baronessekat | The Pickle

Back when I worked in the hospital, one of the more tedious tasks I had was to make sure everyone in the department saw this training video called “Give them the Pickle”. It was a motivational training film about customer service. The basic thing was the speaker used to own a burger joint and he once received a letter from a customer saying that they loved the pickles they served but one day when she asked if she could have an extra one she was told that they would have to charge her for it (something like a quarter). She thought this was rather ridiculous and might have to take her business elsewhere if his company was so petty about a pickle. He, believing in good customer service, adopted the motto “Give them the Pickle” in other words… do what you have to in order to make the customer happy within reason.

It’s been over 2 years since I last had to sit through that video and to this day I remember the stupid pickle.

Anyway, today I went to Manhattan Bagel to grab a sandwich. The guy behind the counter asked me three times if I wanted a pickle.

BACK-STORY: I used to love pickles. Up until I was about 3 or 4 years old. I managed to eat so many in one sitting when I was a wee lass that I ended up making myself sick on them and since that time, for the last 30 odd years, I can’t stand the smell, let alone the taste of pickles or pickle relish.

Return to the story: So anyway, as I said, asked three times if I wanted a pickle to go with my sandwich. I said no, politely, all three times. I go pay, take my to go bag and return to work. And what, pray tell is in the bag? A pickle.

I could understand if he hadn’t asked THREE times. And I hate just throwing away good food, but no one in the office wants it either. So now I’m forced to waste a perfectly good pickle that someone else could have enjoyed with their lunch.

Moral of the story: Sometimes the pickle that the customer wants… is NOT actually a pickle and it’s best to leave it in the jar.