Florida, day two, addendum: wherein I am Very Charming

[shadesong]

So we went to see Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which was in fact a very good adaptation. And we went out for coffee and dessert at the little cafe a few storefronts down. And, while attempting to arrange four of us around a two-person table, my mother dropped her napoleon.

So. I decided to do a little experiment.

I brought the napoleon back up to the counter and explained that my mother had dropped it, and asked for a new one pretty please. The counter monkey directed me to the manager. So I asked the manager, pretty-please, may my mother have a new napoleon. He hemmed and hawed, saying that it wasn't really their fault, and I said of course! oh, I *know* it's not your fault, but my poor mother... and finally he agreed to give me a dollar off another one, and I professed delight and gratitude. Unfortunately, they were out of napoleons. They had an eclair left - would she like an eclair? Oh, no. What would she like? Maybe an apple turnover? Sure, she'd try the apple turnover.

And they gave it to us for free.

I am feeling inordinately proud of myself right now. :)

Comments

[two-star.livejournal.com]

You're proud of yourself because you stole a pastry?
I don't get why stealing is something to be proud of. Maybe I'll shoplift a hostess fruit pie and see what effect it has.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

It's not theft. They gave it to her.

She's proud of herself because she asserted herself and managed to negotiate a courteous, reasonable way to replace the dessert that was lost by her mother without either crawling into a hole or winding up in a pissy shouting match with the manager.

Or at least, she should be. You go, girl.

[two-star.livejournal.com]

Being assertive is not a thing to be proud of in itself, if it is a means to an ignoble end.

"They" did not give the pastry to her. One person, (the manager,) did. He was certainly empowered to do so, but if he had been doing his duty to his fellow employees, he would not have.
instead he "crawled into a hole," which he should be ashamed of himself for doing. After all, the cost of the second pastry effectively came out of the pockets of all of the employees and owners of the place, most of whom, I imagine, were not present to either object to or agree with having money taken from them. Yet these people are included in this amorphous "they" that you claim gave the pastry to her.

The "reasonable" thing to do would have been to pay for the second pastry. The fact that the first one was lost accidentally is immaterial.

This may not have been theft under the law, but morally it was theft as much as taking the cost of the pastry straight from the till would have been.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Point to the twisted immorality in this example where she heartlessly forced their hand into providing her with a new dessert, threatening them with consequences beyond hell. The manager was empowered to deal with the situation, he was kind enough to give her and her mom a break and freely give them a replacement and you say it's all her fault and she's taking the food out of several peoples' mouths? Remind me never to eat at your house.

[iroshi.livejournal.com]

It was neither theft on SS's part, nor capitulation on the manager's part, but rather good business practices. A certain amount is calculated into the operating budget (or it is if you have a smart business manager) in order to generate good will, which creates more business, and in the long-run makes them FAR more money than being stingy about a single pastry would have.

Would SS go back to that particular store again? I think so, because the management was corteous and understanding. *I* certainly would recommend them to all of *my* friends if they had done so to me.

The manager gave the pastry to her (which, in reality, probably cost them about 25 cents to produce, as they buy their ingredients in bulk...it is the facilities and salaries which cost the most money in keeping storefronts open, not the items for sale) in order to generate far more income than that 25 cents would have.

Theft is when you take something the rightful owner didn't give you permission to have.

Merriam-Webster states:
Main Entry: theft
Function: noun
1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property

Since there was no taking, only receiving with permission, and certainly nothing unlawful about it, I see no theft here.

Please keep the bastardizing of the language to your own journal, if you would, where we don't have to see it if we don't want to. :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what he said! :) I got a free pastry with charm alone. Told you guys I have a natural charisma of 18. :)

[iroshi.livejournal.com]

Sweetie, I knew that from the first day I read your journal!

*blows kisses*

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Hee! :)