# Screw you phone lady and service guy. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750 "2013-12-07T15:39:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/21 "2013-12-07T19:10:26Z")
Possibly a stupid question - doesn’t the place have a meat grinder? Couldn’t you have asked to have your stew meat ground for you? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/22 "2013-12-07T19:43:59Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I guess I don’t see why the only options are a full recipe of chili OR a full recipe of something but not half a recipe of chili and half a recipe of something else Do you do that? Make two main dishes for dinner, with not enough of either to go around? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/23 "2013-12-07T20:52:17Z")
Was the worker named Solomon? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/24 "2013-12-07T21:10:21Z")
> [@saje](#): > > Possibly a stupid question - doesn’t the place have a meat grinder? Couldn’t you have asked to have your stew meat ground for you? Nowadays, they may not have a meat grinder. Many supermarket meat departments just receive the meat already packed and wrapped. They don’t do any actual butchering anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/25 "2013-12-07T21:16:45Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > LOL, That would be _idle_ threat not _idol_ threat. I don’t even know what that is. I assumed [this](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbyexeYCke1qf1b42o1_500.jpg) was the manager. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/26 "2013-12-07T21:26:02Z")
> [@Flywheel](#): > > Was the worker named Solomon? That only works for baby back ribs. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/27 "2013-12-07T21:53:48Z")
Why in hell are people in Dallas going nuts over a cold snap and panic buying all the food in the supermarket? There’s got to be on average at least one ice storm every winter followed quickly by a warmup, and I doubt mass starvation ensues if folks don’t stock up. \*I have vivid memories of the time a blizzard hit the Quad Cities, and by the time I could get to the supermarket after work the entire meat section had been stripped bare except for a little turkey ham. We survived anyway. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/28 "2013-12-07T21:58:33Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > LOL, That would be _idle_ threat not _idol_ threat. I don’t even know what that is. I think an idol threat would be if you offered to beat someone to death with a graven image. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/29 "2013-12-07T22:14:18Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Why in hell are people in Dallas going nuts over a cold snap and panic buying all the food in the supermarket? There’s got to be on average at least one ice storm every winter followed quickly by a warmup, and I doubt mass starvation ensues if folks don’t stock up. > > \*I have vivid memories of the time a blizzard hit the Quad Cities, and by the time I could get to the supermarket after work the entire meat section had been stripped bare except for a little turkey ham. We survived anyway. I think a lot of it is that people who rarely have time to cook suddenly find themselves stuck in the house with time on their hands. It’s not “Ack! We will starve!”, it’s more “Oh, man, chili sounds awesome!”. So everyone needs the sort of thing they don’t normally keep in the house. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/30 "2013-12-07T22:18:29Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#): > > I think an idol threat would be if you offered to beat someone to death with a graven image. > > :rolleyes: Or sic Simon Cowell on 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/31 "2013-12-07T22:26:43Z")
If I order the last steak at a restaurant, and someone who is just getting seated yells, “Hey I wanted that filet!”, are we supposed to split that? If there’s one glass of special brew left at a bar and I order that and someone next to me says, “Oh, I wanted the special porter!”, do I have to split that? First come, first serve is exactly right. **Shakes** should’ve gotten the whole three pounds. I blame this stupid Christmas crap and being in the “giving season” on the dumb-ass butcher. If the hot chick thrives on being fashionably late in her busy, flashy life, that doesn’t fly at the supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/32 "2013-12-07T22:32:35Z")
An ass butcher serves up rump roast. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/33 "2013-12-07T22:36:06Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > If I order the last steak at a restaurant, and someone who is just getting seated yells, “Hey I wanted that filet!”, are we supposed to split that? > > If there’s one glass of special brew left at a bar and I order that and someone next to me says, “Oh, I wanted the special porter!”, do I have to split that? > > First come, first serve is exactly right. Why are you drawing a conclusion about grocery sales from facts about restaurants and bars? ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/34 "2013-12-07T22:38:37Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > If I order the last steak at a restaurant, and someone who is just getting seated yells, “Hey I wanted that filet!”, are we supposed to split that? > > If there’s one glass of special brew left at a bar and I order that and someone next to me says, “Oh, I wanted the special porter!”, do I have to split that? > > First come, first serve is exactly right. **Shakes** should’ve gotten the whole three pounds. I blame this stupid Christmas crap and being in the “giving season” on the dumb-ass butcher. If the hot chick thrives on being fashionably late in her busy, flashy life, that doesn’t fly at the supermarket. I agree. 3lbs is not unreasonable. It might be a different scenario if it was thirty pounds, but even then if you are lucky enough to get to select your items first, you should be able to buy what you need. If I needed thirty pounds of beef I would order ahead of time,but 3 lbs is often around the amount I buy. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/35 "2013-12-07T22:39:19Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Why are you drawing a conclusion about grocery sales from facts about restaurants and bars? If that three pounds of ground beef had been a three pound roast, should I have to split that? ---
**Author:** ![Nisslbody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Nisslbody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nisslbody)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/36 "2013-12-07T22:52:05Z")
That seems completely ridiculous. You were there, you ordered it… if she wanted it, she should have been doing her shopping, not talking on the phone. It was out of line for the employee to offer to split it, IMO. I don’t think it was “being a dick” to not want to split it. It would have been one thing if you were buying more than you needed, in which case it would have been a kind (but not necessary) move to offer to split it. But the lady was totally acting entitled and was very rude to demand half your purchase. She was too late… a mature thing to do would have been for her to change her dinner plans, just as she would have had to if she had arrived at the meat counter after you had gone. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/37 "2013-12-07T22:56:41Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > If that three pounds of ground beef had been a three pound roast, should I have to split that? I don’t think you were required to split anything. I just don’t think “first come first serve” is a rule that applies without exception in situations like the one you described. ---
**Author:** ![Nisslbody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Nisslbody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nisslbody)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/38 "2013-12-07T22:58:11Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I don’t think you were required to split anything. I just don’t think “first come first serve” is a rule that applies without exception in situations like the one you described. I worked retail for 13 years, and in my experience, it absolutely does apply in that situation. If a customer has ordered the last of something in stock, it’s just too bad for the one behind them who wants the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/39 "2013-12-07T23:02:17Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I don’t think you were required to split anything. I just don’t think “first come first serve” is a rule that applies without exception in situations like the one you described. Well, at my grocery store, if they have an item on sale, sometimes they will put in small print: “Limit four per customer” (or whatever) Otherwise, it’s first come first serve. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750/40 "2013-12-07T23:15:22Z")
> [@Nisslbody](#): > > I worked retail for 13 years, and in my experience, it absolutely does apply in that situation. If a customer has ordered the last of something in stock, it’s just too bad for the one behind them who wants the same thing. Well I’d say there are two rules that apply, which are incompatible. One is first come first served, the other is don’t let one customer hog all the stock. Having said that, I guess that second rule would imply no one’s allowed to buy the last item, so I guess it’d be perverse to apply it in this situation! I do think the guy behind the counter should have given **Shakes** all three pounds, though I think it was reasonable to ask _once_ if **Shakes** was willing to split it. (Assuming there were no other customers around to try to jump in on the split…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-you-phone-lady-and-service-guy/675750.md?page=3)