No, strangely enough, we don't give people free stuff.

[BuryMe]

I don't know why this just popped in to my head, but this happened about 4 years ago, at my first job (also the crappiest job I've ever had.)

I worked at a doughnut shop well known for its coffee. The location I worked in was a double restaurant of sorts (there was a Wendy's in the same building as us, and the dining room was shared.)

One evening, a bus tour came in, with pretty much all the passengers going to the Wendy's for a meal. The driver came to me and ordered a coffee.

Me: Ok, that'll be X.XX

SC: I'm sorry, I don't get it for free?

Me: No...

SC: Most places give free coffee to bus drivers.

Me: I'm pretty sure we don't, but I can check with a manager if you want.

SC: Sure.

So I went to my manager and asked him. He didn't say a work, and just shook his head.

So I go back to the bus driver and tell him he's not getting free coffee. He wasn't happy and left. A he was going, he turned back to me and said "I'm going to pass this on." in a tone that let me know he wasn't happy, and that he expected me to change my mind.

But now that I look back on it, what was he going to pas on? That this doughnut shop won't hurt its bottom line by giving away its products?

[MoonCat]

"Most" places give free coffee to bus drivers?? In what reality?

[Bright_Star]

I never heard of that one. What next? Free lunch for cab drivers?...lol.

[BuryMe]

The only "freebie" we ever did was on a particularly snowy night. We're used to snow and are generally well prepared for a dump, but that night was unreal. The manager said that any one in a snow plow gets their order free that night.

[bhskittykatt]

Hubs can get free coffee from a nearby c-store that gives the freebies to cops and sec guards. But...they're under absolutely no obligation to do so. For them it works out, since they attract a steady stream of police and security which sort of gives them a bit of free security for the c-store. Plus they'll often buy stuff when they're in there. But it's completely the c-store's choice.

[downforit2008]

Another entitled American again. "I want free shit because I drive buses for the city!" Yeah, well last time I heard, bus drivers get paid some pretty good wages, so stop being a cheapskate and dig around in your damn pocket for some change. A cup of coffee can't be that much money if you bus drivers are so damn dependent on it.

[Mel]

I used to work at a Tim's loooong ago and we often gave free coffee to police officers, but only if they sat in, not when they came through the drive-thru. This was a privately owned franchise and it came from the owner.

Never heard of giving coffee to bus drivers though, and also no cop ever assumed they got it for free, because when I first started working there, I didn't know, and I always charged them anyway. Not one officer rose a stink about it.

[Merriweather]

I can understand a restaurant owner giving free coffee to a tour bus driver who chooses to bring a busload of hungry people in to eat - wouldn't be a bad business move, really, if the driver gets to decide where to stop, and he'll then choose your place rather than the place down the street to bring a bus load of hungry tourists to.

So the whole thing might make some sense - if he'd asked for the free coffee at Wendys! But why on earth would he expect free coffee from your donut shop for
bringing a bunch of business into Wendy's??

[ackmeow]

A bus driver for my city was actually arrested for stealing 20 lbs of instant coffee from a grocery store. How did they find out who took it? He had it in the overhead luggage bins on the bus and a police officer was a passenger!

[Primer]

Back in '76 I worked at a local fried chicken joint, and we gave police and firefighters half-price meals. Problem back then was that the city workers wore VERY similar uniforms to the police officers. I had a REALLY hard time telling them apart. I'm sure more than a few people got half-priced meals that were not supposed to!

[dragon_wings]

I work at a drugstore (one of the biggest chains in the US) and I've been told that I can give cops the employee discount. I usually don't cause I don't often remember but I have on occasion.

[Marmalady]

Our store is a popular stopping place for coach parties, bearing in mind we sell just about everything and also have an in-store restaurant, and the company encourages this by giving the coach driver a gift voucher and free coffee.

[Teefies2]

Dragon Wings I think you and I work for the same drugstore ;-)

I worked Thanksgiving Day, supposedly in photo, but since there was only me, a cos person, a service clerk & the asst mgr, I was running my a** off. Price checks, filling in sale items from the stockroom, covering breaks, etc etc. Asst mgr sat in the office unless he was needed for a return or rain check. Oh and by the way, I was the only one (besides useless asst mgr) who could do code 21's. We had our best day EVER since opening the store less than a year ago.

I also worked Black Friday, as service clerk. It wasn't too bad, most people were the ones who avoided the megastores-get-up-at-3am sales. Many people asked me how I was holding up ;-) Megasuck came at closing, when it was discovered that someone had had an "accident" in the ladies' room. Not sure if it was poo or vomit, but it was not only all over the toilet, but also the walls. Since I'm the "mom" on the night shift, I volunteered to clean it up - everyone else was gagging just from hearing about it. That kind of stuff really doesn't bother me, just double-glove and get it done. However, I was NOT happy that I accidentally spilled the blue cleaner on my pants ($35 from Belks). I let it be known that if they were ruined, I expected to be compensated.

Now that I've typed all this, I probably should get it moved to the Black Friday stories thread. Mods, could you oblige?

[emt_cookies]

Another entitled American again. "I want free shit because I drive buses for the city!" Yeah, well last time I heard, bus drivers get paid some pretty good wages, so stop being a cheapskate and dig around in your damn pocket for some change. A cup of coffee can't be that much money if you bus drivers are so damn dependent on it.

Odds are, the bus driver is Canadian like the OP so I guess you're stereotyping all Northern Americans and not just Americans from the States?

Anyway, I know some gas stations will give free coffee to police officers. Uniformed people get half off at this one restaurant chain in the area (firefighters, police, private EMS, etc) and another Internet cafe.

I can see stores that were part of rest stops on major highways giving away coffee to bus drivers. Especially if those stores were located on toll roads. Someone else mentioned it would drum up business plus the guy probably stopped there just for the coffee. I wouldn't be shocked if there was a franchise somewhere on his route that would frequently give them free coffee to stop there.

[Lumina]

my short time at a small coffee chain also known for thier coffee and often part of a wendy's, I've told bus drivers that tried to do that on me that if he got at least 7 people to buy from us. that "I" would buy him a coffee and a sandwich combo.

He laughed and told me sure; he would hold me to that. paid for his coffee and lunch and went on his way.
He came back a week later; with his bus BRIM FULL of people. Almost EVERY single person came to the coffee chain for lunch. (Sports team with family members in tow) Apparently he couldn't stop talking about how good our food was.
With over 29 combo sales total at least later. I didn't even need to pay for the food/coffee. My manager wouldn't let me.

It was a good manager there. Probally woulda stayed longer but a Better job offer came along.