Do you know the Muffin Woman???

[customersruinmylife]

A group of four elderly women come into the pub. They all order coffee, and proceed to sit by a window.

I don't understand why people come to a pub to drink coffee...pub grade coffee is about as bad as it gets. And there are some really nice coffee houses about two minutes walk away from the pub. But none the less...

Three of the old women sit down. The last is at the bar paying. She looks on the bar top, and sees a basket we have on display that contains muffins, cookies, snacks ect ect. Old woman really likes the look of the muffins...

OW: Ooooooh, they look nice.

She was practically drooling.

OW: Do they come free with the coffees????
Me: I'm afraid not, but they only cost .XXp.
OW: Oh...I thought they were free...never mind!

She paid and left. I carried on with my business. A co-worker went to polish the bar top.

CW: Ummm...customersruinmylife...where are the muffins??

I looked. The basket was CLEANED OUT. I looked over. The four old women were quite happily tucking into the muffins! I walked over, and very cheerfully said:

Me: Hi there...did you pay for these muffins??
OW: Uhhh...uhhh....

Old Womans Friend turned to her.

OWF: Maggie, you said they were free.
Me: I'm afraid not. I informed you of that when you asked.
OW: Oh...I uhhh...I must have misunderstood...uhhh...

She opened her handbag, asked how much she owed and paid.

Me: Thank you very much

She looked VERY embarassed. Her three friends carried on as if nothing had happened, but each time I looked over, I caught OW glaring at me.

[Broomjockey]

Wow. That's gutsy. To ask, then still take, and then try and claim misunderstanding. At least she had the grace to look embarrassed.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Am I reading wrong or could you have had her charged with theft?

[customersruinmylife]

Am I reading wrong or could you have had her charged with theft?

I could have done, but I was in a good mood for some reason, so I decided to let her off with a bit of humiliation instead.

[SG15Z]

*points to title*

No but I know both the Muffin Queen and the Evil Muffin Queen!

So does the Muffin Woman live on Murry Lane? If so how many muffin people live on that stupid lane anyway?!

[Evil Queen]

Nah, the Muffin Woman lives off Oat Street.

[SG15Z]

Nah, the Muffin Woman lives off Oat Street.

*wheeze* OMG, that was a perfect comeback EQ!

[KorporateKitty]

That was one gutsy old lady! She *really* wanted those muffins lol...

[PepperElf]

And there are some really nice coffee houses about two minutes walk away from the pub.

but they also charge nice coffee house prices too... and they don't have "free" muffins... or the muffins are behind glass at those other places

[Hon'ya-chan]

or the muffins are behind glass at those other places

Which are usually from the local Supermarket or Costco.

[Imogene]

So does the Muffin Woman live on Murry Lane?

No, she and her husband, the muffin man...
"The muffin man?"
"The muffin man."
"Yes, I know the muffin man... who lives on Drury lane?"
"Well, she's married to the muffin man..."
"The muffin man?"
"THE MUFFIN MAN!"
</obvious reference>

[LibraryLady]

Some years ago, my husband and I saw that happen at a local restaurant.

The place was noted for its excellent breadbasket. It was also known that senior citizens liked eating at the place. Some of the latter were known for shoveling the contents of the former into their large handbags. They then ordered a new basket of bread and repeated the procedure. Some were known to have done so three or four times during the course of a meal.

Finally, the owner had had enough. The menu clearly stated that the first breadbasket was free. Additional breadbaskets could be ordered for $3 each.

We were sitting next to a table of shovelers when they received their check. They were outraged! What was this extra $12 charge?

The waiter explained that the charge was for the four baskets of bread they had been seen dropping into purses and shopping bags.

The restaurant didn't mind if you took the last corn stick or roll home from the first basket. They'd even wrap them up for you. They did mind being scammed for baskets and baskets of good bread.

[Sliceanddice]

*points to title*

No but I know both the Muffin Queen and the Evil Muffin Queen!

So does the Muffin Woman live on Murry Lane? If so how many muffin people live on that stupid lane anyway?!

well when the song was coined it was probalbly when trades people tended to live or work on the same street, like glass blowers on glass streat or sand street candy makers on sugar lane or something and so on and so on so bakers woud live near each other.

[Alpha Strike]

The place was noted for its excellent breadbasket. It was also known that senior citizens liked eating at the place. Some of the latter were known for shoveling the contents of the former into their large handbags. They then ordered a new basket of bread and repeated the procedure. Some were known to have done so three or four times during the course of a meal.

I had this experience as well, except I happened to be with the person who was doing it.

My grandmother, who was VERY well off, used to take me to breakfast at some of the nicer places in her upper middle-class suburb. At the end of the meal my grandmother would calmly dump the contents of the jelly and butter dishes into her purse, along with whatever other extras she could take (like bread) plus her leftovers. When we would return home Grandma would then dump her loot in a drawer that was packed to the brim with little packages of jelly and butter.

It wasn't as bad as the situations others have described but it was rather embarrassing given the circumstances. I later asked my father about it and he thought that it might be a result of the habits my grandmother formed when growing up during the Depression: Save and use everything. I guess some old habits are hard to break!

[kiwiwinelover]

Not matter how hard the Depression was, and I do understand I had relatives who went through it, I do not agree with stealing , which is what your grandma seems to have done. I once had to explain to a friend, who took some tissues from a grocery store bathroom, that it was stealing. I couldn't understand how she did not get that the tissues were for all the customers to use, if needed, in the store. just because they are there for our use does not mean we can take them.....