while we're on a roll...
...of (boring) stories that demonstrate how dumb i am:
1) my senior yr of HS we toured the local community college on Career Day. when we arrived we were told to note the number of the bus, and be back by 4pm because the bus was leaving at 4:15 sharp.
when i got thru all the exhibits, i walked back to the bus lot, took a seat next to bus #328 (or whatever) and read a paperback book. eventually i noticed that it was past 5pm and my bus was still empty. because, of course, it wasn't my bus.
somehow it never occurred to me that there would be more than one bus #328, in spite of the fact that all kinds of school districts had bussed their kids there that day.
i think some nice student gave me a ride back to town. i really don't remember, but i'm pretty sure i got back because i'm not still there.
2) i had a Subway discount card that gave you a free 6" sandwich if you bought 5 at regular price.
i bought five 12" sandwiches, and couldn't understand why the manager didn't want to give me the free sandwich. she was very nice, but she was adamant that it only counted if i bought five 6" sandwiches, not 12" ones.
i was equally adamant that that was stupid because i was buying even *more*, so why shouldn't i get the free sandwich.
eventually she said "i guess i can't explain it to you, but i'll give you the sandwich because i don't want to argue with you." which was a good business decision, because it kept me coming back to the store.
after i left, it finally occurred to me that the reason they can give away a sandwich if you buy 5 6" ones is that they have a higher margin built in. they make less profit on 12" sandwiches, which is why they don't count in the promotion. duh.
posted by Rob @ 10:35:00 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Just a quick story (I have many) on how dumb I am.
I was telling someone how sensitive my feet were compared to when I was a little kid because I used to be able to run around on the gravel with bare feet with out a problem and now I can’t. Then the person said to me “Well it might have to do with the fact that there is another 100 lbs or so pressing down on your feet”.
I said “well yes there is that”
By the way was the free sandwich you received after you made a stink about it a 6 inch or 12 inch?
Vons (Safeway) used to have a deal where if you bought 6 sandwiches $4.99 or more, you got the 7th free. AND - you could buy 6 6" sandwiches, and then for your free sandwich, you could get a 12". The people that worked there were always the ones to point it out to me.
It's a shame that deal went away!
so glad you aren't still on that bus! and, confusion on your part -- have things changed any?? ;-)
well, i believe you had a point on the sandwich thing. even if it was less of a profit-margin, customer service-wise, it would've been smart (less dumb) on their part to honor the freebie. on a similar note, i get coffee from a store that offers a coffee card (10th one free). one can get regular coffee for the original 10 but for the free one, you can the most expensive mocha/latte/cappucino/etc. and people do that. and i'm sure their profit-margin loss is more than made up from the extra coffees they sell along with the goodwill.
I like the bus story. I would never do that.
But. On the sandwiches, I think you're selling yourself short. My vast, if non-existent, experience in the retail sandwich industry tells me that your theorized profit margin differences on 6" vs. 12" don't enner into it. Nor does the plumage.*
The mgr was lame to argue, assuming you were asking for a free 6" sandwich. This is cuz they'd rather sell you a 12" than a 6", all told. That's why they give you a nice price break for buying the bigger sandwich, instead of just doubling the 6" price. Whether you buy a 6 or a 12, they've still got to pay one of their workman's-comped employees to make you a sandwich, plus let you walk around in their nice air conditioned store with the clean restrooms and the health inspection certificate, not to mention the fact that you're there in the first place because of the $$ they fork out in franchise fees for national advertising and all that other... stuff (did i mention my vast experience?).
Point being that the extra couple ounces of meat and another slice of cheese (that they have to either sell or throw away anyway) is a small fraction of the total sell-bryan-a-sandwich cost, yet you're paying at least 50% more for it. They want you to buy the 12". So the mgr should have been falling all over herself in her eagerness to accept the windfall you were offering her.
*never mind.
thx for your comments.
bb, it was a 6", just like... well, never mind.
lisa, i also have a sandwich deal that i miss. the Wawa gas station chain (back east) used to have a roast pork sandwich that was to die for. with mustard, mayo, pesto sauce, cheese... it was probably a million calories, but it was literally one of the best things i ever tasted in my life. i used to eat it every day when i visited a particular client in pennsylvania...
very funny, si. ho ho. yes, i'm dazed and confused much of the time. luckily, i have ppl around me to point it out, so there's no danger of it just slipping by...
cal, thanks. i like your version much better, and i'm going with that from now on...
cal is so vastly logical and articulate in his arguments -- i bow to you, cal...
and you did see my winky-face, right? just *affectionately* joshing you. and since i'm not literally around you much anymore, i HAVE to do it virtually. it's my duty. :-)
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