How do you expect me to eat it with no CHEEEEESE????

[Mixed Bag]

I'm sure those of you who have posted and related to stories about employees receiving unwelcome personal comments or questions can appreciate that customers deserve the same courtesy, even from other customers. Of course the first customer shouldn't hold up the line when it can't do any good-but the husband didn't have to add insult to injury by belittling his desire for the cheese he'd just learned he couldn't get. Asking if the line can proceed doesn't require criticizing the transaction in frustration, which is no more justified than the first customer taking out his disappointment on the counter person; this wasn't a typical SC who would have been rude had the business provided what he had reasonably expected it could, or who was trying to fulfill what would normally be considered an outrageous demand.

While I understand shortages occur, as you might guess from this post, I can be picky about things myself, and while I vent my frustration quickly (if at all) in such situations, I have far more sympathy for those who get melodramatic about having their reasonable expectations shattered than I do for those who'll accept any old thing and suggest that others have no life for not doing the same. Condemn the outburst if you must, not the person's tastes.

Perhaps a more natural way for a customer to avoid risking needlessly hurting feelings when wanting to confront another customer would be to ask the employee for service-which would be my inclination, unless I really wanted to vent at the customer. Anyway, I expect asking the employee to make the call would be faster and more pleasant, and while I can understand the counter person being too flustered to cut the complainer off, I otherwise see no reason why politeness should keep him from gently pointing out to the customer that the complaint regretfully served no purpose other than to delay others at this point (and thanking him, if applicable, for being a great regular customer)-or why any company would want a policy that didn't permit this.

[varmintjane]

I think he tried to be polite at first, but then the SC was going to keep going, so he got a little more blunt. Personally I don't see anything wrong with what he did. The subways are always crowded and if some ass was holding up the line about something that won't be changed, I would definately say something. Although, the employee could have simply let everyone know that there wasn't any cheese before beginning the sandwich. So I can kind of empathize with the SC.

Thread jack but kind of related. While on vacation in SD, we went to a Subway that didn't have regular mustard, only the spicy kind. Certain sandwiches taste nasty with that kind of mustard and some people just don't like it. Well, the girl never said anything abt only having spicy mustard. She asked "Do you want mustard" I said yes, thinking it was plain mustard. I didn't mind (until I tasted the sandwich). My cousin in law hates the spicy mustrd with a passion and the girl put it on top of the cheese. She was like "Oh, I don't like that kind do you have regular", the girl got an attitude and said " that's all we have" my CIL said can you take it off please. The girl then rips the cheese off and replaces it and shoves it over to the veggie guy. The thing I don't get it, this same place was out of a certain kind of cheese so she would ask each person specifically if they wanted *blank, blank or blank*. So instead of asking if they wanted mustard, she should have waited for them to ask for it and then, if you wanted it tell you that they only had the spicy kind. So to bring it back on topic, the subway guy should have let people know. If they had signs up, that's a different story though.

[ladodger34]

Whining and complaining about something that can't be changed doesn't help anyone, even if you had your heart set on cheese. Heck, calling the manager or whatever might have been a better option in this situation for the cheese man.

This kind of thing reminds of when we'd run out of a certain flavor at the Ice Cream Shop (my firstish job). People would whine and such, but I couldn't do a darn thing about it.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Not only that, but if the customers whining is keeping someone from ordering or paying for their food, then of course it is their business.

I CONCUR!!!

[Moirae]

lol Kudos to your husband. I wish there were more people like him.

[Phone Jockey]

I am in awe & shall look forward to my own husband handing someone his ass on a plate one day. Oh the fun we'll have!

[Dips]

Sounds like the fellow really needed some cheese to go with his whine.

[ba-da-bump]

[Banrion]

I don't think hubby was out of line at all. At Subway, cheese is the 2nd thing you discuss, right after bread. This means to me that "cheeseman" has been whining at least the 2 or so minutes it takes to put his sandwich together already before hubby stepped in. There is nothing the employees can to to make him go away. Sometimes it takes another customer to get the point across.

[thelong1]

this wasn't a typical SC who would have been rude had the business provided what he had reasonably expected it could, or who was trying to fulfill what would normally be considered an outrageous demand.

While I understand shortages occur, as you might guess from this post, I can be picky about things myself, and while I vent my frustration quickly (if at all) in such situations, I have far more sympathy for those who get melodramatic about having their reasonable expectations shattered than I do for those who'll accept any old thing and suggest that others have no life for not doing the same. Condemn the outburst if you must, not the person's tastes.
.

But this was a typical SC. Someone who throws a tantrum like a 4 year old by the mildest inconvenience is a textbook SC and this is exactly what happened.

Adults need to act like adults and realize that at some point in their life they will be inconvenienced and they need to not throw a fit because of it. If that means something is late or a fast food joint runs out of a particular item it is going to happen sometime and the person should accept it with some degree of humility. It doesn't mean they need to be happy about it, but you don't need to throw a tantrum.

I do think it is a reasonable expectation to assume subway will have cheese, even more than a reasonable expectation, but that doesn't mean that because your reasonable expectation was not met that you have to act unreasonable. Husband was right by saying something. Making a public scene and inconveniencing others does make it everyones business who happened to be there.

I agree that we don't need to say this guy is a loser or has no life, but I'm sure we can all agree that he was out of line and if he genuinely had a complaint he should have addressed it with the manager or corporate instead of acting like a kid whose lollipop was taken away.

[Becks]

But this was a typical SC. Someone who throws a tantrum like a 4 year old by the mildest inconvenience is a textbook SC and this is exactly what happened.

Adults need to act like adults and realize that at some point in their life they will be inconvenienced and they need to not throw a fit because of it. If that means something is late or a fast food joint runs out of a particular item it is going to happen sometime and the person should accept it with some degree of humility. It doesn't mean they need to be happy about it, but you don't need to throw a tantrum.

I do think it is a reasonable expectation to assume subway will have cheese, even more than a reasonable expectation, but that doesn't mean that because your reasonable expectation was not met that you have to act unreasonable. Husband was right by saying something. Making a public scene and inconveniencing others does make it everyones business who happened to be there.

I agree that we don't need to say this guy is a loser or has no life, but I'm sure we can all agree that he was out of line and if he genuinely had a complaint he should have addressed it with the manager or corporate instead of acting like a kid whose lollipop was taken away.

Very well put. I was going to say something along these lines, but I would not have been nearly as clear as this.

One time, the man of the household and I went to Subway. I prefer the Italian, and the MOTH likes the wheat. They were out of Italian (it was maybe half an hour before they closed), but did I throw a temper tantrum? No, I did not. I just asked for my sub on wheat, also, and went on my merry way. (It was yummy, too.)

[Mixed Bag]

I don't disagree with either of you; I was just reminding others, from experience, that it's bad enough for a customer not to get what they were looking forward to without them being told they shouldn't care and without them learning that the person who belittled their desires is considered a hero deserving of a free sandwich, instead of the person who couldn't get what they expected and at least didn't put others down in expressing their disappointment. Frankly--and again, not condoning the scene or delay and acknowledging I wasn't there--I think the person who couldn't get chesse was at least as inconvenienced as those who had to witness the scene but got the sandwiches they wanted.

[thelong1]

I don't disagree with either of you; I was just reminding others, from experience, that it's bad enough for a customer not to get what they were looking forward to without them being told they shouldn't care and without them learning that the person who belittled their desires is considered a hero deserving of a free sandwich, instead of the person who couldn't get what they expected and at least didn't put others down in expressing their disappointment. Frankly--and again, not condoning the scene or delay and acknowledging I wasn't there--I think the person who couldn't get chesse was at least as inconvenienced as those who had to witness the scene but got the sandwiches they wanted.

Yeah, I'll agree with that. I'm just tired of adults throwing tantrums. I actually have a friend who does this at fast food places all the time. He was even banned from a KFC because he threw such a big tantrum that he decided to kick the door which knocked a glass panel out. I gave him a hard time about it, but he still thinks that he was in the right because that KFC forgot part of his order. And he works retail and complains about SC's all the time.

[thelong1]

[QUOTE=BeckySunshine]Very well put. I was going to say something along these lines, but I would not have been nearly as clear as this.

QUOTE]


Thanks!

[Mixed Bag]

Yeah, I'll agree with that. I'm just tired of adults throwing tantrums. I actually have a friend who does this at fast food places all the time. He was even banned from a KFC because he threw such a big tantrum that he decided to kick the door which knocked a glass panel out. I gave him a hard time about it, but he still thinks that he was in the right because that KFC forgot part of his order. And he works retail and complains about SC's all the time.

Suddenly I have more sympathy for you than for Cheeseless in Seattle (I was going to use the hug here, but the animation was too creepy. )

On another note, I'm wondering if my sense of taste and smell are deficient, for I never noticed that cheese ripens to the "downhill side of perfection" (as Donald Pleasance would say to Columbo) after a mere few days --especially the processed sliced kind sandwich shops use. If they couldn't stock enough extra to survive a lunch rush, methinks *maybe* their procedures are shortsighted.

[JustADude]

Honestly, Mixed Bag, I don't see the situation as butting in, I see it as helping the employee by saying exactly what they would be if they weren't behind the counter and stuck being nice, and what I wager you'd feel like saying if someone had been going on at you for several minutes about cheese. The absence of cheese is an immutable fact in the equation, not a person's opinion. You can't simply persuade cheese into existance. At least I can't, and nobody I know will admit to being able to.

Either you say 'Sorry, I don't want the sandwich without cheese," and leave, or continue the purchase and accept the sad fact of nourishment devoid of cultured bovine lactations. Simple as that. Simpler even. Follow either option, if you are truely perturbed by the issue, by asking for a manager and mentioning your displeasure to someone who can influence future stock-ordering decisions. Whining at a wage-monkey (and I'm eating bananas with the rest of you simians) doesn't do anything.