Last week, I went shopping at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon and decided to stop for a yogurt at a TCBY/Mrs. Fields concession for a snack. When I asked for a cup of tap water to accompany my yogurt, the counter girl said, "I'll have to charge you 25 cents for the water." When I did a double-take, she said, "Oh, I'm sorry I have to charge for water but the owner insists on this policy."
I can't imagine that a paper cup of tap water costs a company more than two cents. Likewise, I'm sure that the profit margin on a cup of frozen yogurt is generous. So, why would a business owner try to charge for tap water?
Of course, I refused to pay for the water and instead walked to the nearest drinking fountain. I'll never go back to the Lloyd Center concession since I think that it doesn't care about my needs. And, I would never recommend the business to anybody.
Do you have any policies that might be saving you pennies but creating customer frustration?
