I've been working at a small chain store for a year and a half in suburban Pittsburgh. I have many stories, but this is my favorite. We had an order the previous day from the local Chamber of Commerce for a delivery the next day. It was a big order, about 15 pies with various toppings for a meeting they were going to have. They also asked if we could time the delivery for 12 noon sharp. So far, no problem. We came in and prepared the pizzas before hand and set them in the refrigerator, so all they needed was to be run through the oven.
At 11:00 AM, we got a call from the CoC. I answered it and the woman on the other end wanted to know if they can have their pizzas RIGHT NOW. Apparently the CoC decided to move the meeting up an hour. I tried to explain that they're not even baked yet, which will take a good 30 minutes, but no dice. She wanted them now. I explained that all I can do is get them there ASAP, but it's still going to be a half hour.
I took the delivery and they were waiting for me like dogs in a kennel. I figured I'd go the extra mile and set the stuff up for them "buffet" style on some tables (I'm thinking BIG tip here). I lined the pizzas up, opened the boxes, and announced to the gathering which pies had which toppings. Of course, they set in on the food like they haven't eaten in weeks. I presented the bill to the guy who looked like he was in charge -- $192.00. He looked it over and said, "Where do I sign?"
"Sign what?" I asked.
"Don't I just sign for this?"
"No, it's $192."
Seeing where this conversation was going, I politely added, "That doesn't include the tip."
I was told that the CoC (yes, the local Chamber of Commerce) doesn't have the money and will have to cut me a check, later. I informed the guy that no arrangements were made and that I would have to call my manager. I made the call (to which the manager flips out) and we agreed to let them pay the bill later after the meeting was over, figuring they're the CoC -- we know where to find them. I relayed this information to the guy in charge. "Okay", he said. "How much was the total again?" I repeated it once more, "$192, plus tip."
Later in the shift, my manager told me to go back to the CoC and get paid. I did and suddenly no one knew anything about it. Uh-huh. So I walked around the building a bit and just happened to bump into the guy from before, who directed me to a secretary somewhere. I found her and she had the *&%$ing nerve to haggle the bill!
"Don't we get a discount?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied, "We already gave you 15% off."
"Is that all we get?"
My jaw hit the floor. After bending over backwards for these people, they wanted to haggle over the bill! I stated politely, yet firmly, that if they wanted a bigger discount, that would be up to my manager, not me, and that I expected payment right now. Of course, she takes this as her cue to call my manager. After a while, she hands me the phone. My manager told me to come back to the store and that someone from the CoC will bring a check to us. He also told me that he reminded the woman that my tip was NOT included in the bill.
Later yet in the shift, someone came in with a blank check for the order. Of course, they were instructed to get a bigger discount, so the person and my manager went in the back to hammer this all out. In the end, the bill was haggled down to $120 and no tip. When my manager "reminded" the person that it was customary to tip the driver, especially with a bill this large, he was told that a tip would be considered an additional expense and that it wasn't approved.
