Karen Isn't Always Right

Gretchen has been on KIAR before and wanted to come back on to further  discuss her experience as being a Karen and trying to get past what happened. We talk at length about why this behavior happens even well-tempered people and how there are different  "levels" of Karens. Always a   pleasure to talk to her!

Joshua  Fowler - Joshua works at an auto parts supply company out on the east coast. To my surprise, that industry gets a lot more Karens than one would think. We talk about one particularly methy one that ended in a bad Yelp review. Enjoy!

Aaron has been a truck driver for some time now and shares his unique perspective when it comes to Karen. We discuss the tendency for affluent areas to come with more attitude and how important it is to sometimes just swallow your pride in an effort to just   move on from a situation. I gotta tell ya, Aaron instantly became one of my favorite people to talk to and I really hope you enjoy this episode. 

Micajosiah has been a manager in the grocery business and shares the importance of finding your calm.  He also talks about how a consistent schedule in the service industry can be invaluable in mitigating anxiety when feeling overwhelmed.  Super nice guy and great to get to know him

Sara is a General Manager of a Gap just outside Chicago. Sara and I had a great conversation during this episode. We talk about the flight or fight response many folks have when a situation escalates, the importance of being empowered by a company to solve problems and one that really stood out to me: reducing the amount of friction points a customer encounters

Ryan has been a variety of customer facing jobs, is a former marine, and my oldest friend. We talk about the importance of developing a rapport and doing customer service face to face and why the fast pace of life may have led to an overall decline in customer service in a lot of companies. It was pretty great to do this show with him. 

My guest today is Jim Lenderts, Marijuana Enforcement Officer for the Ft. Collins, CO Police Department.  He gave us the police officer perspective of customer service and shared some fantastic insight into keeping cool under pressure, emotional intelligence, empathy, and some verbal Judo.  I have an immense amount of respect for Jim and I think he brought a ton of great stuff to the conversation today.

The great and powerful Jeff joins KIAR again 

Chris is the manager of a furniture store and he comes to us today to   talk about how to head things off at the pass with Karen, who Karen actually   is, and what it's like to be videotaped during a Karen altercation. Great guy and insightful conversation. 

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Sherell is a an up and coming General Manager with Cinemark Theatres   as well as being a fellow KC Chiefs fan. She came on the show and shared her career progression which included   some serious determination. We also   talked about the importance of trusting your team and being genuine to   Guests. I really enjoyed talking with her. 

Karen Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy, empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU.

If you love Karen Isn’t Always Right, please share with others and possibly even consider donating. Just use the Anchor link and then click the “Support” button. A one time donation or, even better, a small monthly donation would be appreciated!

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep improving!!

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

We're   here to not only commiserate with   anyone serving customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also   provide sympathy, empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a   sounding board for anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world   may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to provide   relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world advice,   and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the   right thing for YOU.

Michael Venner  is an outstanding GM for Cinemark Theatres in the Dallas area. Michael is someone who is constantly   thinking of new and better approaches to things and does an amazing job of   conveying this to everyone and genuinely being there to help anyone who needs   it. We chat at length about so many   things from leadership to customer service to employee engagement. He also shares a bit of his career path   with us. One of the great things that   Michael recently shared with everyone was an amazing photo and video tribute   to those GMs working in theatres after the shut down expressing how much we   all miss our teams. Keep an ear out   for how to find that. One last thing,   in my opinion, he has probably the absolute best voice for a podcast in the history of podcasts! Here's Michael.

Renae is a former GM for AMC Theatres and was one of the best bosses   I've ever worked for. She's now in the   banking industry and gives great advice on keeping it together and standing   ground to a Karen. I love her direct   and no nonsense attitude and she's always a blast to talk to. 

Oscar is a GM with Cinemark Theatres and I'm a big fan of the   guy. On this episode, we talk about   his stint as an auditor, the difference in Guests in a discount market vs.  first run and the importance of having great teams.

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Susan and I discuss a lot of the challenges we face in the day to day  running of a theatre, but also talk a lot about what has kept us going in the   industry for so long. Susan has been through a great deal in her career and she still keeps a great attitude and mindset. 

Brady Tyler, Talent Development Specialist for Cinemark Theatres   joins us today. Brady is a face known to many within the Cinemark ranks and got his start taking care of customers   from the very beginning of his career. Now he helps the rest of Cinemark with resources he's developed to be   able to do the same. A great guy with some fun stories. 

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Brandon and I first crossed paths when he was my auditor back in   2007. Pretty sure it was my worst   audit in my career and yet, I couldn't help but still like him as he's one of   the friendliest and approachable people I've ever met. Next to some Cinemark executives, Brandon   is probably one of the most recognizeable faces (or at least voices) within   the company as he played a part in many of the training initiatives over the   past ten years. It was a real pleasure   listening to him share his path and why he loves what he does. 

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Wayne is a good friend of mine and a fellow Theatre General   Manager. I'm not sure I've ever met   someone as passionate about doing things the right way and standing up for   what you believe in. Today, we talk a   great deal about leadership as well as the struggles with trying to find the   elusive "work life balance". He also shares an intense Karen story about being assualted in front   of his family. One last thing...   during the Covid craziness, Wayne has started up on Tik Tok, so check him out   at Fugatefilms13 and give him a follow. 

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Mike and I met when I moved recently and I was in his restaurant and I   asked my server if she knew anyone who'd like to come on my podcast to talk   about working in the service industry. She didn't hesitate to put me in touch with Mike. While a worldwide pandemic delayed things a   little, we were finally able to connect and make this happen. Mike brings us not only some good insight into server life, but also working for Cinemark which is something I learned done literally right before we recorded the podcast. 

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Heather takes us thru how she got her 1st job at a theatre and   worked her way up to being a Senior Manager at a theatre in the Chicago area. Heather is one of the most dedicated people   I've ever come to know. Also, I   figured if I could convince her to let me marry her best friend, I could   convince her to come on the show. I   enjoyed our conversation and I hope you do as well. 

Karen Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Christopher peruses and comments on the FB page, "No KaReN" and its associated comments.  Interesting stuff in there.

Shane currently works in the training   department for AMC Theatres. He and I   became friends back in 2011 back when he had the impossible task of being my   mentor as I transitioned into the GM ranks with AMC when I joined the   company. Shane takes us thru his   career as bounced all over the country thru the years to include New Orleans,   New York City, and even my hometown in the suburbs of Kansas. A great guy with a ton of experience and knowledge. 

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Charlie Street started working in theatres when he was a teenager and ended his career as a Divisional Vice President.  He takes us through his career and shares his reason for why he loved the job - the people.  Charlie also gives some valuable insight into some of his Karen encounters as well as great advice on how to handle tough situations.  

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Danny comes back to Karen Isn't Always Right!  This time, amongst a myriad of topics, he takes us through his career progression and shares why he's stuck around this industry for so long.

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Dustin and I talk about how he got started working in movie theatres and his career progression.  He also shares why he loves the industry and the reasons he's stuck with it for so long.  

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Karen Isn’t Always Right is taking a moment to pivot a little. We’re going to share our stories about why we have a passion for working in movie theatres. We want to share these with not only others in the exhibition industry, but also with those on the production side that may have the connections and resources to assist in the efforts to keep the exhibition side alive in this crisis. Please listen, but even more importantly, please share the love that so many that have dedicated to this industry.

A customer service based podcast

Karen Isn’t Always Right is taking a moment to pivot a little. We’re going to share our stories about why we have a passion for working in movie theatres. We want to share these with not only others in the exhibition industry, but also with those on the production side that may have the connections and resources to assist in the efforts to keep the exhibition side alive in this crisis. Please listen, but even more importantly, please share the love that so many that have dedicated to this industry.

Karen Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Karen Isn’t Always Right is taking a moment to pivot a little. We’re going to share our stories about why we have a passion for working in movie theatres. We want to share these with not only others in the exhibition industry, but also with those on the production side that may have the connections and resources to assist in the efforts to keep the exhibition side alive in this crisis. Please listen, but even more importantly, please share the love that so many that have dedicated to this industry.

Christopher and Jeff talk at length about his approach to challenging guests on social media as well as many other things.

Alesha talked to me about how much she relates to the anxiety I discuss on the show and I thought, who better to come on and discuss their own personal experiences?

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Danny, with over 30 years of experience in customer service, shares his thoughts on the many challenges we've encountered over the years.  He may just think I'm a bitch, but I still somehow have his respect

A very personal episode in which I discuss my personal anxiety associated with the extremely difficult guest and customers I encounter.  If you personally struggle with the same thing, I urge you to listen as you may be able to relate.  If you don't, but know someone who might, please share with them.

I sit down with Rick and Bry, a couple of former managers of mine.  We talk about some of our experiences in the early days of working together as well as a few of the new, crazy things that's happened since we parted ways.

Karen   Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving   customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy,   empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for   anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of   the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to   provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world   advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your   customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our   production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep   improving!!

Jake shares his terrible run in with Karen while working his 3rd shift at the local Walgreens.  Fucking Karen indeed.

Karen Isn't Always Right is   here to not only commiserate with anyone serving customers and guests on a   day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy, empathy, and ultimately -   guidance to those in need of a sounding board for anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU. Fyi, we're still fine tuning our production skills, so please be patient. We promise we're going to keep improving!!

My son and I discuss his experiences as a teenager working in customer service.  Riley shares his thoughts on some of the challenges he's faced while working at a pizza joint as well as a couple of other restaurants.  He brings a unique perspective that many of us may have forgotten about as we've progressed in our careers.

Karen Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy, empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world advice,   and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU.

Fyi, we're still fine tuning our production skills, so please be patient.  We promise we're going to keep improving!!

Christopher shares his thoughts again about some specific customer encounters, the upcoming busy season at his job, and why he started this podcast.

Karen Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy, empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a sounding board for anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to provide   relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU.

Btw, we know the production value needs work.  We ask for your patience as we work through essentially learning how to do this from scratch.  We'll get better!

This episode is your host, Christopher, discussing his thoughts about Karen, customer service, and pretty much any other random thought that passes through is brain.  

Karen Isn't Always Right is here to not only commiserate with anyone serving customers and guests on a day to day basis, but to also provide sympathy, empathy, and ultimately - guidance to those in need of a   sounding board for anyone experiencing challenging customers. While the "Karens" of the world may cause stress and in some cases, even PTSD, our mission is to provide relief by way of showing you that you're not alone, giving real world advice, and helping you find a balance between doing the right thing for your customers, your organization, and the right thing for YOU.

The inaugural episode of Karen Isn't Always Right and what we're about.  We're still a little ghetto in terms of production, but we'll get better!  Hang in there and if you have ideas or questions, go to KIARpodcast.com and tell us!