#59 What Happened to Customer Service After COVID?

Remember when stores were open 24/7, hotel rooms came with daily housekeeping, and tipping was a thank-you — not a ransom note?

Since COVID, businesses keep promising that “normal” will return… but the truth is, it’s not.

In this episode of Think First, we unravel the gaslighting baked into today’s customer experience: airlines charging more for less, restaurants pushing QR menus that nobody asked for, and shrinkflation turning family-size snacks into travel-size lies.

It’s not just bad service — it’s a cultural shift dressed up as “temporary inconvenience.”

And the question isn’t when things will go back.

It’s whether we’ll notice how much we’ve already lost.

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Read and reflect at Gaslight360.com/clarity

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is Think First, where we don't follow the script
.
We question it Because, in aworld full of poetic truths and
professional gaslighting,someone's got to say the quiet
part out loud.
When exactly did normalcustomer service die, and why do
we all pretend it's just takinga little longer to come back?

(00:25):
Did Walmart really forget howto stay open 24 hours?
Why does your $300 hotel roomnow come with a broom and a good
luck?
And how did tipping somethingthat was once a thank you turn
into a digital hostagenegotiation?
Here's the thing.
The pandemic was supposed to betemporary, a pause, a blip.

(00:47):
Instead it rewired the entireway we buy, fly, eat and sleep.
And now the biggest gaslight inconsumer culture is this
Companies keep insisting thateverything's back, except it
isn't and it's not going to be.
Take shopping, rememberlate-night Walmart runs.

(01:09):
They're gone.
Walmart flat-out admitted 24-7isn't coming back.
Self-checkout Also abait-and-switch.
It was sold as convenience,turns out it's convenient,
mostly for shrinkage and theft.
So now you get half the laneslocked, a red light blinking and

(01:29):
an employee who looks like TSAscanning your frozen peas.
Then there's dining.
Qr code menus the pandemic'sdigital savior are still
everywhere.
Nothing says hospitality likescanning a greasy sticker with
12 broken links and the tipscreen.
That's the plot twist.
You're not just tipping waitersanymore, you're tipping the

(01:52):
person who handed you a muffinAt the self-checkout.
It's not gratitude, it's ransom.
Tip 25%, or live with the guiltof stiffing Karen's iPad.
Hotels didn't miss their chanceeither.
Daily housekeeping Gone, nowit's upon request, which really

(02:15):
means we'll give you towels ifyou're brave enough to call the
front desk.
But the real poetic truth herethey didn't cut housekeeping to
protect you from germs.
They cut it to protect themfrom payroll and airlines
On-time performance in 2024?
78%, which is airline math for1 in 5 of you.

(02:37):
Good luck.
Southwest finally caved andadded bag fees, ending the last
airline perk worth braggingabout.
They call it aligning with theindustry.
I call it aligning with yourwallet and the products
themselves.
Welcome to the golden age ofshrinkflation.

(02:57):
You didn't imagine it.
Your chips really are in asmaller bag, your toilet paper
roll really does look anemic andyour family-size cereal box
could fit in the glovecompartment.
But here's the kicker theyraise the price anyway and tell
you it's a supply chain issue.
See the pattern.

(03:17):
The gaslight is the promise thatnormal will come back.
The poetic truth is the story.
They tell that every cut, everyfee, every missing feature is
somehow in your best interest.
It's for your safety, it's tostreamline your journey.
It's just temporary, excepttemporary got permanent.

(03:38):
We're not customers anymore,we're co-conspirators, swiping
our cards, scanning our codes,tipping the algorithm, all while
nodding politely like it'sstill 2019.
So maybe the smartest questionisn't when will service come
back?
Maybe it's what elsedisappeared during COVID that no

(03:58):
one plans on giving back.
I'm Jim Detchen and you don'tneed all the answers, but you
should question the ones you'rehanded, because if the past five
years taught us anything, it'sthat the new business model
isn't customer service, it'scustomer gaslighting.
Until next time, stay skeptical, stay curious and always think

(04:22):
first, want more.
The full six-step framework weuse is at Gaslight360.com.
You can also dive into thedeeper story, the bio, the
podcast and the mission atJimDetchincom.
And if you like this, one, tagit, save it, share it, because
if normal isn't coming back, theleast we can do is warn the

(04:45):
next guy walking into theself-checkout line.