Mindful Doodles #173 – Sandwich maker hits out at customers
This is a tricky question. If a staff is unhappy with his pay, should he take it out on the customer? It spoils the brand image and reputation.
The scenario –
A famous sandwich bar pays their workers a basic salary, plus commission for goods sold. There are few tables for customers to sit and eat their sandwiches. Staff wish all customers would eat, finish and leave, thus freeing up the tables for other customers to buy food, sit and eat. Every customer who occupies sitting space means one business transaction is lost. The staff lash out their regrets over opportunity loss, on the customers.
On the other hand, the cost of these sandwiches are more than the average cost of a meal sold at a coffee house/ cafeteria. The customer who buys a sandwich pays for the privilege of sitting down to eat in leisure. If the customer doesn’t want to sit and linger, they can eat at a cheaper place, and leave immediately.
I think if the sandwich maker staff are dissatisfied with pay and commission terms, they should leave.
Have you met sandwich places, or other Food & Beverage cafe/ restaurant whose staff are rude when the customer occupies a table for a long time?
Think and meditate on your feet before your response
Many of us are camping out at cafes, libraries, airports and any available sitting space, as we make use of time outside office and home, to work on our laptops. The facilities may not come fee as we buy some obligatory F & B items for the complimentary seats. Yet, we get dirty looks from the staff. Even after buying around $20 worth of food and drinks.
After one season, I switched cafes. I patronised M instead of S. At every visit, I bought a meal and at least 2 desserts. The regular counter staff appreciated my purchases. I sat for the duration of my waiting time and finished my meal slowly.
S was immediately opposite M. The staff saw me and tried to call me over. They missed my $20 visits. Those dirty looks did their work. I didn’t feel like turning back again.
People, if you work at a F & B retail outlet, think and meditate on your feet, before you give dirty looks to your regular patrons.
Thank you.
If the place has plenty of open tables, it shouldn’t be a problem to stay and eat and linger. If they are full, I will eat and leave rather quickly. There’s no reason to fuss if there are still seats available for other customers.