2009-04-01

Pay Me Cash Now! Thank You, Come Again

So get this.

A couple of weeks ago I visited a neighborhood Italian pastry shop. I remember going to this place when I was a kid with my mother in the 1970s. It's one of the best in town and they also happen to make a wonderful thin pizza.

One style of pizza in particular is filled with black olives, onions and arugula and a few other light ingredients. Dee-lish.

Anyway. The first time I went, the girl provided me with utensils and I was able to pay with a debit card once I completed my messy devouring of the pizza. The next time I went, the lady refused to give me utensils. Odd I thought to myself, but I don't really need them with pizza anyway. I usually use them to pick up any items that fell off onto the plate. I mean, I'm not about to pick them up with my hands, right? I'm too "civilized" for that, right? Ahem. I went on with my life.

Today, not only did I not get utensils, another different lady (three different people with three different rules it turns out) told me it was impossible to pay with my interact card. When I explained it wasn't a problem in the past the lady said it was "impossible." As if I were mistaken.

I was, this time, irritated.

Look, most pastry places of this sort it's strict cash (and I'm usually not without it. You need to know the rules of engagement so to speak) and nor should we expect service like we find in a restaurant. Some places make a better pitch for it while others it's just not their gig. No sweat because the food is usually more than enough to overcome this "customer is always right" irritant.

It's just that a little more consistency is always welcomed. On this particular day, I didn't appreciate the insinuation I never paid there with a debit card.

3 comments:

  1. Paul Costopoulos4/01/2009

    Recently our excellent butcher has been asking his customers to pay with a debit card or cash rather than with their credit card so as not to have to rise his prices to cover the costs. The banks are litterally skinning the merchants...and those who do not pay off in full each month. Fortunately I'm not one of those.

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  2. consistency is always welcomed...

    I don't know if I'm missing some point, but I'm wondering if you could survive in some places of this country where 'consistency' is almost an unknown concept ...

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  3. Oh I know. We learned in 1990. It was crazy. Siesta alone took some getting used to.

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