This is something that happened to me only hours ago, and while it was nice to get something free for no real reason, it also makes me think it's sad that some business are so scared of upset customers that they'll apologize and offer compensation when it's clearly not their fault.
I decided to stop by Wendy's and pick up one of their jalpeno cheddar melts for lunch. The guy working the window handed me the bag, and then the drink.
Now, here I should probably point out that I'm apparently having a clumsy spell this week. Just last night, I somehow managed to puncture a can of beer that I was trying to put in the fridge, by bumping it against the side of the door, causing it to spray all over the kitchen. Didn't think I even bumped it all that hard, but somehow it still punctured.
Well, this time, I did something similar with the soda the guy handed to me. I guess I pulled it back too quick, and managed to snag the lid at the top of the door frame, causing some of it to spill on both the inside and outside of the door.
I wasn't blaming anyone for it. It was my own fault. The cup was completely out of the guy's hands and into my own when I did that. I was hoping he at least saw, and offered me some napkins, but he went beyond that. He started apologizing left and right, started wiping the outside of the door down, and handed me a gift card (no idea how much is on it, I'll have to check next time), and then handed me some napkins so I could get the inside, since he couldn't reach it from the window.
I tried to turn the card down, pointing out that it was my own fault. He just said, "That's OK, take it", in an almost fearful tone. Granted, I was annoyed, and people say I look scary when I'm angry or annoyed in the least, but it was myself I was annoyed with, not him.
I don't think I deserved anything for my own stupidity. All I wanted was some napkins. Have customers really gotten that much worse? Am I like the one person out of ten that didn't blame someone else? Would the nine other people have yelled at the poor guy?
Yet another reminder of why I'm glad I left the retail world over 17 years ago.
I decided to stop by Wendy's and pick up one of their jalpeno cheddar melts for lunch. The guy working the window handed me the bag, and then the drink.
Now, here I should probably point out that I'm apparently having a clumsy spell this week. Just last night, I somehow managed to puncture a can of beer that I was trying to put in the fridge, by bumping it against the side of the door, causing it to spray all over the kitchen. Didn't think I even bumped it all that hard, but somehow it still punctured.
Well, this time, I did something similar with the soda the guy handed to me. I guess I pulled it back too quick, and managed to snag the lid at the top of the door frame, causing some of it to spill on both the inside and outside of the door.
I wasn't blaming anyone for it. It was my own fault. The cup was completely out of the guy's hands and into my own when I did that. I was hoping he at least saw, and offered me some napkins, but he went beyond that. He started apologizing left and right, started wiping the outside of the door down, and handed me a gift card (no idea how much is on it, I'll have to check next time), and then handed me some napkins so I could get the inside, since he couldn't reach it from the window.
I tried to turn the card down, pointing out that it was my own fault. He just said, "That's OK, take it", in an almost fearful tone. Granted, I was annoyed, and people say I look scary when I'm angry or annoyed in the least, but it was myself I was annoyed with, not him.
I don't think I deserved anything for my own stupidity. All I wanted was some napkins. Have customers really gotten that much worse? Am I like the one person out of ten that didn't blame someone else? Would the nine other people have yelled at the poor guy?
Yet another reminder of why I'm glad I left the retail world over 17 years ago.
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