Why must you put me in this spot?

[Food Lady]

It happened when I worked fast food, too. My restaurant eventually had to put all the condiments behind the counter and hand them out to whomever asked for them, and only as many as they'd be likely to use at the meal.

Exactly. Other people need them too, don't be greedy. And it does cost the company money; they don't get the packets for free.

IIRC, a box of ketchup packets costs upwards of $25.
The people who work in the mall stores frequently take plastic silverware from our cafe. I feel like they're taking money out of my paycheck.

[Alpha Strike]

These were free, but when the times I worked at restaurants, old people (especially women) would load their purses up with all the little jellies, butters, and coffee creamers at the tables. It was usually inevitable, after any table of seniors, you'd have to do a full refill of the condiments at the table.

Makes me wonder how many of them have entire kitchens full of little jelly and butter packets.

My grandmother - who was in a marriage that put them in the "upper-middle class" bracket - was exactly like this. Some of my earliest memories of her are the two of us going out to breakfast or lunch at nice places and her ending the meal by literally sweeping all the condiments into her suitcase-sized purse. When she got home, all those goodies would then go into a huge drawer in her kitchen - I was never quite sure if the items got used or not.

[As an aside, I remember asking my aunt and father about why my grandmother did this and they both believed that it was a left-over from her years growing up in the Depression.]

[Ashaela]

When I worked the deli closing shift at Here.Everyone's.Bitter. there was a lady who would come by a couple of times a week. Her shopping cart always had a banana in it, almost always only a banana and nothing else.

She would always come and ask for samples from the case of a particular brand/flavor of turkey, and then find a reason not to buy any - the piece of meat we were cutting from was too small, so it was obviously old (even if we'd opened it just that day); or if it was brand new, the slices themselves were too small; or if it was right in the middle, it 'tasted funny'. So basically we knew that she was only trying to get free food (even though I don't think you can count a single slice of turkey as much of a meal) and there was nothing we could do about it. There was once in all that time that she actually took a quarter-pound of turkey, and a bagger brought it back to us as a return that we then had to shrink out....

[Peppergirl]

The Starbucks I occasionally frequent (ok, it's all the time - they know me by name and sight), is inside a Kroger.

One day I asked why they didn't have the skim milk and whole milk out on the counter with the half-and-half like they used to. I was told they now have to keep it behind the counter because people were coming in and filling entire baby bottles and sippy cups for their kids as they shopped.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

One day I asked why they didn't have the skim milk and whole milk out on the counter with the half-and-half like they used to. I was told they now have to keep it behind the counter because people were coming in and filling entire baby bottles and sippy cups for their kids as they shopped.

Another classic case of how the entitled actions of a few creates a problem for everybody.

[KatherineB]

One day I asked why they didn't have the skim milk and whole milk out on the counter with the half-and-half like they used to. I was told they now have to keep it behind the counter because people were coming in and filling entire baby bottles and sippy cups for their kids as they shopped.

Not unlike this Not Always Right story, in fact.

[Cia]

The Starbucks I occasionally frequent (ok, it's all the time - they know me by name and sight), is inside a Kroger.

One day I asked why they didn't have the skim milk and whole milk out on the counter with the half-and-half like they used to. I was told they now have to keep it behind the counter because people were coming in and filling entire baby bottles and sippy cups for their kids as they shopped.

I'd really like to hear their explanation for doing that to the cops when they are charged with theft.

[cashierbex]

I once read an article talking about employees thieving office supplies. Surprisingly, it was most often done by those earning a decent wage. The lowest wage-earners were least likely to walk away with office supplies. Just further proof that folks take because they can, not because they have to.

The only thing I take from work is the pens. I have a whole pencil case full of pens. I always forget to bring one of my own and often forget to put it back . I don't ever need to buy pens though .

[wolfie]

I turn around and see the elderly woman in the middle of a free-for-all with our salad dressing packets (which are $0.29 each). She has stuffed several of them into her purse and is just finishing her attack on our condiment rack when I walk over. I'm already irritated, because I don't want to get into a confrontation over $3 worth of salad dressing.

Do you work at "Goldwyn Mayer" supermarket? Around here, the packets (Renee's brand) are $0.29 each, but you get 1 free with a small salad, or 2 free with a large salad.

It happened when I worked fast food, too. My restaurant eventually had to put all the condiments behind the counter and hand them out to whomever asked for them, and only as many as they'd be likely to use at the meal.

Exactly. Other people need them too, don't be greedy. And it does cost the company money; they don't get the packets for free.

Around here, some "Chez Ronald" locations have the vinegar packets by the ketchup pumps, and some have them behind the counter. Drives me nuts trying to guess. At the "behind the counter" locations, when I ask for vinegar, they'll give me 3 or 4 packets, even when I ask for "one vinegar". These excessive handouts must cut into the profit margin too.

[dragon_wings]

The only thing I take from work is the pens. I have a whole pencil case full of pens. I always forget to bring one of my own and often forget to put it back . I don't ever need to buy pens though .

Yeah, but our company's pens are often pieces of shit. My manager once went to click one and it broke into several pieces. *shakes her head*

[Lace Neil Singer]

At the pet store where I used to work, we had so much problem with customers stealing our pens. -.- Cuz of back then, people had to sign slips if they paid with a card, we had to supply pens. Sometimes, a customer would take ALL the pens out of the pot while my back was turned; when I turned round, the pot was empty. O_o

In the end, we had to tie the pens to the tills. After we did that, we had dozens of customers ask us, "What happened to the free pens?" and we'd have to explain that they weren't free in the first place and they weren't meant to take them.

[Andara Bledin]

One of my co-workers attaches a huge construction paper cone to the end of her pen, and then just changes out the point and ink when it runs dry.

She hasn't lost a pen in years, and it has an added bonus of keeping her pet underling from chewing on it. She actually had drool pour out of the end of a pen, once, because he'd been slobbering on it for the last couple of hours.

^-.-^