Consumer culture

When you fly into Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, one of the first things you see as you walk off the plane is a poster encouraging you to report governmental corruption. As a country formerly under the rule of communism, which rewards loyalty to the ruling bureaucracy rather than integrity and competence, corruption is one of the biggest problems facing Croatia. As my friend Spencer snapped a photo of the anti-corruption sign I remarked “We’ll have to start putting up signs like that in America if the Clintons take back the White House.”\nI travelled to Croatia over spring break with a class I’m taking in the business school called “Emerging Markets.” We visited several companies, as well as the Croatian Chamber of Economy and a post-graduate business school, to learn about how the government and the private sector are working to be more competitive in the global economy. But I think I learned the most through observation and conversations with individual Croatians.\nI’ve traveled to several countries now, and I’m starting to notice a trend that sets the U.S. apart. In the U.S., we have a strong consumer culture; we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure customers are happy and continue to spend money at our businesses. But in Croatia, I’d often walk into a restaurant or a store and feel like an intruder. I didn’t feel like a welcome guest; I felt like I was interrupting the employees’ otherwise leisurely day.\nPart of the disparity in service undoubtedly comes from our custom of tipping wait staff. I worked as a server and bartender for three years, and the primary reason that I always wanted to provide excellent service is because nearly my entire income depended on it. In other countries where tipping is uncommon, or where perhaps a flat service fee is charged at every meal, there is no incentive for servers to do a good job. We did have a few servers in Croatia that were fantastic, and I always made it a point to tip them well and thank them for their good service.\nI had a chance to talk with a Croatian MBA student working for a major pharmaceutical company. He spent much of his life living in the U.S., and he laughed knowingly when I talked about my experience in Croatian stores and restaurants. He said he missed being a consumer in America, where “the customer is always right.” Emphasis on consumer satisfaction rather than workers’ rights is one of the factors that has made the U.S. so strong. When you focus on the consumer, everybody benefits – including the worker, whose job depends on the company’s success.\nCroatia is a beautiful country, and they’ve made tremendous economic progress in a very short time. But I think they would do well to adopt a mindset that doesn’t view workers and consumers as competitors. As an international studies major, I think it’s fascinating and vitally important to study and appreciate other countries. But we shouldn’t forget to appreciate our own culture and heritage or the principles and traditions that have made the U.S. such a great country.