Episode 539: Preferential Treatment

[00:00:16] Welcome to Dreas Point of View. I am your hostess, Dreya, and in the next 10 minutes or less, I'll be offering you my perspective on a topic that I feel passionate about. So make sure that you're following the show at Dreas Point of View on IG, Pinterest, Threads, and Facebook. You can also find me at Dreas Point, an accent spill, and at bluesky at dreaspointofview.bluesky.social.

[00:00:46] So how do you feel about preferential treatment? Do you like when you benefit from it? I know you can't possibly like it when someone else benefits from it. Do you know what it is?

[00:01:08] When you're treated better than someone else, when you are given more advantages or benefits than someone else because of an affiliation. I have been on both sides of that coin. And this time I want to speak for the side that actually gets it instead of one who sees it happen to someone else.

[00:01:39] I travel often and I stay at certain hotels often as well that are very nice. And I stay at this one hotel in particular. I won't name it. It's a five-star hotel.

[00:02:07] And I haven't been, okay, my first time going to this hotel. I heard how nice it was, but I got to experience the amenities, the spa. And I'm like, okay, this is very nice.

[00:02:25] So I went by the pool. I sat there for about 10 minutes and no one acknowledged me.

[00:02:34] I was just feeling the vibes, enjoying the ambiance. And I thought, oh, this is interesting. No one came over to see if I wanted anything. I know they saw me. I'm not invisible.

[00:02:49] So about a few minutes later, I went over to the bar and placed my order. The guy took my order. Nothing special, no smile, just stone-faced. Went back over to my seat.

[00:03:12] He brought out the condiments and everything before the meal. And he came over to check on me. And then when it came time to pay, my card was in my room. So I had Apple Pay. I asked, I said, do I need to go over to the bar?

[00:03:32] You take Apple Pay or can I charge her to my room? And he said, well, do you have a card on file? I said, no. But, you know, I told him what group I was with.

[00:03:43] And all of a sudden, his face lit up. He was like, oh, I've never. He did a 180. And it was interesting because before, I basically was the average Joe. And now you want to treat me kind because you know who I work for.

[00:04:10] I kind of felt a way about that, to be honest, because like I said, it's a five-star spot. Everyone should be treated like royalty, not just because.

[00:04:22] And then there was an instance where I actually was telling someone about an experience I had at a restaurant.

[00:04:35] And she worked for that restaurant, but a different location. Her experience was similar to mine.

[00:04:43] She got treated like crap. Didn't mention she worked for the company up front.

[00:04:48] It wasn't until they were about to bring the bill that she asked for the employee discount.

[00:04:57] And after she proved who she worked for, they started treating her different, she noticed.

[00:05:04] And it was too late at that point. And someone told her she should have said it at the beginning.

[00:05:12] And I'm like, no, you did right. You didn't want that preferential treatment.

[00:05:19] How do you feel when you are treated? Do you prefer that? Like, when you go to a place, do you tell them up front, yes, I'm with so-and-so, so you could be treated better?

[00:05:34] If so, why? Or do you play it cool and not mention it just to see how you're going to be treated?

[00:05:46] I don't enjoy it on either side. I don't enjoy watching someone get treated better than me.

[00:05:54] And I don't enjoy being treated better than someone else.

[00:05:59] I think we should all be treated the same. I know it doesn't happen that way.

[00:06:03] People have bad days. People are biased.

[00:06:07] But when you are in the customer service industry, everyone that walks in is a dollar sign.

[00:06:17] We should all be treated equally with respect. That's what I believe.

[00:06:25] So, what say you? I'd love to know your thoughts on the whole idea of preferential treatment.

[00:06:36] You can contact me at Drea's Point of View at Yahoo.com.

[00:06:42] I'd also love if you review the show. You can catch up on my previous episodes.

[00:06:48] I have episodes that come out three days a week, Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at thedreahspointofview.com.

[00:06:58] As always, I thank you for listening. This has been Drea's Point of View.