Christopher Adams: Respond in kind to service with a smile as manners cost nothing

There are three words that mean so much to people working in the hospitality industry - please and thank you.

It seems so simple, but it is a sad fact that, for some customers, those basic words can be just too difficult to articulate. True - New Zealand is far from the worst place to be a hospitality worker. For the most part, customers here are polite and respectful.

This probably stems from the fact many Kiwis - from right across the social spectrum - have had experience working in a cafe or restaurant at some point in their lives. It is commendable that in New Zealand, even the very rich insist their offspring do some part-time work, often somewhere in the service industry, while they are at school or university.