One of the managers at the restaurant next door to my work gave me a 20% discount card. Yay!
I have to get out of the gallery when the cleaner comes and sprays Windolene everywhere because I'm massively allergic to it... So I go sit in their restaurant and then I feel it's only fair to at least order coffee while I am taking up the table.
I have a thing about paying R15 for coffee when I can easily make it for free in the gallery, but I consider this my weekly treat and, with the 20% discount, R12 seems more reasonable. I usually give the waiter the extra money anyway. (I've waitressed before and running around giving people coffee for a R1 tip used to be really annoying, especially when they usually spilled something and I had to change all the settings and tablecloths. It's a lot of effort for R1. I generally like to give a bit more than 10% anyway - even more so on lower bills! :)
This way I feel like we all got a good deal. I really felt good about recommending their restaurant when customers came in asking me what was good around here...
That was until the other manager made a sarky comment the other day when I went to pay the bill. He basically sneered "Why are you being so cheap?"... :( Sure he was probably just joking. He's got a pretty sarcastic sense of humour, but it made me feel really icky and then sad. Why give me the card if you're going to be nasty when I use it? Ummmm: besides... isn't criticising me for being cheap over R3 showing that you are cheap???
That little discount made me feel like I'd got value for money, I felt 'treated' and it made me want to share my 'windfall', hopefully it also made the waiter feel appreciated as well as their hard work rewarded and hopefully they will pay it forward to someone else too...
So I've decided to ignore and forgive his short sightedness, keep doing what I'm doing and find another manager when it comes time to pay the bill. Their food is still good so I'll still send people there. I won't let his issues block/change my generous nature.
But Managers: don't knock someone's R3 discount... A little goes a loooong way!!!
