Tradesman asking for a sandwich

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

I’ve had a tradesman working on the outside of my property today. Got here about 11.30, job was about a couple of hours worth of work. About 1200 I went out and asked if I could get him a tea or coffee. He answered “Tea, white with two please, would you be able to knock me up a cheese sandwich while your there?”
Now, admittedly I’m rubbish at saying no at the best of times and I wasn’t expecting this so obliged, even returning to check if he would like pickle/tomato etc with it.”
Dp thinks I’ve lost the plot and he was being grabby and to be honest I’ve only ever made drinks with the odd biscuit before, the only exception being when we had an extension built which was a much longer project and I outdone make them bacon sandwiches on a Friday morning if I wasn’t working.
Would you have made a sandwich?

Just no! Sexist tradie playing the game. Make her behave like subservient woman. Makes my blood boil. Had only been there 30 minutes!

I’ve had a lot of tradesmen in recently doing work and at the moment because of lockdown I’m not offering them anything at all. I assumed they wouldn’t accept anyway.

If I get someone in to do something I'll always feed them, I go the chippy and make bacon sandwiches and brew up constantly. I'd rather them stay and eat than piss off for lunch and not come back.

I've only had one person ask me for a bacon sandwich though, and he got a real dressing down by his gaffer for "being cheeky" to his client.

Bit odd. Never had that happen to me before but I'd have made a sandwich too. My DH and DS are both trade, and I'd hope if they asked a customer for something to eat (normally take a packed lunch but could forget once in a while) that they would get it. ...... Was it Suffolk atleastitsnotmonday?? Asking for a friend

Nope!
If the guy was doing an all day job I might have obliged, but its a bloody cheek of him to ask.
Any workmen I have had have been grateful for a drink and have never asked for anything, apart for maybe for the directions to the nearest chippy or café at lunch time.
I would have brought him his tea and if he had the cheek to ask for his sandwich, I would have said that I thought he was joking and walked away.

I would have made it, I often do but like others - I’ve never been asked. Perhaps he forgot lunch, didn’t fancy risking Covid shops and thought you seemed nice enough to ask?

I once had a John Lewis delivery man ask for a cold drink after climbing our stairs.
Other than tea or coffee we only drink tap water or milk. He was really rude that there was no coke or juice and refused, muttering about having to go to the shops!

If in this day and age we can't make our fellow man a f*&^ing sandwich then I'm truly done.

For crying out loud...its two bits of bread, butter and a slice of flaming cheese!

A man WORKING NEXT DOOR called at me over the fence and asked for a bacon sandwich 'a bacon sandwich would be nice' or something like that, probably adding 'love'. When I looked shocked, he quickly turned it into a joke. But I think he thought there was a good chance I would comply. This was well before Covid days, so he was unlikely to be genuinely short of food.

@Toomuchtrouble4me

I would have made it, I often do but like others - I’ve never been asked. Perhaps he forgot lunch, didn’t fancy risking Covid shops and thought you seemed nice enough to ask?

This.

Mis being mistaken for a kind and compassionate person really such an awful fate?

@DragonMoth

Nope! If the guy was doing an all day job I might have obliged, but its a bloody cheek of him to ask. Any workmen I have had have been grateful for a drink and have never asked for anything, apart for maybe for the directions to the nearest chippy or café at lunch time. I would have brought him his tea and if he had the cheek to ask for his sandwich, I would have said that I thought he was joking and walked away.

Yes, god forbid.

Glad I'll never be this mean, smug or stingy.

I don't stock cheese or even bread at home...

Fgs it's a bloody sandwich!
Tell me if he had been an accountant, doctor or some other profession would it have been as big an issue as a tradesman asking you?

An accountant or doctor asking for a sandwich would be even weirder

I can't imagine my GP or an accountant asking me to fetch them a sandwich and would assume trades people are equally as professional.

I am not a people pleaser and pretty sure my response would have been to ask why? If he'd said sorry I've forgotten to bring anything, I would say I'll have a look and can probably find some biscuits. Yes a sandwich is only bread and cheese, but I tend to have pitta bread in the freezer and defrost as I need plus I'm not a cafe.

@JustAVeniceQueen

This thread! Full of people pleasers desperate to make the man, and by the looks of it any man, to like them.

I'd have the same response if the tradesperson were female. Christ it's only a sandwich. And a cheese sandwich at that!

I'd 100% make them one. I offer food to pretty much anyone I'm my house, whatever the reason they're there.

Yes, it's only a sandwich which he/she (trades person) can therefore make themselves.

I work in a professional environment and can imagine my customers faces if I asked them for a sandwich.

@JustAVeniceQueen

This thread! Full of people pleasers desperate to make the man, and by the looks of it any man, to like them.

This!

Utterly ridiculous. As if he couldn't have waited til he finished.

And no he wouldn't have asked a man to do the same.

I'd have made him one, but also see both sides so I don't think you were wrong not to

Oh its definitely cheeky, my OH is a tradesman and would never dream of asking for food. However I would definitely make one if asked, especially if it was a younger bloke who hadnt quite figured out "the rules" yet. An older bloke asking in an entitled way would be given short shrift.

Screw that
Im paying the tradie to work, not to make them food
Same response if a lawyer asked me to whip up lunch while we had a meeting

He sounds like a CF. I doubt he would have asked a man for a sandwich.

My aunt made lunch for the builders doing her extension every day. She’s a great cook and a canny one, they did a lot extra work that would have cost her thousands extra.

Wow. I think peoples attitudes to tradesmen has to change. You need them and they are in your house so be generous. Some customers don't even make tea for you. How entitled. Have you ever had tea from a flask. It's disgusting. Show some hospitality...please. He/she may have forgotten to pick up his/her lunch on the way out that morning. Been working long hours helping with a customer emergency. You just don't know. A cheese sandwich takes 2 mins to knock up.

@jontyl

Wow. I think peoples attitudes to tradesmen has to change. You need them and they are in your house so be generous. Some customers don't even make tea for you. How entitled. Have you ever had tea from a flask. It's disgusting. Show some hospitality...please. He/she may have forgotten to pick up his/her lunch on the way out that morning. Been working long hours helping with a customer emergency. You just don't know. A cheese sandwich takes 2 mins to knock up.

My employer needs me, it doesn’t mean I can ask my boss or customers to make me sandwiches. I am an adult and I make my own lunch arrangements, if I forget my lunch on the way out, it is not my employers or customers problem to fix.

I would be annoyed to be asked this and in particular because I don’t think they would ask my husband. It is also far from a given that I have bread or cheese stocked. Yesterday I definitely had no bread and I have not had any cheese in since Christmas. We don’t eat sandwiches at home and generally would not have the required components to make one quickly.