People Who Can't Take No For An Answer

[TruthHurts]

This week I had three people who seemed to think that No means nag until I get my way.

Mr Newspaper We reserve papers for people at our store. A guy comes in looking for a paper. I tell him we are sold out and he spots the one behind the counter. I tell him about the reserved list and he signs himself up. When we are done he continues to stand around staring at the pile of papers. "I still need today's paper." He tells me.

I begin to tell him of all the places where they sell papers when he nods at the reserved pile. "Can't you just give me one of those." I explain to him again that they were reserved and he starts nagging me about needing today's paper and demanding I give him one.

Obviously he didn't get that paper. If he had a reserved paper and some other asshat was trying to get it, I doubt he'd be that happy.

Miss Bathroom We had a woman come in looking for a bathroom. I tell her that there are public restrooms at the beach. "I know" she whines "We just came from there, and I don't want walk all the way back." I apologize to her and she begins to do the potty dance begging me to let her use it. Her hubby then gets in the act as they both beg me to let her use the restroom.

Nothing more obnoxious than a grown woman acting like a child.

Professor Popcorn We have a local homeless guy in town that everyone calls the Professor. He is a conspiracy theorist who refuses to get a job, apartment, or car because he believes the government will start tracking him. He comes in every afternoon for a beer and a bag of the free popcorn that we prepare for customers.

Well for a few days the popcorn machine was acting screwy so we stopped preparing it. The Professor comes in and gets upset at the lack of popcorn. I tell him why and suggest a bag of microwavable popcorn. "It's not the same," he whined at then left.

Two hours later he comes back. "It sucks that you don't have popcorn, the beer always tastes better with popcorn." I explain the situation to him again and again suggest he buy a bag of microwavable, it's only a dollar and he can use our microwave. "I shouldn't have to pay for popcorn," he snaps and leaves.

Grr, small children understand the concept of No better than these so-called grownups.

[Boozy]

"I shouldn't have to pay for popcorn," he snaps and leaves.

It never takes long before something you offer for free becomes an entitlement in the minds of customers.

My mechanic used to offer free coffee until their machine broke. They said they were going to get it replaced, but changed their mind when dozens of customers threw fits over not getting their free coffee. Once the freebie becomes something they expect instead of an "extra", it loses it's promotional value to the business.

[Evil Queen]

..eh. I pay for my free coffee. I just give the person on the desk 50 cents on my way out. That way they can't refuse it.

[PossJB]

He is a conspiracy theorist who refuses to get a job, apartment, or car because he believes the government will start tracking him.

To be fair, he is correct in this respect. More of a fact of life than a conspiracy.

[karath]

To be fair, he is correct in this respect. More of a fact of life than a conspiracy.

true enough. wonder why he's so concerned about the government tracking him, anyways?

[AmethystSquirrel]

It never takes long before something you offer for free becomes an entitlement in the minds of customers.

Once the freebie becomes something they expect instead of an "extra", it loses it's promotional value to the business.

I whole heartedly concur!
We give free whipped cream on our drinks, when we run out of whipped cream, people expect you to give them a discount. It gets quite annoying!

[Kyree]

It never takes long before something you offer for free becomes an entitlement in the minds of customers.

Once the freebie becomes something they expect instead of an "extra", it loses it's promotional value to the business.

Same thing happened at my work. We used to have free coffee in our little cafeteria between the deli and bakery. Then, we got remodeled, and the cafeteria got taken down for more room for the deli and bakery. People would glare, growl, yell, scream, stomp their feet, throw such big tantrums that I fully expected them to fall on the ground banging their hands and feet on our tile like a toddler. One lady demanded the Store manager and told him she was going to the BBB about us. W.T.F. ?

[Misanthropical]

My friend and I use to bring snacks into work for anyone that wanted some, but we have stopped that now, since our coworkers started expecting them and got mad if we didn't have their favorite snack. Did they offer a couple of bucks for the cost of us to bring stuff in? NO! Why would they do that? It's free for them!

We only bring in stuff WE like, which is also what every one else doesn't like and you guys would not believe the foot stomping and pouting that went on and still goes on.

Here's a novel idea for them, BUY YOUR OWN SNACKS! I hate freeloaders.

[trunks2k]

true enough. wonder why he's so concerned about the government tracking him, anyways?

Because he is, in all likelihood, paranoid schizophrenic.

[SuperB]

Mr Newspaper We reserve papers for people at our store. A guy comes in looking for a paper. I tell him we are sold out and he spots the one behind the counter. I tell him about the reserved list and he signs himself up. When we are done he continues to stand around staring at the pile of papers. "I still need today's paper." He tells me.

I begin to tell him of all the places where they sell papers when he nods at the reserved pile. "Can't you just give me one of those." I explain to him again that they were reserved and he starts nagging me about needing today's paper and demanding I give him one.

Yep, that's why we no longer let people reserve papers. We used to keep a list but it never failed that more than one cabin owner would assume that just because they were on the list last year they would automatically be on it for the current year. If we didn't have enough papers they would complain and act like children even though we've always maintained that the list was not a guarantee. Then there were those who would ask for one and never pick it up after we'd held it all damn day. THEN, people would complain when we changed policy to only hold them until noon.

I'd have asked him how he would feel if you gave away *his* reserved paper to someone who demanded it.

[wagegoth]

My MIL, the lawyer, used to do pro bono divorces for poor women when she was first starting out. She stopped doing it after a couple of years. The clients would get very demanding. They often expected her to handle other matters for them for free whenever they wanted.

She told me about one woman who wanted to sue someone a few months after my MIL handled her divorce. My MIL told her she would need some money up front in a retainer for the filing fees, time, expenses, etc. for filing the suit and the first appearance. The woman flipped out. She started yelling at my MIL that she didn't have the money and she was not going to pay for it. My MIL told her that she wasn't going to file a suit without the money. The woman told her, "You're my lawyer and you have to do what I tell you when I tell you." At which point my MIL said something along the lines of a polite, but loud, "Hell, no," and invited her out of the office. Lather, rinse, repeat. I believe my MIL finally threatened to call the police to have the woman removed from her office, at which point the woman left, still yelling.

[ArcticChicken]

I whole heartedly concur!
We give free whipped cream on our drinks, when we run out of whipped cream, people expect you to give them a discount. It gets quite annoying!

In this particular case they probably assume the whipped cream is included in the price of the drink.

On the other hand, when I go to Starbucks and order a large, frozen heart attack, no whip, I don't expect to get a discount, so I don't know. (No, I don't think that makes it somehow better for me, I just don't like whipped cream on my coffee.)

[Imogene]

No, I don't think that makes it somehow better for me,

It does, but only just barely. And I hate the whipped cream Starbucks uses, cause it melts in chunks...

[aurelemsrealm]

I don't reserve anything for anyone unless I know they come in to the store multiple times a day. Then, I tell them pick it up next trip, or it goes back to the shelf.

[tropicsgoddess]

Grr, small children understand the concept of No better than these so-called grownups.

That's the sad thing....and worse when the little hell spawns are the same way as their idiot parents.

It never takes long before something you offer for free becomes an entitlement in the minds of customers.
Once the freebie becomes something they expect instead of an "extra", it loses it's promotional value to the business.

During my hostess days, the owner used to have free refills on the cokes and let private parties bring in their own cakes free of charge. That was all until some SC's were abusing it was when he started charging for those things and how all the SC's would start bitching and moaning over it.