Q: I am a small business owner who depends on and am grateful for every customer I have. A small cupcake shop opened down the street, and I like to support local businesses, so on my way to get coffee, I thought I would stop in and buy a couple of cupcakes (that is the only product). The lights were on, the door was open and three clerks were behind the counter, so I walked in and looked at the different cupcakes. The next thing that happened stunned me. When I ordered two cupcakes, a clerk said to me, "We open at 8 a.m., and it's 7:50, so you'll have to wait." For real! Her response was so rude and stupid, I walked out.

My parents had a small business throughout my childhood. They told me about catering to customers to give them the best service possible so they would return. Those values stayed with me. I "bend over backwards" to accommodate my customers. If a person calls and says he or she can't arrive until 5:15, and I normally close at 5 p.m., I tell them to come, and I will stay open. I have often had customers arrive just on closing, and I do whatever I can for them, even if it means staying. If those girls at the cupcake shop were my employees, I would fire all of them on the spot. The funny thing is that the cupcakes were way overpriced, but I was going to buy them to show my neighborhood support. I will never go to that store again! What has happened to people's values? So what if they are clerks. How about the basic kindnesses people should show to others? By the time they would have wrapped up the cupcakes, it would have been 8 a.m. Disgusting!

A: What a disappointing and frustrating way to start your day. The clerks at the shop lack common sense, as well as values. Whether they were minimum wage employees or relatives of the storeowner, their behavior is likely to sink the business.

If you are feeling benevolent, call the storeowner to report your experience. Restaurant owners know they have to be present to oversee staff and operations to ensure success. This small business owner may have to learn the hard way. It is not enough to rent a storefront and fill it with it product, no matter how wonderful the product is. Hiring kind, helpful and honest personnel can be the determining factor in making money.

REAL EXPERIENCES WITH HAMP

Q: While I am not one of them, I know two people who were helped by the Home Affordable Modification Program — both living in my town. The first is a couple in their 30s with two young children. They had a big mortgage, and their business dropped when the construction industry stopped dead. The bank cut their mortgage payments in half for five years and extended it from a 30-year to a 40-year mortgage.

The second is a woman in her 50s whose payments were cut by 25 percent. Both would have certainly lost their homes and had to file bankruptcy if the banks had refused to restructure the mortgages.

A: It's comforting to hear that some people are being helped. Many have experienced otherwise. One couple applied eight separate times for two full years before finally getting approved. They were to the point of considering buying a tent to live in had the approval not come through. They describe their experience as "heart-wrenching and exhausting." One has to ask what changed so drastically that they had to suffer through the process for two years before being helped.

Another homeowner went through three denials, being told his income was too low and the ratio was too high. A clerk from the lender then told him he was approved and to keep making payments, while another phone clerk told him he was denied. He finally got in touch with someone who, after reviewing the file, said, "This doesn't make sense." She straightened it out, and he got approved. Such miscommunication with a company is inexcusable when dealing with people's homes and security.

Email Lindsey Novak at [email protected] with all your workplace questions. She answers all emails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.