How manipulative!

[pne]

(Cross-posted to pne, goodservice, and subway_eatfresh)

So this morning I decided to go by my local Subway and get a couple of cookies. There only seemed to be one person around: a man in overalls who was apparently fixing something. When he saw me, he went behind the counter and into the back room; I thought he was getting someone to serve me.

Shortly afterwards, a girl popped her head around the corner and said that she'd be with me in just a sec: she had to push the buzzer for the man; I suppose he had asked to use the toilet.

Then she asked me what I wanted and I order two cookies, which she got out of the display and put into a paper bag for me. She said, "That'll be €1.38. But you probably already knew that, right?" I was taken aback a little since no, I hadn't known that, though I could have worked it out given that one cookie costs 69 cents, so two would be 2×(70-1) = 140-2 = 138 cents.

After I had paid, she said, "Enjoy your cookies, and have a nice day—and a nice weekend!" I thought that was a very friendly send-off, and so I said not only, "Thanks, you too!" but added, "That was nice of you to say that!"

She said, "Oh, it's just service—after all, you paid for it!" I replied that while customers may expect service and that that may include a greeting at the beginning and the end, different people differ in how they interpret "good service"; I wanted to say that I felt her greeting was kinder and more friendly than mere "you paid for it" would warrant. She asked me what I thought the €1.38 paid for, and I said, "Well, the cookies, of course—and I guess also the rent for this place, and the salaries of the employees…", whereupon she said, "Exactly! And so I have to be nice to you so that you'll come back and I can continue to receive my salary!"

And she said that not only with a cheery voice and a smile but she also… how to describe it… if she were an aeroplane, I'd say she yawed :) At any rate, she swung her hips around while standing, rotating them left and right. I found it rather fetching and thought to myself that it wasn't fair: she was a girl and I'm a boy and we all know that guys are controlled mostly through their hormones and not their brain! And she seemed to be almost flirting with me.

Though I guess she got the effect she planned for: making me want to come back to that Subway and spend money there. Even if that nice young lady will not be serving next time I come. Damn her and her customer service!