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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

shop assistant refused to sell me slice of cake I wanted!

104 replies

Birdsighland · 29/06/2014 15:58

I should post this in aibu, but...

I went to a grocery shop today. I went to the bakery section and told the assistant I'd like a slice of a nice chocolate they had. It was a rectangle shaped cake, already cut into squares like a tottenham cake, with quite a few squared already removed. I pointed to the corner slice as I liked the look of it and it's topping.

At that point the assistant said she could sell me one of the other squares, but not that one. She said it wouldn't be good for the next customers! There was some mention of the shape of the pieces left and exposing them. I left the counter. This was an already cut cake all for sale remember.

When I reached the checkout with my other items, I thought a little more about it and thought it bizarre and went to seek a manager to see why I couldn't buy the piece of cake. I found some sort of a supervisor who went halfheartedly to the counter. The first assistant and the supervisor then had a bit of a conversation, in Turkish I think so I couldn't understand them. He was decidedly unfriendly and said she said the sides of the adjoining pieces would be exposed and dry out. There were many bit of the cake missing so most pieces were exposed and which ever piece I was given would expose at least one but mostly two sides of adjoining pieces anyway (same as removing the corner I had chosen). The cake had already been completely cut up completely for sale. He hummed and hawed, but eventually sold me the slice. No attempt at any customer service.

I have never been refused an item on sale like this before. In fact in most deli's, it is 'which one do you want?'

Are they rubbish shopkeepers or should this customer have been grateful for any allocation of the item?

ps I had it after my lunch, and very nice it was too.

OP posts:
Birdsighland · 29/06/2014 15:59

I know I sound quite odd, but it was such an odd thing to happen.

OP posts:
hellskitty · 29/06/2014 16:02

'I know I sound quite odd'

yep!

PedlarsSpanner · 29/06/2014 16:03

OH MY GOD a cake I've never HEARD of. Tottenham cake, well who'd a thunk it.

Bigbottomtwirl · 29/06/2014 16:03

I would have been more annoyed that they spoke a different language that I could not understand. IMO that is bloody rude.

Cake is cake I wouldn't have caused a fuss but I can see why you were annoyed.

NewtRipley · 29/06/2014 16:03

I would have thought that they should give you the piece you asked for, because you, the customer standing in front of them, should 'trump'any future theoretical customer.

It is an unusual AIBU!

Pumpkinpositive · 29/06/2014 16:03

Call 101.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Maybe assistant wanted that particular square for herself? Maybe the resident shop mouse peed on it?

Birdsighland · 29/06/2014 16:03

Yes, but it's only because this odd thing happened to me.

OP posts:
NewtRipley · 29/06/2014 16:04

I agree that it was rude of them to switch to another language.

Birdsighland · 29/06/2014 16:06

I wasn't at all concerned about their convo, if only they had just given me my cake without a brouhaha.

OP posts:
SaveTheMockingBird · 29/06/2014 16:06

That is a bit odd. What a lot of trouble over a slice of cake!
You made me remember tthis one time when I ordered a piece of a perfectly normal slice of cake, the girl at the counter cut the slice in to half and gave me one of the slices. I was so gobsmacked I didn't say anything...about £3 for a sliver of cake.

HappyAgainOneDay · 29/06/2014 16:06

I would be miffed if they tried to give me a slice of cake, gala pie, cheese that was not the one I'd asked for. If they were worried about the remaining pieces drying out, they should not have cut so many slices before customers arrived.

I do not think you were odd. If they spoke in Turkish (or whatever), could it have been a shop run by people who do not know the unspoken 'rules' we have?

AryaOfHouseSnark · 29/06/2014 16:07

Tottenham cake is a sponge tray bake style thing, with pink icing and sprinkles.
I don't think yabu, i don't see the problem in picking a piece of cake if they have all being cut already.

NewtRipley · 29/06/2014 16:07

Good use of brouhaha Grin

NewtRipley · 29/06/2014 16:08

Save

That was false advertising. Or something.

SquigglySquid · 29/06/2014 16:08

Forget the cake. It's rude to talk about someone else in another language. I'd be pissed off just at that. When you're in a room full of people you speak the language the majority of them do so no one feels left out.

chockbic · 29/06/2014 16:09

Would that piece of cake be left there for all time?

Birdsighland · 29/06/2014 16:10

Pedlars, it was much nicer than Tottenham cake, but cut into similar sized squares. It was chocolate and there was a topping on each square with glazed blackberries.

OP posts:
NewtRipley · 29/06/2014 16:10

Squiggly

I strongly disagree with that.

But when you are serving a customer who has made a complaint and are obviously talking aboutbthem, thatbis rude

PedlarsSpanner · 29/06/2014 16:10

Drool

NewtRipley · 29/06/2014 16:11

Doesn't sund like the cake would be sitting around for long

AryaOfHouseSnark · 29/06/2014 16:12

Thre is a bakers near us that also refuse to let customers pick a slice which I have always found quite odd.
They sell bacon rolls and have the bacon on display before they make them up. Some of it is really over cooked, not just crispy but black and rock solid. I asked not to have a burnt bit and pointed out a crispy bit or just normally cooked instead, they said no Shock that we couldn't pick and chose what we'd wanted to buy. They seemed to think I was massively entitled and they were quite surprised I asked.

BuildYourOwnSnowman · 29/06/2014 16:12

If it is cut and the pieces are still next to each other as cut I can see her point - you take the pieces out to expose as few sides to the air as possible. If you take from one side you will only expose one new piece. If you take from a corner you are exposing two.

The talking in another language is extremely rude.

chockbic · 29/06/2014 16:15

I reckon she had got her beady eye on the biggest slice.

phantomnamechanger · 29/06/2014 16:17

they obviously read the thread last week about the correct way to cut a cake so the edges do not dry out!

But YANBU - presumably they have an idea of how much they expect to sell in a day, and don't cut too many bits to avoid it all drying out. Therefore they expected to sell those other slices soon anyway and you were perfectly entitled to ask for the one you wanted. People in service industries with no idea of basic manners let alone the idea of customer service is one of my pet hates

Birdsighland · 29/06/2014 16:17

The missing pieces had not been removed in an especially orderly fashion. Quite a few choices would have exposed two sides also. They were not concerned enough to have a cover over it to keep it from the air.

OP posts:
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