Consolation Prize
So I was working at Subway a few years ago and a man came in with his wife and two children. I had all four sandwiches started when the man asked me for the code to the bathroom. The policy was you had to make a purchase to get the bathroom code, but by the way he was doing the potty dance, it was pretty apparent this guy needed to go.
Obviously, either he or his wife will pay for the four sandwiches I’ve already started. The next day, however, my boss sits me down and lectures me about how the code is on the receipt for a reason. She watched the tape and saw me give the man the code and tells me, “I don’t care who it’s for. Whether it’s your friend, family, whatever, you name it, you do NOT give it the code under any circumstances.”
Later on that night, I was working by myself when some guy in a trench coat and greasy long hair came in the side door. He said, “Hey man, somebody got seriously messed up outside.” A long line of customers waited for me while I subtly grabbed the bread knife and went around to check. It wasn’t the best part of town, so you never know with people.
Anyways, as trench coat man stated, someone was seriously messed up outside. His face was all bloody and he was just a mess. I called 9-1-1 and went back to making sandwiches. Some time later, a few patrol cars and an ambulance showed up. They were doing their business outside and then one of the officers comes in and asks for the bathroom code.
Like six hours earlier, my boss told me not to give it “under any circumstances” without a purchase. I laughed a little and told him what I told all the other customers, “I’m sorry, you have to make a purchase first. You can get a cookie which is $0.?? and then it’ll be on the receipt.” He didn’t realize the laugh was really at myself and how awkward of a situation he unknowingly put me in.
Nor did I have a chance to explain it before the laugh and the rejection of the bathroom code caused him to become straight-up furious. He gives me three warnings to give him the code. Each time I tell him I’m not going to give it to him and the customers are on my side, telling him I’m just doing my job. After his third warning, he shook his head and muttered “I can’t believe you’re interfering with an ongoing investigation,” and he uses the walkie on his shoulder to get some information.
About five minutes later, one of the officers handed me a phone. I answered and my manager said, “Are you serious???” Long story short, the officer got the bathroom code and a free bag of chips.