Tell me honestly: Was I a sucky customer in these situations?

[BuryMe]

Prologue: Sorry if this is totally in the wrong place. I'm new to the community.

Hi! So I've got two stories where I was the customer, and maybe feel a little bad about the situation, but I want to know if you think I was really asucky customer in these:

First one:
Pulled pork. It's one of may favourites. Whenever I see it on a menu, I know I just have to have it. But a lot of restaurants put mustard on pulled pork, and I hate mustard. So without fail, I always order pulled pork without mustard. It always arrives the way I order it, and i always enjoy it. I guess my question here is to waiters and waitresses. I see, from time to time, people complain about overly picky customers. Would you classify me a picky here?

Second:
I was at a major electronic store, and I saw a movie I was going to buy at some point, and the label on the shelf had it marked at a pretty great price (about $10 lower than anywhere else I'd seen.)

So figuring it was a great deal, I immediately jumped at the chance to get it. So I take it up to the cash, and it rings up about $12 higher than the price on the shelf. I point that up the cashier, and she goes with me to look at the shelf. Sure enough, they are marked at $26 instead of $38. She apologizes to me and requests a manager to change the price on the system. Then, just before I pay, I notice a sign on her cash that says that the store participates in the Scanning code of practice (essentially, that's a voluntary policy where if a product rings up higher than the advertised price, you get it for the lowest shown price, minus $10. Some stores choose to participate in it, and this happened to be one of those stores.)

So she has to call for a manager again to mark the price down another $10. At his point I apologize to her, because I know I've held her up. The manager arrives, reads the policy and marks the price down another $10 for me.

I got the movie at a great price, but felt so guilty about taking to long over it. Was I sucky here?

[Flying Grype]

1) If they PUT mustard on the pork, you can ask politely for it to be left off. The waitstaff just has to make a note for the chef. No problem there.

2) Again, if you were polite about it, no problem, especially if you're asking them to follow store policy. I'm a retail clerk at the moment and I don't mind at all if one person's purchase takes a while. The customer is not "taking up my time"; this is what my time at work is for. The only possible problem otherwise is that there might be a lineup behind them, because in my store there's only one cash, but in a big electronics store where there are multiple cash registers that's not an issue.

Mostly, what makes customers suck is if they're rude or impatient or asking you to do things you're not allowed to do.

[firecat88]

I agree with Flying Grype. If you ask nicely, or point out the pricing issue in a polite way, you're fine. If you throw around demands to get the movie for free because of the price error, start threatening to sue if they even think about putting mustard on your pork, or something like that, *that's* when you become an SC. So no worries. Sounds like you were just fine in both cases.

[BuryMe]

Thanks guys.

With the restaurant thing, I didn't think I'm too bad, but I just don't really know how much of a problem special requests are.

With the movie, I felt bad, mostly because it took a little while, and the cashier had to call for a manager twice to correct the price for me. I did actually apologise to her and she told me she would ask the same thing in my position.

[Juggler]

Not sucky in either story.

Regarding the first, it is kind of sucky of the restaurant to pre-apply condiments, unless it is take out. Your story implied sit down places. They should just put the condiments on the table or bring them with your meal.

I'm not really happy with the second store either. They should have automatically deducted the second $10.00 without being asked. They are counting on people being too timid to expect them to keep to their advertises policies.

[Becks]

I agree with everyone else. You are not sucky in either situation.

As far as food goes, if you order something and have so many changes it barely qualifies as what's listed on the menu, THAT'S when someone's being sucky. Asking them to keep off an ingredient you don't like? Not sucky.

[Pagan]

Regarding the first, it is kind of sucky of the restaurant to pre-apply condiments, unless it is take out. Your story implied sit down places. They should just put the condiments on the table or bring them with your meal.

Even a lot of take-outs don't do that. Most burger places, you can ask for something to be left off. I'm always asking them to leave off onions since I don't like raw onion. The few that don't, I just pick it off.

Even if it's take-out from some place like Chili's or Olive Garden, you can usually get things left off/out if you ask.

In either case, it doesn't matter if the meal is staying there or taken elsewhere.

[the_std]

When it comes to the Scanning Code of Practice, the main word you have to remember - it is a voluntary code! The store has chosen to follow the code of practice (generally as incentive to make sure their prices remain accurate) and therefore it's your right as a customer to take advantage of it. My store follows it as well and while it can be a bit of a pain, it was my choice to work in a store that follows this practice, and therefore my choice to deal with it. The only time it really frustrates me is when we have the little old ladies who come through the store looking for mistags and prices that are obviously wrong, and that is all they buy, as they generally either get it for free (if it's under $10) or for $10 off (if it's over $10). When they come up with a gigantic cartful of problem items, then I want to groan. HOWEVER. Your situation is totally within range and is completely acceptable.

[bhskittykatt]

I don't see the suck in either one. The first one, no you're not picky. It's a really small, simple request that shouldn't cause a big fuss in the kitchen. (I've never seen a place around here that puts mustard on a pulled pork sandwich...I don't think I'd like that, either!) As for the second one, as long as you were polite, again I don't see the suck. You weren't asking them to bend the rules for you, just to enforce their current policies. You had a right to take advantage of the voluntary code if they advertised that they followed it.

[Slayer]

I agree that you weren't sucky in either situation.

For food, you have every right to have it made to how you want to eat it. Very few places will object. If it's premade, the worst they can say is no.

For the second, where I live it's the law so I definitely would have done the same.

[magician5]

Re the pulled pork:

Have you recently moved to North Carolina, by any chance? N.C. barbecue often has N.C.-style sauce, which unlike anywhere else I've heard of, is mustard-based.

http://goodmagic.com/freebies/bbq/bbq.htm

[mikoyan29]

Here the item pricing thing is the law. So you weren't being sucky.

And that North Carolina stuff is good...mmmm

[PepperElf]

1) Who the hell serves pulled pork with mustard? O_o

seriously, that just sounds sacrilegious... and you asked nicely to have it without so no suck there.


2) no suck in pointing out a pricing difference. Plus they voluntarily joined the price-match guarantee thingy so... if they screw up it's on them. no suck in politely getting what you can out of it. besides you made a point to be nice to the cashier.

[Food Lady]

You weren't sucky at all! You sound like my nice customers.

[Merriweather]

IMO, not anywhere near an SC.

Mostly, to me, SC is mainly attitude - often it's not the request, it's the way the request is made. Ask politely, say please and thank you, and generally you're not an SC.

As for picky, everyone likes food differently, not picky to expect to get the condiments of your choice, not those of the restaurant's choice (in parts of the south, that pulled pork sandwich would automatically have coleslaw on it, I have to remember when visiting relatives to have it held, even if the menu never mentions coleslaw).

Of course, there is a limit - asking for mustard to be held, or extra mustard, etc - fine / expecting some odd brand or type to be on hand, or to get exactly 1 3/4 teaspoons, or to have the mustard spread evenly on every strand of pork - ok, then you're an SC, LOL.