bobquasit: (Default)
bobquasit ([personal profile] bobquasit) wrote2008-12-02 10:57 am
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Fresh City considers me a thief!

So I went down to get coffee and a cinnamon swirl from the Fresh City in the lobby this morning. I answered the trivia question (it was an easy one) so my coffee was free. As always when I get coffee, I also grabbed some of the free cinnamon pita chips that they have out.

Now, the containers they put out for the pitas are tiny. They're little things no bigger than the palm of my hand. They used to be larger, but that changed about a year ago.

They're so small that it's almost impossible to get a reasonable amount of chips in there. I usually pile them up a little, and then try to throw the container into my pastry bag before the pile topples.

It occurred to me that this was a stupid thing to do. I don't use the containers; I just eat the chips out of the bag. So this time, instead of using the container, I just put some of the pitas directly into the bag with the tongs.

I did not take a lot - really! It was totally a reasonable amount - two tongfuls, which is less than I could have put in a container. But the cashier rushed over and told me, insofar as I could understand her English, that I had to use the containers that were provided - that otherwise, I should pay for one of the pre-packaged bags.

This made me feel as if I'd been stuffing the bag full of chips, which was absolutely not true. It made me feel like a thief. And it really pissed me off and hurt my feelings.

I've always been friendly with that cashier. I always tip her generously, too - whatever change is left from my purchase I dump into her tip jar, and that's more than 20%. That just ended. And I don't think I'll be going back to Fresh City again. The coffee's not that good, and they really made me feel like shit. I can really hold a grudge, so I'd say that Fresh City is going to take a loss on this morning's little exchange.

[identity profile] tzunder.livejournal.com 2008-12-02 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Doesn't it just big you when companies treat you like they're doing you a favour by serving you and not the other way around? That's one thing that is usually better in the USA than the UK, altho' I suspect that low wages and dependence on tips might be the reason.

Don't start me on how crap customer service here is.

You're not a thief, she's made a foolish mistake, her English skills are irrelevant, and you should be proud to take your custom elsewhere. it's a shame you couldn't tell them. Maybe you should email their manager with this blog entry..

after all, they probably don't realise they've lost a good customer..

[identity profile] mom-o-cass.livejournal.com 2008-12-02 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
i've not ever been a fan of Fresh City. the only thing i've noticed that was Fresh there was the attitude of the employees. BOO URNS!