To be fuming with these selfish customers?

[squashedalmondcroissant]

I work in a cafe and sometimes we put out free samples of cakes etc to give people a taster and obviously try and tempt people into buying a full price piece. No obligation, but that is the general idea, even if they come back another time.

Family comes in, I have a tray of 6 samples out on the counter. They proceed to take ALL the samples for themselves. The samples were plenty big enough to share especially as most of them were very young kids who could have easily had a bite each.

Aibu to be fuming at this? They saw me put them out so they knew that was all I had to give away and they just took them all! This particular family are regulars and I know (and they know) that they had absolutely NO intention of buying any of the cakes. They never do, they have a bit of a reputation for being freeloaders, helping themselves to things they shouldn't and paying for take away and then 'conveniently' changing their minds after they're paid to eat in knowing that they haven't paid the extra charge.

Aibu to just ban them forever? or am I just grumpy after dealing with annoying customers all day

I completely understand why this would irritate you. It is selfish and thoughtless of them, no question about it.
personally, I would grab one sample and share it amongst my brood, but I wouldn’t take everything in the display. Not everyone is capable
of thinking how this could
Impact a small business.

😂

You put out samples. Anyone coming in should be able to sample. Samples are looked at as freebies and an invite to be taken. A family is not going to share a piece, neither are most people. I understand you just had a limited number of pieces to put out but you can't expect customers to understand your business. I would suggest, as others have done, cut the pieces smaller next time so more people get to try. You might put a "one per person" sign out the next time.

Banning customers for taking what you openly offered to customers is just mind boggling. I would guess your business would suffer if you start banning people for eating a sample....just saying.

I don't think you should put samples out if you don't want people to eat the samples. If they had taken more than 1 each I would agree that they should not have but they didn't. I don't tend to touch samples because I worry people will have touched them but if I did I would assume it was a one each situation.

A cafe I go to puts a tiny sample on a coffee cup if people have paid for it. It's a nice bonus but you have to buy something to get it. Putting out samples is always going to invite the freeloaders. I would have ticked them off - 'Oh, would you mind next time leaving some for other people? thank you!"

I think it’s fine if there were six people and they took one sample each. You need to put out smaller samples. Six samples is a bit silly, hardly any people will get one.

I would just keep smiling when they come in and keep offering the samples to anyone to get rid off them as fast as possible. At least when the samples are gone that’s one less job to do (watching/handing/talking about the samples).

I really like when cafes give little treats with the coffees. It’s such a nice touch. Thank you to cafes that do this!

6 free samples for the whole day is a ridiculously small amount - it is very normal for people to take one sample per person.

They would have probably assumed you'd just put another tray out.

And paying for takeaway when you're going to eat in is extremely common - and if I'm right the 'extra' money you have to pay is for tax reasons, so it's not like the cafe is losing any profit for the whole takeaway vs eating in thing (which is why people don't feel bad about doing it).

Happy to be be corrected on that point though.

If they're regulars then they ovboulsy buy something when they come to the cafe so I wouldn't begrdue them a small bit of a free cake.

Put the samples away when they come in. You know they’re not going to buy cake so there’s no point in wasting a sample on them.

If they try to pull the taking out/eating in stunt just tell them cheerily ‘Oh, let me cancel that and I’ll ring up the staying in price for you instead’. If they’re already sitting down go over and tell them they owe you x amount or cheerily present them with a bill for the extra. If they moan just say ‘new company policy - all food and drink hast to be paid for correctly’.

Just stop letting them get away with stuff.

Options:

1. only put the samples out when they leave.
2. take a tray around offering them to new customers and then take it back in, so no one can help themselves. This gives you a chance to explain that it is free, but the hope is the customer might buy a cake next time.
3. put a sign up limiting free samples to one per group of visitors / table.

PS the reason for the different prices on takeaway verses eat in is a difference in taxation. You can tell them this and require them to leave if they don’t pay.

They saw me put them out so I couldn't remove them without it being obvious.

So be obvious. It obviously bothers you so the obvious solution is to be obvious and then they'll get the message. Otherwise if you put out free cake they'll eat it, obviously.

Copping the hump over customers taking one free sample per person is just bizarre 😂

If we went to a cafe and they had a tray of free samples, I wouldn't hesitate to allow the dc to take one each and then take one myself/one for dh. Even if it emptied the box/tray...I would just assume it would be refilled.

If you don't want customers to accept your free samples just don't offer any!

This is one of the reasons my local coffee place put a “No under 16’s allowed” rule in place.

The place is very popular BTW.

A wise salesman once told be to be careful with the word "free" as people immediately interpreted it as "having no value".

If they always ask for takeaway but always eat in, just charge them the eat in price without checking. If they query it just say that they always eat in and you have charged the eat in price.

This. All those suggestions to quickly hide the samples when the family comes in sound so petty.
You either offer free samples and don’t begrudge people for taking you up on your offer, or you don’t.
If I were the owner, I would just cut the samples into smaller pieces. I’ve never seen samples on offer anywhere that were big enough to share.

@squashedalmondcroissant

If I were the owner, I would just cut the samples into smaller pieces. I’ve never seen samples on offer anywhere that were big enough to share.

Yes this - why can't the samples be smaller - and divided across two or more tests so samples can be put out at different times so more customers get a chance to sample the goods? That's what happens at places I've shopped at - you only need quite a small sample to taste and see if you like it. Plus fairer to other customers too. 🌹

I’m astonished that some people think there’s nothing wrong with it. Nothing legally no, but come on - would youbehave like it?? It’s antisocial and twatty.

Clearly a significant proportion would behave like this. It's always an eye-opener what some people will defend.

If anything, you want to just give people the slightest delicious taste and then leave them craving for more, so that they buy some!

If you give people the best part of a slice of cake for free, why would they then feel the need to buy another?

I’d let the dc have a “free sample” each. Why not? Sometimes we go and buy several slices of cake and have paid for samples then we choose our favourite cake and have an extra slice or two
of that one. I’ve never, ever, seen somewhere that said one sample per family and I’ve bought a lot of cake.

If I owned a cafe I’d encourage children to try samples as they are more likely to persuade adults to buy some more. Pester power.

Why don't you just keep the tray behind the counter and offer a sample to customers as you get their drink or whatever ready?