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?

They say no. But I plead a little bit - I do have a soft voice so I’m being nice.

This makes you double unreasonable!

You were taking the piss by asking and pleading. She was fed up of entitled people, dont blame her. Your kid spilt the food and somehow they owe you more chips. Unbelievable.

The fact that you got your own way actually annoys me. It keeps people feeling incredibly entitled.

I think it was a reasonable request but sadly reading many replies here, it goes to show how cold society has become and secondly how insane the COL is that we’re talking about a bag of chips.

Additionally, the owner missed the opportunity for repeat business and a nice word of mouth story. They sell for £5 but even with today’s prices, won’t have cost them more than a quid.

And I don’t buy the nonsense that every parent would start trying to extort free chips.

Why because it's been less than 5 minutes do you get a replacement for free? This just wouldn't enter my head. I mean maybe they'd be kind enough to replace but I wouldn't expect them to do it as standard.

Maybe if it was 4 minutes and 21 seconds they would have replaced the chips.

My child once dropped an ice-cream in Regent’s Park as soon as we bought it. I tried to pay for a new one but the nice man didn’t let me. I expected to pay though. And spoke in a normal voice with no hint of softness.

The soft voice and getting IDd are crucial to this story. As is the meal of brown rice and spinach ;-)

While I don’t think some cheap chips are a big issue, it’s also not the worker’s problem that your child launched them away.

It really depends on the workplace. DD has worked a couple hospitality jobs where the managers were absolutely anal about stock, so I’d imagine there you’d get a “no” too.

If you don’t ask you don’t get.

Absolutely. If that was all you had done, and if you had accepted "No" for an answer, I think every post would be on your side. The problem is that you didn't, you went on and pleaded, and you clearly think that should have resulted in you getting your freebie. In fact, you didn't just plead, you actually took the trouble to go away and complain. If they really did refund you, it was plainly just to shut you up. Something tells me you wouldn't be welcomed if you went back there.

Complaining about the woman to HQ just to shit her over even more.

Because retail staff aren't real people who might lose their jobs from complaints.

You were a CF for asking.

Maybe give your baby/toddler one chip at a time. It's not the company's fault you couldn't plan ahead.

It actually unbelievable that head office read your email and replied and refunded you in the early hours of the morning. Literally unbelievable.

Ah good point!

I guess the consensus is that I shouldn’t have asked - I get it, some people can’t stand boldness.

I love that total CF OP has rebranded CFery as boldness.

I would love to know how the convo with HQ went.

"So I was demanding a free replacement for my chips...."

A good will gesture and leaving a paying customer feeling good is sometimes worth more than the chips.
You will have said how kind they were and nice

The brown rice and spinach was a direct answer to someone that asked what happened next.

And the handful of comments that are asking “why would you give the baby chips”

I understand. It looks like the issue was the fact I asked. Despite most people having experience of staff members offering free replacements - but out of goodwill, of course.

2 sides to every story.

You WERE looking to take the piss. I can't believe you pleaded for free food because your kid knocked it over, then had the nerve to complain. I'm actually cringing for you. Have some class; Jesus Christ...

Edit: that's not boldness, it was just trashy.

No i wouldn’t, your child dropped them, not their fault

Haven’t you given us both sides?

It’s in my mailbox. They sent it to me during the day, but I had seen it later on in the evening when I checked my emails.

For those that really need evidence you can DM 🙄

And I wouldn’t go back and buy from them again.

I live in a city with plenty of choices.

I was polite, I asked. She decided to be rude back and get personal.

It’s funny, I’ve seen people haggle down the price of things. Or sales people act pushy and annoying. You politely tell them you aren’t interested, or no. You don’t turn around with indirect insults.