I never go to lunch.
Each day I sit in the lunch room with my Lean Cuisine, Sugar Free Jello, and baby carrots while I guzzle down a diet Pepsi. It is pretty much always the same. (If you watch the dLife clip I was in, I have this exact lunch at home.)
Until Submarina opened.
There used to be a Submarina near my home and I just loved it! By far it is my favorite sub chain. They have a Cali sub that has Bacon, Turkey, Bacon, Avocado, Bacon, Cheese, Sprouts, and did I mention Bacon? So yummy.
At 11:30 I printed out the menu and made plans with two people from my office to order it and I would pick it up. As I was looking at a menu someone walked by and said, “Are you guys picking up lunch?” Of course I said yes and showed them the menu. They wanted a sandwich too so they looked at the menu and decided.
11:40 – I have 4 sandwiches listed on the fax order form and I notice that if you have 5 sandwiches or less, it takes 20 minutes to make. No problem since it will take me 10 minutes to get to the place. There are 5 other people in our office and I felt like I should check and see if anyone needs lunch.
SIDE NOTE – I am really the ONLY one in the office who does this. Most pick up lunch for themselves (we stay open at lunch and we all answer phones while we eat) or just check with a couple of people to see if they want lunch. I always ask if they NEED lunch. ;)
11:42 – I walk though the office and say, “Does anyone need lunch?” 2 people said no immediately, 2 said yes (there goes the 20 minutes), and 1 asked “where are you going?”
ANOTHER SIDE NOTE – When I ask, “do you need lunch” I am asking about a need not a want. You cannot decide to get lunch just because it tickles your fancy. I do not have time to tickle your whatever okay I have to get lunch since we only have an hour!
11:43 – I hand the menu to the one who wanted to know where we were going. After she eyed the menu she decided she would join us. She finally marked down what she wanted.
11:48 – One of the two that needed lunch could not decide what she wanted so she asked me to take the menu to the last person who needed lunch.
11:49 – The last person decides quickly and I go back the second to last person to see what she wants.
STILL ANOTHER SN – The menu says that 6 or more sandwiches requires at least 30 minutes and you must call to confirm pick up time.
11:55 – FINALLY she decided her order and I scanned the form to fax to the restaurant. We do not have a traditional fax machine here. We scan images and fax via a computer program.
11:57 – Kevin walks up to my desk and says, “Dude I heard you are picking up lunch. Can I get something too?” I tell him that I just faxed it over and I decide to check the fax program and see if the fax has left or not. I see that the fax program has an error that says “No Answer.”
11:58 – Kev tells me what he wants and I write it down. I called Submarina to see what the deal with their fax was. I call and I hear the phone pick up and then hang up. I call the fax to see if it answers. It rings and rings. I call the phone number again and someone answers.
11:59 – “I have an order to fax but your fax machine is not picking up.” The guy on the phone tells me that the fax machine is broken but that he can take an order over the phone. I tell him it is 8 sandwiches. He says, “We are slow right now. Why don’t you just come in and we will take care of you.
12:01 – I leave for Submarina. When I get there I am the only person in line and they immediately go to work on all 8 sandwiches. It took them about 20 minutes to get them all done. Of course you should know that this place is in a mall, that requires parking in a parking structure and trekking along the shops and things. Plus I had never been there before so there was a learning curve on where to park and all that.
On my way back to the office there was contruction going on. 2 out of 3 lanes were closed on the street I was on. It was bumper to bumper and the whole time all I can think is, “this would have been cake had I not asked everyone if they need lunch. I am too flipping nice.
1:00 – I walk into my office with lunch. I am greeted with, “Wow I guess you’ll never go there again.” And “What took you so long?” “You can’t go someplace that takes that long geesh!”
I lost it. I mean as much as you can at work without getting fired. I said, “It is not their fault it is ours because we did not have our act together. They were plenty fast enough, we just didn’t have our order ready until 12 and they had to make 8 SANDWICHES AND IF WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN OUR SHIT TOGETHER AT 20 TIL LIKE I WANTED THEN I WOULD NOT BE SO LATE!!!
I left the food at the table and took my sandwich back to my desk to eat. About 10 minutes later I had each one come up to me and thank me for getting them food and also tell me how awesome the food was and how worth it the wait was.
My anger was scary. I really lost it. I felt bad in a way. I am not sure I should feel that way but I do.
At least my diabetes was in check. My bg was 89 before lunch.
I just lost it.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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7 comments:
You know it's important when you lose it if everyone THANKS you for it afterward.
I am this close to losing it myself, trying to get through to a person who can HELP ME at the Arizona Department of Transportation. (Long story, but I tried fixing this very problem five years ago with approximately the same level of rage--and non-resolution.)
Ha! Nobody in my office ever lets on that they're going out to pick something up, or they will have a dozen additional orders.
Just last week I was going to Subway and one lady caught me. I told her to write down on a sticky exactly what she wanted and what toppings. She put "w bread". Well, shoot, does the w mean "wheat" or "white", and you guessed it, I picked the wrong bread.
But, on the receiving side, I love having somebody go get the lunch for me too. I like being waited on...tee hee.
As I was reading through this I thought to myself what someone once told me, 'No good deed shall go unpunished'. Unfortunately, this adage seems to be true much of the time.
It was nice of them to realize they had blundered and thank you. Sounds like that was a little apology in disguise. Remember, even SuperG is allow to loose it once in awhile!
Oh George! You just should have gotten out your ninja star and sliced them all!
Since they ended up thanking you later I think that the anger worked for you to knock them out of their stupidity.
I don't think you're anger is the problem George; it's your ungrateful coworkers. I think, after the rude lunch lady that one time, and all the ridiculous themes they make you go through and the fact that it took 20 minutes for everyone to decide what to order, they deserved a little rage. Love, me.
Hey man, every now and again you have to let the HULK loose! You have to let people know you are not to be messed with!
I normally avoid confrontation or strong emotional reactions, but I lost it a couple of times at my old job, and was always amazed at the response. It was never, the "you're fired" or "you'd better get a grip", but more just people concerned, apologizing or asking why. It actually deepened a number of relationships. I'm betting you are really nice most of the time, so when you blow, people take notice and really think about it. Not necessarily a bad thing especially if they are behaving badly. The bible does not condemn anger as an emotion. Jesus broke up those money changers in the temple by turing over tables and cracking a whip! I'd say he kind of "lost it" there, but in a righteous way.
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