Thank you Ma'am

Ok so here's a perfect example of how NOT to perform customer service. I had a Leadership meeting for Westview today at 11:30. We meet at Caribou Coffee near downtown on Ingersoll. It's a great location, nice and large and they have a great meeting room you can reserve, which we do, so it works as a nice meeting place for our leadership team which comes from all parts of the metro. Anyway, because I'm pulling the Mr. Mom role as well and have my two kids with me, I thought I would go early and hit a nearby Subway and grab some sandwiches for me and the kids so they could eat lunch while I had my meeting. It was actually pretty funny, when I entered a completely empty Subway, due to the tremendous amounts of road construction that's taking place right in front of the main parking lot entrance. I wasn't even sure if they were open, because I needed to actually drive right through the construction to get to the parking lot. Anyway there's no one in the store except me and this young girl, mid twenties, who is there to fix my custom made sandwiches. Its here my conversation went something like this:

Me - (Walking into the store) Wow, that construction has really shut you guys down hasn't it?
Female- (No response)
Me - Oookay? Could I get three six inch subs, all on white bread. I need a tuna, a salami and a cold cut trio.
Female - You want three sandwiches?
Me - Yes, three six inch sandwiches on white. Tuna, Salami and a cold cut trio.
Female- She then proceeds to grab a foot long roll of white bread to make the first sandwich. I stop her and she is starting to put tuna on a foot long.
Me- No, no! That was three six inch subs.
Female - Oh, ok. (she then cuts the foot long into two six inch.) What did you want for the first one?
Me - Tuna. I need three six inch subs. Tuna, Salami, and cold cut trio.
Female - Any cheese?
Me- No cheese on the tuna.
Female - Would you like it toasted?
Me- No. None of these will be toasted.
Female - (Now starting to make the second sadwich) What did you want for the second.
Me - Salami and then I need a six inch cold cut trio on white.
Female - What type of bread would you like?
Me - White. All of these are on white.
Female - What type of cheese?
Me - American
Female - Would you like it toasted?
Me - No. None of these will be toasted.
Female - And what would you like for the next sandwich.
Me - Cold cut trio, six inch on white.
Female - Would you like cheese?
Me - Yes. Could you put some provolone on there.
Female - Would you like it toasted.
Me - No....none of these will be toasted.

It's at this time that one of her co-workers came in and saved my by building my sandwiches. The young female then moved to the cash register to ring up my sale.

Me - I'd just like the sandwiches and these three bags of chips.
Female - Did you want drinks?
Me - No, I just need the sandwiches and chips.
Female - ..and three drinks?
Me - No. Just the sandwiches and chips.
Female - As she swipes my card and rips off my receipt she then says, "Thank you ma'am."

If your customers are talking, I hope you are listening better that this!

Tim (also known as Ma'am)