I did a rare thing and went to Subway. Typically, if I go, I’ll get a veggie sub. Tonight I opted for the Spicy Italian. When it came time to pay the total was $6.77. I had a five, two loonies and $.76 in change. I asked the counter person if she would spot the penny. She said that, no, she could not allow me to pay a penny less as she could plainly see I had a loonie in my hand. She would accept only the correct amount. I was incredulous. How could someone deny a person the spotting of a penny and make them carry away $.99 in change?! Obviously the girl had an axe to grind, or just wanted to piss someone off. It made me mad at first, to be sure. I was like, “What the fuck? You’re going to be spiteful and deny me one fucking cent?”Later I fantasized how I should have reacted. I should have taken the $.99 and thrown it down over the counter; I should have just given her the $.76 and walked out with the sub; I should have thrown the sandwich in her face and said, “you’re such a fuckin’ bitch, there’s no way I’d eat a sub you made.” Instead I did the Canadian thing and gave her the loonie, putting the change—without violence— back in my pocket. I did offer a stern argument, but in the end, I acquiesced.
It’s strange how such an act of petty inhumanity can make you so crazy. On the one hand, she was angry about something else, about being a sandwich artist, about her boyfriend/dad/boss who’s an asshole, maybe her cat just died. On the other, I shouldn’t care really whether I have a loonie in my pocket or a bunch of change totaling $.99. What difference does it make in the end, except for the inconvenience?
What pissed me off so bad is that she firmly and blatantly refused what I considered to be an undeniable request. Never in my life have I had someone, in any retail business, refuse to spot me the penny. How dare she burst my cherry!
3 comments:
Well Ry, I hear what you're saying. Personally, I think it's high time we phase the penny out. Nevertheless, I think your rage is a little over the top in this case. I mean, throw the sub or the change at her? Dude, it's just a pile of change. It's possible that she was in a bad mood, but it's also entirely possible that she just couldn't. When you're in charge of a cash register you're expected to even out at the end of your shift. What would happen if she rounded up the pennies for everyone? She'd probably have to drop a buck or less in the til every day. I know that's not much, but if I was a "sandwich artist" making crapola money and smelling like crapola food every day when I came home from work I don't know that I'd be willing to sponsor people all the time either. I think your rage is misplaced. Maybe you should write one of your letters to the Canadian government.
Wow, not as harsh as that ubercomment, but I agree with the sentiment. It seems you wanted convenience at her expense. Not necessarily her responsibility nor should she collect your ire for your unhappiness. Perhaps a better question is who dumped in your cheerios that day?
If you would have said something like "damn, I'm a penny short, here's a Looney", she probably would have said "ah, that's cool". Beacause you asked for a discount that she could not provide, she made you pay sucker.... I would have done the same thing.
Post a Comment