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This happened a few weeks ago, but I didn't find out all the information until last night. I will, however, try to present this in a coherent manner.
A few weeks ago, I was working behind the bar on the roof deck at The Bar with my friend/coworker Zim. It was a slow night, so in addition to bartending, I was taking some of the tables as well.
One of Zim's tables was a twentysomething couple that I talked to a bit, and they seemed rather pleasant. They had their meal, they had their drinks, they paid, and they left.
A short while later, they returned....and they were not quite as pleasant.
It seems that they had misplaced their digital camera. They asked both Zim and myself if we had seen it, if it had been on the table, if we might have thrown it out by mistake, etc. Neither one of us had seen it, and frankly, I could not remember having seen one when they were there in the first place. Zim and I politely suggested that they retrace their steps, and asked if they were sure they had had the camera when they came to The Bar, if they might have left it somewhere else, or perhaps left it in the restroom, etc.
No, no, no. They INSISTED that they had come into The Bar with the camera, but it was gone when they left. SOMEONE must have taken it. Zim and I again assured them that it was not on the table when it was bussed, but theorized that another guest MIGHT have taken it on their way out, after the couple had left, but before Zim or I had gotten to the table. I thought we were being very reasonable.
Apparently I was wrong.
The guy once again asked if we were SURE we hadn't seen the camera. At this point his implication was becoming clear. One of us had stolen his precious camera.
Trying to remain polite and not get defensive, and remembering how upsetting it can be to lose something, we again assured the guy that neither one of us had seen the camera, but if he wanted to leave his number with our manager, if we found it, we would make sure to call him.
He talked to our manager, the one I call Rockin' Manager, and was getting visibly angry. He said to her, in front of the two of us, that he just wanted his camera back, no questions asked. Once again implying thievery on the staff's part. Rockin' Manager assured him that neither one of us had or even would take his camera, or steal from guests, or steal at ALL! She had full faith in both of us, and assured him that we did not have the camera. She took down his number, and told him we would call if it turned up, but made it clear to him that the implication that Zim or myself were thieves was out of line and unacceptable. The couple left, visibly unhappy.
Later, when Zim was taking out the trash, the guy returned, and said, "Hey, I don't want to be an ass, but can I look through your bag?" Zim said, "Well, you ARE being an ass, but knock yourself out." Dude looked through the bag. Dude found nothing. Why? Because there was nothing in Zim's bag but Zim's stuff.
At one point in the evening, the dude called up The Bar and talked to Rockin' Manager, offering her a cash reward for the return of the camera. She reiterated to him in no uncertain terms that her staff were not thieves, that she did not appreciate the implications, and that while she hoped he got his camera back, she could not produce it out of thin air, cash reward or not.
Well, the other day the business received a nasty email from said guy, saying how Rockin' Manager was "very unhelpful" to him, a paying customer. I did not get to read the email, but let's look between the lines, shall we?
She was unhelpful to him because:
1. He lost his camera.
2. She refused to allow him to label two of her trusted staff as thieves.
3. She refused to make either of said staff members produce a camera they did not have out of thin air.
4. She refused to herself produce a camera she did not have out of thin air.
Now, I really wish that this "gentleman" had asked ME if he could look through my bag. Here is the answer I would have loved to have given him, and might just have done so, depending on how he asked:
"Why certainly sir. Feel free. Here's my bag. Look through it. You won't find your camera. Why? Because I did not take it. Would you like to look through the beer coolers behind the bar too? The camera won't be there either. Why? Because I didn't take it. Heck, my truck is parked across the street. Why don't you look through that as well. You'll find many things, but you won't find (a) a camera or (b) anything of yours, because once again, I didn't take it. But I welcome you to look through all my possessions because I have nothing to hide, I am not a thief, and I fully await your profuse apology upon your realization that I did not steal your precious bloody camera, and your implied accusation of my being a thief was completely and totally unfounded."
The good news is that the proprietors of The Bar know that Rockin' Manager is a rockin' manager, and will ask her about the situation, take her word over this fucktrumpet's, and that will be that.
That bad news is that this yahoo still seems to believe that the two service staff people that treated him with nothing but respect and politeness and good service were nothing more than common thieves, itching to get their greedy little fingers on his fine digital camera.
Nice attitude, buddy. Sure that will get you far in life. A suggestion: Keep better track of your fucking possessions, and stop making accusations against people when you are stupid and careless with them.
A few weeks ago, I was working behind the bar on the roof deck at The Bar with my friend/coworker Zim. It was a slow night, so in addition to bartending, I was taking some of the tables as well.
One of Zim's tables was a twentysomething couple that I talked to a bit, and they seemed rather pleasant. They had their meal, they had their drinks, they paid, and they left.
A short while later, they returned....and they were not quite as pleasant.
It seems that they had misplaced their digital camera. They asked both Zim and myself if we had seen it, if it had been on the table, if we might have thrown it out by mistake, etc. Neither one of us had seen it, and frankly, I could not remember having seen one when they were there in the first place. Zim and I politely suggested that they retrace their steps, and asked if they were sure they had had the camera when they came to The Bar, if they might have left it somewhere else, or perhaps left it in the restroom, etc.
No, no, no. They INSISTED that they had come into The Bar with the camera, but it was gone when they left. SOMEONE must have taken it. Zim and I again assured them that it was not on the table when it was bussed, but theorized that another guest MIGHT have taken it on their way out, after the couple had left, but before Zim or I had gotten to the table. I thought we were being very reasonable.
Apparently I was wrong.
The guy once again asked if we were SURE we hadn't seen the camera. At this point his implication was becoming clear. One of us had stolen his precious camera.
Trying to remain polite and not get defensive, and remembering how upsetting it can be to lose something, we again assured the guy that neither one of us had seen the camera, but if he wanted to leave his number with our manager, if we found it, we would make sure to call him.
He talked to our manager, the one I call Rockin' Manager, and was getting visibly angry. He said to her, in front of the two of us, that he just wanted his camera back, no questions asked. Once again implying thievery on the staff's part. Rockin' Manager assured him that neither one of us had or even would take his camera, or steal from guests, or steal at ALL! She had full faith in both of us, and assured him that we did not have the camera. She took down his number, and told him we would call if it turned up, but made it clear to him that the implication that Zim or myself were thieves was out of line and unacceptable. The couple left, visibly unhappy.
Later, when Zim was taking out the trash, the guy returned, and said, "Hey, I don't want to be an ass, but can I look through your bag?" Zim said, "Well, you ARE being an ass, but knock yourself out." Dude looked through the bag. Dude found nothing. Why? Because there was nothing in Zim's bag but Zim's stuff.
At one point in the evening, the dude called up The Bar and talked to Rockin' Manager, offering her a cash reward for the return of the camera. She reiterated to him in no uncertain terms that her staff were not thieves, that she did not appreciate the implications, and that while she hoped he got his camera back, she could not produce it out of thin air, cash reward or not.
Well, the other day the business received a nasty email from said guy, saying how Rockin' Manager was "very unhelpful" to him, a paying customer. I did not get to read the email, but let's look between the lines, shall we?
She was unhelpful to him because:
1. He lost his camera.
2. She refused to allow him to label two of her trusted staff as thieves.
3. She refused to make either of said staff members produce a camera they did not have out of thin air.
4. She refused to herself produce a camera she did not have out of thin air.
Now, I really wish that this "gentleman" had asked ME if he could look through my bag. Here is the answer I would have loved to have given him, and might just have done so, depending on how he asked:
"Why certainly sir. Feel free. Here's my bag. Look through it. You won't find your camera. Why? Because I did not take it. Would you like to look through the beer coolers behind the bar too? The camera won't be there either. Why? Because I didn't take it. Heck, my truck is parked across the street. Why don't you look through that as well. You'll find many things, but you won't find (a) a camera or (b) anything of yours, because once again, I didn't take it. But I welcome you to look through all my possessions because I have nothing to hide, I am not a thief, and I fully await your profuse apology upon your realization that I did not steal your precious bloody camera, and your implied accusation of my being a thief was completely and totally unfounded."
The good news is that the proprietors of The Bar know that Rockin' Manager is a rockin' manager, and will ask her about the situation, take her word over this fucktrumpet's, and that will be that.
That bad news is that this yahoo still seems to believe that the two service staff people that treated him with nothing but respect and politeness and good service were nothing more than common thieves, itching to get their greedy little fingers on his fine digital camera.
Nice attitude, buddy. Sure that will get you far in life. A suggestion: Keep better track of your fucking possessions, and stop making accusations against people when you are stupid and careless with them.
Sorry to be dense but I couldn't tell if you meant the SC asked to look through his bag or was asking to look through the trash bag he was taking out. Cause there is NO.WAY. I would let a customer paw through my belongings..... 
."
I can understand these guys' frustration, but come on. It's obvious you didn't take anything by now. The insinuation is there, certainly, but that avenue was thoroughly explored and now is becoming nothing more than harassment.
Gotta love people, man.
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