I venture to say that the upcoming holiday shopping season will the best that this region has experienced in close to 10 years. However, the recovery has not reached all areas, and it has not reached all industries. Due to the structuring of the local government tax system, retail sales are highly sought after, and as a result, there is tremendous competition among stores. Retail is grossly overbuilt throughout Los Angeles County. Selling at low prices encourages traffic and volume, and many locally owned shops cannot compete against national chains.
Customer service is nearly nonexistent in most businesses.
There is no genuine excuse for anyone not thanking people who choose to spend their hard-earned dollars in a place of business. The advent of the voice-mail system seems to be a universal excuse for people in organizations not to answer their telephones, or have the courtesy to return calls made to them. No one I know ever grew up claiming to want to be in sales. Everyone wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, whatever. Yet most businesses succeed or fail based on their ability to provide goods and services to customers at a reasonable price.