax and enjoy their train experience that much more.

 

[andersone]

Looks tacky to me. As a longtime employee, I can assure you that passengers have enough difficulty reading the regular signs that are placed in front of them to find the restrooms, exits, etc., without adding all of this visual clutter.

Well, it seems to me you missed an important part of your argument. While I actually LIKE what he has done, should the menue not be on the right side since the majority of people ( who are right handed ) tend to look to the right to read ?

MY biggest problem is that "his" signs partially block the line of sight of the patrons, but then again, what difference does that make since so many people usually wait till they get to the window and ASK what they sell. On most trips to the lounge I've found people in front of me who answer the employee's question " What can I get for you ?" with Uhhhhhhh you got Coke.

IMHO, the lounge attendant puts up with more crap than any other crew member. Between idiots that can't make a decision or the number of kids that need their dry packed mac and cheese cooked for them ( without even a "thank you" much less a tip) then proceed to spill their foods on the tables and leave, makes the lounge a place I'd rather not be.

The fact that this guy has a smiling face AND takes pride in his work station makes me want to ride HIS train.

It's not like he's putting flowers on the tables

Just saying

Your points are so salient. It is the font / color ignorance of most folks that make for unreadable documents. The point is to communicate and there are RULES. Folks read top to bottom, left to right. Too much information tends to decrease meaning. For years I have fought the poster wars everywhere i have worked. Put one poster on the wall, everybody sees it. Put five on the wall, nobody sees any of them. Too much color and the eyes get confused. Weird fonts make text unreadable.

To illustrate my point note the difference re arranging the content makes:

the lighted sign don't conflict each other. The menu is more accessible.

This is the reason companies have style guides. Not just for a consistent image, but a consistent READABLE image.

Just as my senior project as an undergraduate got an "A" for effort / creativity and a "C" for content, Herman mirrors that effort. God love him for his effort, just teach him how to do it right.

 

[tim49424]

As people who supposedly want Amtrak to be financially successful, you might want to take a step back. Inconsistent signage is just one symptom of an unprofessional environment - and my university degree, which entailed lots of design elements, took note of this. A place with a lot of handmade/random/inconsistent elements just makes it look shabby. Do you want to see your TAs wearing flip-flops and jorts? Do you want your SAs to wear halter tops and bikini bottoms? Most people, for your information, do NOT want such things. They want to see a professional environment, with cohesive elements of design from uniforms to signage to seat coverings.

I am not "embittered", but I believe that wearing my proper uniform is as important as making sure that proper signage is in place, and that everything is consistent, system-wide. There are plenty of horror stories about LSAs "going rogue", that I needn't repeat to prove my point...

As a long time customer, I'd rather deal with Herman than someone with your attitude.

What attitude is it that you have a problem with? One who is polite, punctual, well-informed, and follows the blue book as closely as possible in terms of presenting the image that Amtrak asks for as part of my job? It's not supposed to be an anarchic, do-as-you-please-and-rules-be-damned environment...

What I see in Howard is someone who paints outside the lines and will go the extra mile for his customers. He looks like he enjoys what he does and doesn't look at it as just a job. There is an Amtrak route I've ridden many times and one of the A/C's treats his passengers like family. He's always smiling, always happy, and you can tell it's genuine. He is a joy to ride with and always is glad to see me when I board. That's what I see in the pic of Howard.

What I see in "guest" is someone who is rigid, by the book and only goes as far as the book says he/she should go......I wouldn't care to be on board with someone who describes themselves as "One who is polite, punctual, well-informed, and follows the blue book as closely as possible in terms of presenting the image that Amtrak asks for as part of his/her job." It sounds forced and also sounds like the person looks at working for Amtrak as just a job. One suggestion....try to be more like Howard and a little less mechanical. If I want mechanical on my train, I'd suggest Amtrak get Julie to work trains.