Give and Take Back

I've noticed that vendors in food courts are practising a bad habit of "give and take back". This practice refers to the act of putting food on the customer's plate and then reducing the portion by sccoping out part of it and returning that portion back to the counter, and in full view of the customer.

Although these vendors have not committed any capital offense, the more picky customer (such as myself) will feel that our patronage and purcahse is not valued. It's also an open confession that these vendors have really poor estimation skills and are giving us customers a full-on demonstration of it.

There was an incident at a dessert stall where an elderly man had ordered a fruit cocktail. The vendor at the stall scooped up the cocktail from the counter and proceeded to puor it into a take away container. However, before she placed the lid the vendor took a second glance and must have realised that this elderly folk was getting more than what he had paid for and proceeded to sccop up some fruit cocktail from the container and return it to the counter. Imagine the disappointed look on this man's face when he saw what the vendor did. He'll definitely boycott the stall from then on!

Stall vendors have to realise that such actions do turn off the customers even though the plate (or bowl) of food has not reached their trays. If by accident that a stall vendor realises that they have exceeded the given portions then they should be discreet about adjusting it or hell, just let it go and make the customer happy.

Afterall, it's better to have a repeat customer than to lose one!