On a recent trip to Woodstock, Connecticut I passed through Putnam, CT on a beautiful warm day. (Please keep in mind that it was a very recent trip, as of the middle of March, 2009.) Going by a Baskin-Robbins / Dunkin Donuts store, I promised myself that I would stop there after my business was done. A hot fudge sundae was to be my reward if I did a good job; an ice cream cone was to be my consolation if things didn't go as planned.
The meeting went well, the potential customer became a client by giving me a check, and I was happily on my way to my sundae. Or so I thought.
When I entered the Baskin-Robbins there was a selection of ice cream flavors, not all of which had labels. I asked the clerk what a couple were; she could not describe one of them or tell me what was in it. It looked interesting, so I decided to have it anyway. I ordered a two-scoop hot fudge sundae, one scoop of the unknown flavor and the other scoop of a well-known flavor.
A few minutes later, the clerk came back to tell me that there were no Baskin-Robbins sundae containers; would I mind having my sundae in a large styrofoam Dunkin Donuts cup? "OK", said I, not being happy, but figuring that that was my only option. (sigh)
The clerk scooped the two flavors, mashing them into the styrofoam cup. (sigh) She then went to the hot fudge dispenser, pumped it, pumped it again, looked in the container, and said "It looks like we're out of hot fudge." She couldn't find any backup stock of fudge, either. (sigh)
"How about butterscotch?", I asked. Nope. They didn't have butterscotch, but I was offered carmel instead. "OK", I said. (sigh)
Back went the clerk to the topping dispensers. Pumped, pumped. "It looks like we don't have any carmel either." (sigh) She looked in all of the pump containers; all were empty. (That meant that making milkshakes would have been impossible, too. But I digress.)
"We can give you the powder we use to make hot chocolate on top.", she offered. I declined.
Now, at this point a sane person would have walked away, never to return. I asked for the manager and was told that there wasn't one. (Huh? No manager on duty? During the mid-afternoon, during the week? Late at night, or during some parts of the weekend, I could understand. But during prime business hours? In case of emergency, such as power failure or fire, could they lock the doors? Who was watching for shoplifting, or employee theft?)
At this point another clerk drifted over. I asked the clerks to call the manager on the phone. They claimed that they didn't have the manager's phone number. (I didn't call them liars, but it was very difficult to believe. What would they have done in case of emergency, such as one employee being injured on the job?)
Then the second clerk made a major mistake: "It's winter. People don't eat ice cream." I lost my cool. It was in the 50's outside, the signs outside and inside say "Baskin-Robbins", the menu board says sundaes, shakes, etc., and it was during normal daylight hours, not near opening time nor near closing time. There is no possible debate: I am a people, and I eat ice cream all year. And so do lots of other people.
Baskin-Robbins makes, in my opinion, the best commercial ice cream of any national brand, with the possible exception of Ben & Jerry's. If it had been a mom-and-pop store, I would have understood if they had only a few flavors of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry [or maybe coffee] are staple flavors in New England), that they might be out of one sundae topping, or wouldn't have bananas for banana splits. But Baskin-Robbins?! No toppings? And no paper containers for sundaes? And the employees can't tell a customer what is in a flavor of ice cream?
Therefore, I ask you to boycott the Baskin-Robbins / Dunkin Donuts store on Woodstock Road in Putnam, Connecticut. The store where there is no product that is clearly advertised and has such bad service does not deserve to remain open. Vote with your wallet.
All opinions expressed are mine, and are not necessarily those of my employer. Comments are welcome; spam is not. Contrasting opinions are welcome; attacks are not.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Why am I not surprised by this interaction? Well, I'll tell you why. Cause I had a maddening experience at a Dunkin Donuts in Norwich where clearly no one cared until I called the corporate office! Esme and I were on the run between visits and I stopped to get her a bagel so she'd have something to eat. When I pulled up, the girl working at the counter was swearing to people as she talked. Not the worst swears, but still. The windows were open, etc. so I said politely but firmly, "Could you please not swear in front of my daughter? My 5 year old is in the back seat." She looked right at me and said, "I don't care!" I was shocked! I said get me the manager, she said there was no manager on duty. By this time another employee was at the window and he confirmed that. I took out my phone and said then give me the corporate number. The girl said there was no corporate number. She wouldn't tell me her name, and then when I asked the other guy she clearly made one up. I basically said that I was going to find the information and she'd be hearing about it. She was soooo rude. I've never been treated that badly at any restaurant or store. Plus I was super mad that the guy working there just stood there and didn't even care! I think Esme was traumatized by the incident because not long after that we went to a drive up and she seemed concerned that I would argue with them, which of course I normally do not do! So there was a corporate number which was very easy to find online, and so I called both that and the manager at the Dunkin Donuts the next morning. Ironically, she had actually been fired for other reasons by the time I got hold of him. Dunkin Donuts sent me a gift card to make up for the experience, but it was for $3, which I thought was rather lame. Really, I felt like they didn't need to send me anything, but if they were going to, they had to send $3? The manager offered me a dozen donuts, but since I don't live in Norwich I couldn't really accept them, and we don't usually eat donuts anyway.
So, saying "people don't eat ice cream" is seriously one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard in my life. Hello does Friendly's close for Winter? Heck no! If you don't have it say Sorry we don't have it, not that! Or slap a sticker up outside that says, "ice cream menu items offered seasonally" or, "limited ice cream menu in Winter season" or something like that. Nothing wrong with that, just don't be giant lame-Os about it. If it were me I would write to the corporate office. Maybe they'll send you a $3 gift certificate. Har har har.
Post a Comment