The lion’s share of the blame probably shouldn’t rest on the employee. Not the manager either. Corporate’s hands aren’t too clean, but there’s an even bigger issue.

In my opinion, we’re to blame. Not Steve and Dustin, but all of us. We’re too afraid to take risk and do the right thing for fear of reprimand. We’re too busy to talk with managers about our lousy experiences in their store, restaurant, etc. We’re too skeptical of our employees’ abilities to give them an ounce of freedom (why in the world did we hire them then?).

It’s a global issue that demands local action. It’s a corporate epidemic that requires individual initiative. It’s OUR problem. What am I going to do about it?

Who do you think is to blame? It’s easy to fault the clerk at Walgreen’s, but I think the real problem lies with the leadership. Look at Southwest — their philosophy comes from the top down and is baked into their culture.

Not saying the clerk gets a free pass, but the root of the problem (IMHO) is leadership.

Thanks for adding to the discussion.