I'm a customer. I shop at the local supermarket, buy gasoline at the corner gas station, retain the services of a lawyer, buy clothes at various stores (some with a certain degree of loyalty), have my hair cut at a salon that I've been going to for many years, see the same physicians and so on and so forth.

There is no disputing that I'm a customer.

That being said, I recently began thinking about how many times these folks have ever really thanked me or have ever done anything that stood above and beyond the usual deliver of good product/good service. As I pondered this, I realized that none of them have really gone out of their way to show appreciation.

Why is that? Why in an era of mass competition and outrageous marketing clutter, do we still find it so difficult to say thank you? Companies spend mega dollars trying to acquire new customers. Local retailers send out discount coupons to attract anyone new. Yet, they've forgotten about me. When do I get thanked for my loyalty and patronage?

Some industries, such as the airlines, attempt to do this with frequent user, but really think about it. Despite the fact that they are "giving" you a free ticket based upon the number of miles that you have flown with them in the past, they also make it extremely difficult to get those tickets. Navigating through black-out dates, rules, and regulations, getting the freebie is a job in itself. Where's the gratitude and thankfulness there?

So think about it? What are you really doing to say "thank you" to your customers? Is there any chance that you are, perhaps, taking them for granted? If so, the time to stop is now.

I will still continue to be a customer at all my local haunts, but my loyalty is becoming increasingly fleeting. I am on a quest to find those businesses that thank their customers in ways that stand out and are remarkable. They deserve my business.