All the missing people are in ‘Pret a Manger’
I knew yer one behind the counter would ask if I wanted anything else in that automated, corporate tone, so I beat her to the punch and said “can I have an almond croissant and nothing else please!?”
And she said “Sure, would you like anything else?”… I should have asked her again for the almond croissant but she would have asked me if I wanted anything else and we would have gone round and round and round in circles and I might never have come out of there again…
Maybe that’s where all the missing people go; ‘Can I have an almond croissant please and nothing else?’ ‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’, ‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’,‘Sure, would you like anything else?’ ‘Just the almond croissant please and nothing else’….
Very apt in todays society.. people have lost their bearings I think.. it’s all about the perception of great customer service.. when in fact people just really want to be treated like people..
Exactly! The staff are robotically trained in so far as no matter what branch you go in to, you will have the exact same experience and be greeted in the exact same manner every time. They ask you if you want to eat in or take the food away, they ask you if you want anything else and then they will hand you one napkin! They even try to tell the customers how to behave as well, because if you read the napkin they tell you (and I quote) “If Pret staff get all serviette-ish and hand you huge bunches of napkins (which you don’t need or want) please give them the evil eye. Waste not want not.” And what’s worse, they are disguising their penny-pinching at not parting with their precious napkins, as being an environmentally conscious company!
The other day I came across this article in the newspaper:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23868473-bunfight-over-a-starbucks-bagel.do
This lady is a legend!!