Would you give me the replacement chips?

[Houseofdrums]

Im with a group of mum friends at a food court. We all go off to different kiosks. Order our food. We find an available table.

I order from a Thai cuisine, a noodle dish and some chips for the little one.

I pick up the food, put toddler in highchair, put the chips infront of her. I’m about to take my first serving of noodles and baby kicks the chips all over the floor.

The chips cost £5. One of the mums says that it’s been less than 5 mins and they didn’t touch the chips, I should be able to ask for a replacement.

So I go to the kiosk, politely explain that I was just here and the baby annoyingly dropped all the chips. I show them the picture (we are sitting on the other end of the food court).

They say no. But I plead a little bit - I do have a soft voice so I’m being nice. Then they go on and on about how every mum will be asking for freebies. I should pay for another one. And I should go to another one of their stores who would provide me free chips.

Turns out she was also the manager.

I worked in waitressing many years ago, and honestly, we would have just given a portion of chips. Id be hesitant if it was the whole meal - but a couple of chips for a baby?

Was I being unreasonable?

Thanks for your replies. I wouldn’t have normally asked.

If you don’t ask you don’t get. I usually bring home made lunch, but I’d been out with baby since 10am. This happened at around 8pm, by then had ran out of packed food and when we are out I tend to stick with chips.

Super interesting reading the very judgy comments. But I guess this is MN.

Funnily enough when I worked in retail (a decade ago) we had “well-off” clients. There was a shoe priced at £900 and the customer asked, if her and her friend bought a pair each, could they have it for half price. I asked my manager, she said yes - to my surprise.

On that day I learned - if you don’t ask the answer is always no.

Anyways - an update - I complained via email to HQ, as the woman was actually incredibly rude too and I got a full refund.

One of the mums offered whatever they had. But ended up sharing the noodles with LO.

Luckily there is always food at home, so when we got in she had a big bowl of brown rice and spinach stew - she’s an eater.

The chips was just to survive the car journey after a long day out.

A 2 year old for anyone wondering the age.

And I wouldn’t pick up anything and feed my baby, toddler, child or teen that had touched the floor of a foodhall with very high footfall at 8pm.

If you would - good on you. It probably does build a stronger immune system to be fair.

Wow, it’s totally on you that you put the entire serve in front of your kid. So you are both a CF and a bit dim.

The evening was a little busy.

Going through comments now and replying to the ones that summarise a collective thought 😊

Wow. Well done you for getting your fiver back for something your child destroyed.

This is the point.

Chips don’t cost much.

If the baby spilt my £18 meal, I actually wouldn’t have asked for another. I would have gone hungry until I went home.

It was an open kitchen, you can see the mass chips being fried.

Yes, it’s not their fault the chips fell, I just thought I’d ask.

At least someone (kinda) gets it …

For context my meal was about £18 for a small bowl.

Chips were about £5 - and there were about 10-15 chips there. They didn’t have a kids menu. Chips was the only thing that seemed suitable.

So it wasn’t a large portion wrapped up in paper.

Plus, you don’t know my baby - she has an appetite on her!

Would you ask for a new sofa if someone had just spilt drink within 5 mins of you buying it

You put in a complaint because you was told no and didn't like it 🙄

Anyways - an update - I complained via email to HQ, as the woman was actually incredibly rude too and I got a full refund.

Oh dear, this definitely makes you look even more entitled. They've refunded because it is worth it to them to shut you up, but my god, the entitlement.

I didn’t write it all in my OP, but she was rude.

I think she thought I was a young mum looking to take the piss. And I get it. I’m mid 30s, but still get ID’d so I don’t blame her.

I won’t go into exactly what she said, but she clearly made some assumptions from the monologue she decided to give me.

No because it’s worth so much more.

I would t have asked if my £18 noodles dropped. As I’m an adult.

I guess I was driven by the thought of a hungry baby. So I accept fault. And I know it’s my responsibility to feed my child.

I guess the consensus is that I shouldn’t have asked - I get it, some people can’t stand boldness. The LO always gets freebies when we go to certain restaurants - but the difference is I never ask. So I get why everyone is on the “you are unreasonable” side.

Fair enough.

I would have never spoken to a customer the way she did.

We can’t all be silent.

£18! Daylight robbery!

Fark in hell so that poor woman is now getting her told off because an entitled madam wanted someone else to pay because she put food in front of a toddler then didn’t watch the toddler….

No wonder teachers are leaving in big numbers…. parents like you blaming others instead of owning their parenting mistakes…. you shouldn’t have put the food in front of your child until you were ready to watch her!!

Not the point of the post, but that’s so expensive for both, especially for a food court.

But you were taking the piss. I don’t blame her. It’s nothing to do with your age or perceived age, it’s to do with you making a totally unreasonable request.

So you probably got someone into trouble because of your entitled attitude, someone trying to save their employer money by refusing to give in to a ridiculous demand.

Shameful.

Your child knocked the chips over, they didn’t drop them! If every person did that they would be giving out free food all over the place. YABU.

YABU. Your friend was also BU.

This is the funniest thread I've seen on MN in a while.

I'm in Australia... your serve of chips is about $9 here which seems very pricey but it's hard to compare really.

Still- your kids dropped them. NO FAULT of the seller. Not a chance I would have asked for a free replacement. But you went large and called head office?

I'm in awe of you OP. Not only for your sheer sense of entitlement, but your life of utter privilege and perfection that allows you to become stressed about such utterly trivial issues. I wish I were you.

Some places would automatically give a replacement. I have had it happen without asking in the past. Difference is, that I never asked.

I actually don’t believe a refund was given like that immediately after an email. With no ‘investigation’ or them discussing with the staff first. It didn’t happen.

And why did we need to know the child went home and ate ‘brown rice and spinach’?!

So you were at the food hall at 8 pm, had food there to survive the journey home and then you made brown rice and spinach stew for your toddler (because at 2 they are not a baby) when you got in! What time was your child eating said stew and why weren’t they asleep or going to by bed that time of night?
How about next time you don’t report someone for not pandering to your entitlement and you make sure your child cannot kick over their food because you are not supervising them properly.
Just because head office refunded your money does not mean they thought you were correct in asking for a replacement. It would just be a goodwill gesture, even though they really thought you were being an entitled idiot.

I cant believe you even considered asking for a replacement!