Miscelaney

(What do I do all day, post 2)

Yesterday seemed as good as day as any to pick a fight with corporate America. Chalk it up to low blood sugar, having no dog in any particular fight and feeling the need to mix it up, or the indignant (false) notion I no longer have to take anyone elses crap, I don’t know–take your pick.

I was running marathon errands on the west side. Finally taking my tent and related camping gear back to my storage unit (important to note it has been riding around in my car for at least a month), having the tire store re-attach parts of my hub cap which fell off from when I got my tires rotated (again, at least a month in the making), picking up a very needed undergarment and trying to abstain from any additional, uncessary shopping (I need it, no, you just want it, no I need it, sigh…I just want it), and so on.

The Offense

While on the run I decided to grab a quick lunch on the road. Something I rarely do anymore. No need to outright mention where I went, but my choice was a simple, fairly healthy, and totally fulfilling selection: rice, beans, chicken, cheese, and salsa, all in a bowl. Yum. But when I ordered this all-time favorite, I was stunned watching the man behind the counter fill my order. My server (becuase they build your dish right in front of you) put barley half a scoop of rice, half a scoop of beans, and half a scoop of chicken. The result was a child’s portion of what I ususally receive. I kept watching him with an “are you serious” look on my face. Apparently he was and he charged me full price.

Far too much white space in this bowl!

I don’t need to take the time right now to explain to you  the reasoning behind why I’m just not very confrontational, so instead of saying something at the time and slowing up the feed line (although to my credit I felt like it would fall on deaf ears), I bit my lip and sulkingly took my child’s lunch to the table. Before diving into the four bites I was provided, fuming, I took a photo of my half-filled bowl.

 The Stand

If I felt like being positive, the plus side was I was able to go to the gym for a vigorous swim immediately after lunch, becasue there was no need to let my food settle. Perhaps the universe thought a lively work out was what I needed as opposed to a fulfilling lunch. Regardless, I was more chapped by the point that this is not the first time this sort of thing has happened to me lately. Retailers, service providers, etc. have been circling in an unacceptable pattern of underdelivering on a standard they themselves set previously.

I sent the photo of my child-portion-of-a-lunch to the said offender’s corporate office with a note letting them know this was the reason why they would lose my business. They have the opportunity to make it right, if they choose to, so we’ll see.

Everyone’s going through hard times. No surprise. But if business owners are going  to start (continue) shortchanging customers to shave off expenditures, they are going to lose their loyalists. Then where will they be? I’m not saying businesses don’t have to be smarter about their costs, particulalry right now, but I am saying this type of thing is BS. I for one will take my careful spending somehwere else.