Some Folks Get Uppity Over Freebies

I drove over to California Tortilla after voting to pick up lunch and a coupon for a free taco. I stepped into line behind a young college student who held books in one hand and a cell phone in the other. With the cell phone still up to her ear, she told the cashier she voted and asked for a free taco. Rather than waiting to hear his response she returned to her phone conversation. The cashier explained that the coupon wasn’t valid until tomorrow. The young woman was still yapping into her phone, so the cashier repeated the information a little louder. When she didn’t hear his response the second time he waved his hand in front of her and repeated himself one more time.

Finally the woman put down her phone. She didn’t hang up, she just put it down on the counter. She informed the cashier that she was there to pick up her free taco and demanded that he give her one. The young cashier, who was roughly the same age as the student, explained that he could not provide a free taco. He asked if she wanted to speak to the manager, but she shook her head and demanded again that he give her a free taco. When he refused again she turned to the long line that was growing behind her and loudly proclaimed, “You might as well go home you won’t get a free taco!” She pushed past the people in line and huffed out of the restaurant.

As I started to order the young woman stormed back into the restaurant and marched up to the register. She held her hand out in front of the cashier and demanded the ‘free coupon.’ He shook his head and handed it to her. As she stormed back out of the restaurant the cashier asked, “how can someone get so nasty about a freebie?”