A restaurant just opened a franchise in town and I was thrilled. Over the weekend, we went for dinner and tried to use a $2 coupon in their app. I did not work. The clerk couldn’t figure it out, so they called the manager. They couldn’t get it to work. Now, if you were the manager of a new restaurant, wouldn’t you just credit the $2 so as a) not to irritate the customer who had it, and b) not to irritate all those in line behind her who had to wait while this whole episode played out? You would think, but of course, that is not what happened.
That $2 that they collected for this order will be the last $2 that they receive from me for quite a while when previously I was forcing myself to limit my visits to once per week.
It’s not just this restaurant that puts undue focus on rules and makes petty decisions that have negative long-term implications. It looks like credit card companies that don’t waive a late fee when the previous payment history is stellar. Employers who won’t allow a work-from-home exception. Stores that refuse to offer a refund when the receipt is one day past the return deadline. Colleagues who point out a minor mistake instead of just fixing it.
When you’re in a position to make a decision, opt for the long view. It takes much more than two dollars to recoup goodwill.
