Chicken Noodle Soup For The Soul
((A customer who I recognize from my shift yesterday walks in and comes to my register. I should note that she is Indian, and her family is vegetarian for religious reasons.)
Me: “Hello, ma’am. What can I get you?”
Customer: “Well, I came in yesterday to get soup, and I got chicken noodle with my order. My family is vegetarian.”
Me: “I am so sorry about that, ma’am. I’ll go get the manager and we can do a refund—”
Customer: “No, no, we got all the soup that we wanted; there was just chicken noodle in the bag. I wanted to pay for it.”
Me: “Wait… You want to pay for soup that you didn’t want?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Me: “Did you eat it?”
Customer: “No.”
Me: “Ma’am, it’s fine. You got all the soup you wanted, and we don’t make customers pay for our own mistakes. Besides, you said your family was vegetarian.”
Customer: “But I would feel bad.”
Me: “I refuse to charge you for this soup, ma’am.”
(After that we awkwardly bid farewell to each other. The woman is now a regular, and I tell that story to every new employee. She is one of my favorite customers.)
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
