This past Tuesday, I came back to the U.S. after being out of the country for 2 1/2 weeks. I was in Switzerland getting married and then went to France for our honeymoon. We spent most of our time in Corsica, a beautiful French island in the Mediterranean Sea. We had the time of our life. It was a dream come true and one of the most special times in my life.

Thank you to everyone who caught Mike Cote's plug in last week's column and sent me wishes. Last week was the first week I have not written this column in the last five years. I chose to take a week off on my honeymoon and not work. I think I made a good decision.

After spending over two weeks in Europe, I had many realizations. I had time to experience a lot and meet people from all walks of life and from all over the world. It was interesting to speak to people and hear their opinions and views of America. I had many interesting discussions and debates, but there was one thing that stood out during my time in Europe. They have a completely different mentality when it comes to dealing with customers. And trust me, it's not good.

I spent the majority of the last two weeks in France, and this is where the problem is. Switzerland is absolutely amazing. I can't say enough about the country, the people and the places. It's impossible to put into words. If you ever have a chance to visit Switzerland, do it.

When I arrived in France, I was immediately exposed to their lackadaisical approach to doing business. To say I was appalled was an understatement. Service at nearly every restaurant was deplorable. I've never experienced anything like it.

One night when we went out for dinner, we went into and walked out of four different restaurants. No exaggeration. It was unreal. The people working in the restaurants had no sense of urgency, let us sit there without drinks or food for 30 minutes and made me feel like us being in their restaurant was a hassle to them.

We entered one restaurant that was completely empty. My wife and I chose to sit down at a table for four. Then, a waiter came up and told us we couldn't sit there, because there were four chairs. I introduced him to a good old-fashioned American insult, and we walked out of that restaurant, too.

After venting to my wife about how horrible the service experiences were, she explained to me why she thinks it is so different than the restaurants in America. And I think her reasoning was absolutely accurate.

She explained that the wait staff at restaurants in France do not work on tips. They have normal salaries and rarely get tipped. That's just how it is over there. You don't tip much, if at all. So basically, they are getting paid the same amount, regardless of how happy their customers are. They have no incentive to go above and beyond and no reason to ensure the best possible experience for their customers. And let me tell you, it is very obvious.

The poor levels of service branched out into almost every interaction we had with a business. From the rude woman at the scooter rental company to the poor attitudes and lack of enthusiasm in retail stores, it was something I honestly couldn't believe.

I kept asking myself how people actually succeed and make money when they are just so horrible at what they do. After realizing it was the norm, I accepted the fact that it's a different country, with a different set of standards and drastically different expectations than you and I are used to.

I believe my experience also explains why, according to Bloomberg News, France's jobless rate rose to a 13-year high in the second quarter of 2012. Labor Minister Michel Sapin said jobless claims surpassed 3 million, which happens to be the highest since August 1999, Bloomberg reported. I'm not surprised.

It also made me recognize why the United States is the most powerful and successful country in the world. We work hard. We have a passion for excellence. We are willing to do whatever it takes to make our customers satisfied. And we let nothing stand in the way of our success.

Aside from the horrible experiences and lessons I learned with businesses in France, my two weeks abroad was one of the best trips I have taken and one that I will forever remember.

Christopher Thompson (cthompson@catch22solutions.com) writes Closing the Deal weekly for the Sunday News.