Clumsy and Heelys

At work I do not have a reputation for being delicate or having any particular control over my movements.

Today, I fell in full customer view on the tiled floor I had mopped just 5 seconds ago. I had even put out yellow warning signs, to tell people the floor is wet. I saved myself on the little door, but it then swung open and I flung to the floor. It didn't hurt but was not particularly nice. It was one of those moments when you just know you are going to fall straight down and begin laughing before you've even fell. I was being stared at so I just said "I did NOT just slip over" and walked into the back to hide.

The next accident was in the back. I was cleaning behind the make table (where pizza is topped). I was mopping it. Then I fell once again on the water I was using. My freshly cleaned stainless steel make table then had my hand prints on it where I again, saved myself from greater accident. The comment I got from the manager sitting down was "Water is wet you know". Thanks for that.

I then went to walk off again, but walked straight into an oven deck. They have nasty sharp corners on. The comment I got from the same manager was "There's an oven there you know". I called him a male body part and went to stand on the front where no one knew about my little accidents.

Then finally, I was cleaning the coffee machine (uses HOT water). I couldn't find the plastic container we normally use, so used a metal one. Stupidly I forgot that boiling water in a metal container will make that container very hot. I picked it up and it then became apparent that it was hot and that I also couldn't put it back down without spilling it. So I rushed through to the sink swearing (we were closed) and gave it a final insult when I dumped it in the sick by putting the fry hopper lid on top of it. The same manager walked round from the desk slowly and just went "Metal conducts heat by the way" and sat back down. Arrgh

Oh and good news, Heelys which I moaned about before have been banned by the shopping centre. They have a new automated announcement and signs and I think they are great! I can't wait to tell children not to skate round because "THEY'RE BANNED" and can tap the sign we have been supplied with if parents come over to moan.

And bad news if you are a Pizza Hut customer who likes the Ice Cream Factory chocolate sauce. Pizza Hut are trying to go "natural" on the ICF and so chocolate sauce has been replaced with Lemon! Neither are orderable though, so you'll have to make do with neither for a bit, or until they click "Yes I do want 700 stores to have ICF sauce". Chocolate buttons have been replaced with chocolate raisins (yum!).

Finally thanks to Keith for a mention on his blog - the chavs and gypos aren't that bad and only make up a small % of the total customers I serve so they actually provide a bit of amusement...most of the time.

McDonalds

McDonalds are unorganised filth bags. They have offered me a job twice since I started at Pizza Hut in some kind of head hunting mission. Why I would take a job which is less per hour, has a team of dimwits and managers who wear white trainers on shift and you can hear bellowing from the other side of centre.

They also never put their deliveries away promptly. Their frozen and chilled deliveries routinely stay in the service area for 2 to 3 hours. Therefore, within that time there is a great opportunity to be nosey, and I am extremely nosey.

I have discovered, they are doing some Oreo related, there is some new chicken and possibly new uniforms?

Sorry for that let down, but I 'spose it is ok if you are someone who has a particular interest in McDonald's uniforms and enjoys Oreos and chicken.

Cloning

Chip and pin is great, I've not had to sign a little crappy receipt for over a year now when I use my debit card. The pin also gives better security than a signature. Another advantage is that the customer can in most cases, not have to hand their card to the store staff.

But there are different systems and infact a retailer is not obliged to have to provide a chip and pin service, but if they don't they take the risk of fraudulent transactions and the cost involved in that.

We have chip and pin, but the units we have are all in one machines, so we input the amount to be charged to the card on the same keypad as the customer puts their pin in. To process a sale I need to: insert the customer card (I take it from them), input the amount to be charged, the customer confirms the amount and then puts their pin in. I then need to take the machine back (with card) and press a button to say "yeah, I do actually want to do this thanks" and it goes through. It prints the merchant receipt, I tear it off and then press a button to say "yes please I could do with the customer receipt as well thank you very much". I can then finally remove the card.

So therefore, in normal circumstances I have the card on my side of the counter rather than the customers for most of the transaction. I don't mind if I customer wants me to keep the machine in their view or wants to see everything I do, I have nothing to hide (except swiping the occasional card and photographing the details).

But, when I tell you the price, and you have a card in your hand, and I go to take it the correct response is not:

"THE POINT OF CHIP AND PIN IS THAT I KEEP THE CARD."
"Ok but I need to take it to put it in the machine"
"NO!, I KEEP THE CARD THAT IS THE POINT OF CHIP AND PIN".
I really should have been pedantic and said it that was just one advantage and not THE point.
"Right well the only way you can pay by card is to give me the card, so I can put the amount in..."
"HOW DO I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GOING TO CLONE IT??"
"I will do it all on top of the counter so you can see"
"That'll have to do then" with a shake of the head (He really was bellowing at me before)

So the transaction went through. I then got a lecture on the 'point' of chip and pin. What a prick. He was trying to be all technical with his chip and pin knowledge but I bet he one of those people who will talk to you about their computer and go "Yeah, I got Google last night". Oh really, you got Google did you, you'll have to show me how to do it one time.

Frank Chalk

I have read this blog for a while, and I'm sure a lot of UK bloggers have too, but I'm adding Frank Chalk to my blog roll. It's a good topical blog, try it if you haven't already!

A few things

In February, I posted about the general issues people have about saying the names of menu items. Then Al posted about Christmas already, and the other day someone must have had it on their mind. Instead of a "Feast" meal they asked for a "Festive" meal. I didn't correct them, and they said it about 3 times again to their family. Her husband snapped and ranted "IT IS FEAST NOT FESTIVE!!". I just did a sly smile in his direction and he replied with a shake of the head.

Another taking issue has been "Can I have some receipt?". Ha, sure here's a sachet of receipt.

Then some gypos came in (apologies for this term, but they were). I don't know why we have them on a such a regular basis, but they are frequently camped out on the nearby industrial estate car parks but more and more are putting barriers in. So then they move onto farmers fields which are closer.

So the gypos were in. When I see them walking in, with either vest tops or just no top, I pray they aren't going to come up to the counter. Then they all do. They cannot talk, they can only shout so they immediately seem angry. A father and son (about 10 y.o.) came up and ordered some food which included chicken wings. Our chicken wings are tiny and are a rip off, but there isn't much I can do about that. I put them on the tray and the father picks up the box, and looks inside.

"What tha fack are those!" (you know the accent).
"Errm they're the BBQ chicken wings"
"There's fack all on 'em, they're a facking rip off!".
"Oh right, sorry...do you want them still?"
"Fucking hell what a rip off!"
"I don't set the prices I'm afraid, there isn't much I can do...so do you want them?"

While this was happening, his son (large, topless) was also there mimicking every movement and gesture his dad made. It was a very strange thing to see.

So he sat down with the rest of his family and his other kids and relatives seemed to want stuff. I'd say I got about £20 out of them in the end, not bad!

Yesterday, I was on the front on my own, giving the ICF sauces a clean. Mid way between me doing that there was a sudden rush of customers, so I didn't have a chance to wash my hands of sticky sauce. So then every bit of change I gave out was sticky and you could see the faces on some customers obviously thinking "Great, sticky coins". I tried to hide my glazed fingers as much as possible when I could see them wiping the coins on napkins.

Then later on, a mum and two daughters (about...8 and 11) came up and ordered. In the middle of the transaction, the elder of the daughters, took a bobble out of the younger girl's hair. Then all hell broke loose. The younger one had a seriously bad reaction to having her bobble removed and started kicking her sister, then punching, then wrestling. They ended up fighting on the floor, the younger of the two doing most of the damage. She was kicking her sister in the side and shouting "I hate you, you always pick on me" and various other phrases. The mother didn't realise they were fighting as they were behind her, until I pointed it out...which meant I went "Errrm..." with a pointing finger at them on the floor. Her way of dealing with it was interesting, "OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?". They both got back up, both crying, and saying the other one started it. They were sent to opposite ends of the store to "think" about what they had just done. About 20 seconds later they were joking with each other at the drinks machine. Aww.



Finally to finish off this unusually long(ish) post.

We have matching salt and pepper sachets which are a generic type. Anyone who orders from 3663 can get them.

We get the top ones, in the brown packet. Occasionally, you get the odd white design one, the bottom sachet. I just wondered though, as they are obviously EXACTLY the same except for the sachet design, why Pizza Hut order the top one which looks less 'modern' than the other. I will have to ponder a bit more on this topic I think.

And the corner of the £20 note. Well I found it in one of the till draws and thought I'd nab it...maybe it will come in useful one day and I'll find the other 90% of it. It's not impossible...

Kids meal, again

As you will know if you read reasonably regularly, the kids meal is a pain. (Oh and sorry for not blogging for a while). People can't read or make up their own variation of what the kids meal is.

It is:

Pizza & drink OR Chicken dippers, fries & drink.

It is not Pizza, drink & fries.

I had this long stupid conversation with two women, clearly mother and daughter (though the daughter was far from a kid, at least 18 or 19). I'm sure I will have missed out bits but this was he general gist:

"Where are the fries?"
"You don't get fries with the kids meal"
"Yes you do"
"No you don't. You get pizza and drink or chicken dippers, fries and drink"
"Nope"
"Err well that is the menu I'm afraid"
"QUIT LYING. I come here ALL the time and get fries everytime"
"Not in the kids meal you don't"
"I DO - I DO!"
"No sorry"
"Well you must have changed it then."
"I've worked here over a year and you have never got fries with a pizza in the kids meal in all that time"
"You have, I come here all the time, it must have JUST been changed and you haven't realised, so you have LIED"

They were really starting to annoy me now and generally I will just go "Ok" but I decided to fight back, a bit.

"I haven't lied to you. There is no reason for me to lie to you, because to give you fries costs me nothing, but the fact is you don't get fries in that meal. Are you telling me you expect pizza, fries and a drink for £2.49?"

"Yes I am - I always get it!"

"Ok whatever, do you want this kids meal or not?"

"Yes and I suppose I'll have to BUY THE FRIES EXTRA THEN"

After they had got their food I had a little think to myself about some scenarios these women could be in, with me deciding their ultimate fate. Afterwards I thought maybe that was a little irrational but they did annoy me.

Then they sat down on the closest table and slowly ate everything. The mother sat studying the receipt (I'm waiting for my first complaint, can't be long surely..) while the daughter just stared at me constantly. Fine love, I'll stare back at you and get paid for it!

On a side note, Pizza Hut have launched some new cheesey bites. The cheese smells significantly worse than before but apparently tastes nicer.

Hmm

ISP: Yum! Brands Inc
Visits: 7 in 2 days.

Short changing - me?

When I count my till at the start of a shift, it may say be £99.97 (3p short). If I take £100 my till will be £199.97 at the end of the shift, because I check the money people give me thoroughly and do the same with the change. I do it for my sake as well as the customers, I don't want to give out the incorrect change because if it is over, I lose out, if it is short then I have to open the till which is a pain.

Every day I see my colleagues handing over money because their till is down. The people I have trained on till I have told that "When you are handling money treat it as your own because if it down it's you're paying". A couple didn't take my advice and were down either a round £5, £10 or £15 down every other shift. I did some magical retraining (or corrective coaching as Pizza Hut like it to be called) which involved me standing over them watching their cash handling techniques. I noticed both of them had their notes all crammed together in 3 sections next to each other. There are 7 sections for notes so I put £5 at the front, £10 in the middle and £20 at the back spaced apart so there is no way I can get them mixed up and give a £10 out instead of £5. I worked that out on my second shift.

So it was now obvious why they were always down a round amount, they were giving out the wrong notes. I rearranged their tills and told them this should help the problem. It has worked so far!

Therefore, you can now hopefully understand why I will be annoyed when I'm accused of short changing somebody. Fair enough, if I make a mistake you will probably notice immediately and it'll be sorted. BUT coming back 2 hours later with no receipt and claiming you were short changed by 50p is a out of order, and then crying about it when I didn't give you it because I refuse to give you 50p effectively, personally, because I don't believe you. Admittedly they were around 12, and I do have a bit of heart so instead of the money I offered a free pudding. They took it but I still don't believe them...