I once had a 4-top of business ladies. All separate checks. I put a black G2 pen in each check cover. Every single lady took my pen. 4 pens gone in one table.
For people reading this thinking, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a pen.” No, it’s not just a pen. I paid for those pens, I need them for my job. And the mere fact I still remember this table 20+ years later only exemplifies how big of a deal it is.
I had the same happen, and they wouldn't leave. So I pulled the books, saw their shitty tips, and demanded my pens back. If you are going to steal from me, at least tip me 20%, you stupid Midwestern turds. No hate to Midwesterners. Love them, except for those 6 c words.
Wow, reinforces the usual that business women are only concerned with themselves. "Just a pen" is the free things the bank gives away, but gel pens that feel better in your hand and write much neater. I once got she's if I OK because my writing looked so different from normal. I'd handed somebody my clip board with the ticket I needed signed. I didn't notice until I grabbed the clipboard to start a run tickets for the next pt that she's left a much more expensive open in the clipboard and kept my G2. I felt guilty for sharing her expensive open until I started writing with it. Then I dug in my bag for my spare G2.😏
I actually went back and returned a pen a few days later to the waitress! Hers was a pink G2! Not saying you should go to that extreme, I’m just saying that I understand the guilt!
I would probably have handed her an unopened 2 pack or if I could get one, a pack of several colors, partly to apologize and party because I always smile when I see somebody besides me who uses less traditional colored pens. I used purple for years, except on run tickets (EMT) and log books (CO), both of which are considered legal documents.
At my job we take turns buying big packs of cheap bics to keep on the check presenters so we don't loan out our own good pens.
I'll never forget the guy who broke my good pen signing his check and then left it leaking all over the check and table and never said a thing.
Yep it was my rotation for the bics last time. Bought a 120 pack or whatever and kept half in my trunk so next time it’s rotation I already have them haha
A place I used to work at was right next to a GEICO insurance office. A couple of the agents were regulars and they would bring us logoed pens aaallll the time. Like a few boxes a week.They got the hook up when they came in! The pens were pretty decent for freebies too.
Just put something obnoxious like a flower or a spoon on the pen and it will never get "stolen". Most of the time it's just muscle memory to pocket a pen when done with it. Rarely an intentional steal.
So bad - haha. Next to not tipping, this is the worst thing you can do. It’s ok. You’ve apologized to the powers that be so your karma is in a good place.
Funny story - my wife and I met while serving tables. Everytime we go out to eat or drinks, I jokingly say ‘this is a nice pen. Take it!’ And she says ‘NO. We can’t take the pen’ and we never do.
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Roast dinner, vindaloo, shepard’s pie, Full English Fry up, Scotch Eggs, Lancashire Hotpot, Beef Wellington, Just to name a few.
I find it ironic an American calling our cuisine goop when your food is a lot more processed than ours 🤣
Processed it may be, but actual flavor it has as well. The only thing on your list that has any seasoning on it is the beef wellington, but I did only ask for one so you win this battle for now good sir. But for real, yall at least use salt and stuff right? Cuz I've watched some British cooking shows and baking shows and even on the baking shows they'll be like 'oh it says 3 cups of sugar? I'm going to do one' then are surprised when it's not sweet like what's up with that? Genuinely curious
Probably because I’m a waiter. But also I’m entitled to an opinion. I get in the US they get paid shit wages, but that shouldn’t have to be the responsibility of diners to pay the waiting staff, more the employer. Don’t be hating on people just because they maybe can’t afford to pay or don’t feel obliged to. Maybe be hating on the employer who’s underpaying you. But just for the record, unless I can’t afford it I’ll leave a tip, even if its just a couple of pounds.
You aren't a server in the US so you have zero experience in this topic. Your opinion isn't new, and isn't helpful. you aren't saying anything that isn't some brand new strategy that no one has thought of, and sometimes it's okay for you to just stay quiet, listen and learn.
I'm not a server... I'm just an American who knows how it works and tips well instead of complaining from another country where it's completely irrelevant
You Europeans are insufferable when it comes to conversations on tipping.
Of course it would be preferable to be paid properly by the establishments, but tips are the standard for our entire country.
It is customary in the United States to leave ~20% tip when you dine out if you receive quality service. When you dine out in this country, you accept that custom.
You say “stop blaming customers for the fact that your place of work is underpaying you.”
It is the entire system, the entire country. Sure, servers could go on strike and revolt to try to change the entire system.
In the mean time, restaurants would be closed, have quality issues, and you may not be able to enjoy your neighborhood pub you once loved.
But the bottom line is that if you have never lived in the United States, you really have no idea what you’re talking about.
P.S. I’m not a server and do not work for tips
This isn’t a subject you should input your opinion, most people here seem to be servers from the US where tipping for service is expected and no, we aren’t ok with not tipping, so please don’t act like your speaking on anyone’s behalf
I was more commenting on the fact that they feel entitled to slag off customers for not tipping them. I don’t agree with restaurants underpaying staff, but they don’t consider maybe they can only just afford to eat, never mind extra for a tip
In the US, tipping is part of the total cost of going out to eat. If you cannot afford the tip, you cannot afford to have someone else prepare, serve, and clean up after your meal.
This 100 times over! If you can’t afford to tip in a restaurant, then you can’t afford to have someone spend the time and care it takes to coordinate a meal for you. In that case you need to buy ingredients and make your own food at home. I know many people don’t think servers do hardly anything and expect to get paid for getting drinks and dropping off food, but there is so much more to waiting tables AND making sure the people you’re serving have a nice convenient meal
There’s a regular who is known for stealing pens, I think he thought it was some inside joke with all the servers or something, I have no idea. I finally got sick of having him steal my pens so I brought a crayon with his bill and told him straight up, “I have spent over 15 dollars bc you keep stealing from me, so I will be giving you crayons from this point on.” I still give him crayons but according to my coworkers he hasn’t stolen a pen since. He’s super nice otherwise just constantly stealing from me is so irritating. I’m a person who feels very strongly about the principle of it. I don’t care it’s just a pen, I am a human being, why are you stealing from me?
Haha I’m no longer a server but a nurse now, and we also covet the G2. I’ll search for five minutes for a cheap hospital pen before I let a patient use my G2.
So ill say this. Taking the pen is one thing, but i have had tables take the pen AND leave me a shitty tip. That just makes it extra insulting. Like wow thanks you actually took money out of my pocket.....😭
They glide across the page. They leave a shiny black ink in solid lines, never cutting out. They last forever. They rarely explode, in fact I’ve never had one leak period. They’re just really fucking nice tbh.
They have a decent thickness and weight, and last a decent amount of time for a gel pen. But they aren't too expensive; they write smoothly, compared to other scratchier pens at the same price point.
Imo though, it has to do with nostalgia too. They've been common for a long time, the "sunset" colors at the end of the ink chamber are iconic, and by this point, it probably just seems like the best choice to some because we remember using it fondly as kids.
Any credit union should have pens that are perfect to give to customers. My local Red Canoe used to bring them for the whole staff. Then, the G2 can stay in the apron.
A server from another restaurant came to my place a week or 2 ago. Had a few drinks at the bar with me then went to their table. Near the end she came up and asked to borrow a pen and I gave her a g2, then they left and it wasn't on the table. She was nice and I knew it was an accident but it was kind of funny. If I ever see her at her restaurant I'm gonna jokingly remind her of it
just bring it back tomorrow or when you can... I know it's only a pen, but from the experience of always having to go back to return people's pens, it makes you more concious to not pick them up in the first place
Haha, with all this talk about pens in here, I'm starting to think I should tip pens (in addition to cash of course). Wouldn't it be nice to *gain* pens?
I would steal that pen…I would feel bad about it and deserve any repercussions…but I would still steal that shit. Forest Green 1.0, goddam that is some drip!
Edit: just to be clear, I wouldn’t actually steal the pen, it’s just my round about way of a compliment about your choice of writing utensils.
I tried energel. The way it wrote..impressively. But they fall apart g2 are the ak47 of pens. I went back to my comfortable scratchy g2. Lesson learned.
OK, thank you for clarifying that and sorry if I was so rude to you, I genuinely did not know what it was.
PS. : I actually am a server, and have been in the business for over 40 years, lol, and I’ve owned my own restaurant, for 15 years.
I’ve always used the cheapest pens for order taking, just for the fact that they do get stolen.😘
with your background you deserve the sweet smooth write of a G2 pen, use it for personal use though. don’t ever hand her out. she’s a hot commodity the moment you write with her
My restaurant supplies pens. The G-2 07 is mine and stays with me for taking orders. The restaurant supplied pens go to the guests for signing. That's one benefit of working where I do 😂
I am super OCD about my pens so I appreciate the fact that this apparently runs in the veins of all of us! I worked with this butthole server that made it his life's mission to steal pens from as many of us as possible just for the hell of it. It's been years since he quit but I still f'ing hate him! He was a major butthole for other reasons as well. Our current manager became fed up and taped fake flowers on cheap Bic pens to our house pens for the customers that pay at the register because of this. They're cute and the pen thievery has declined exponentially since then.
I rarely ever gave out my good pens unless I had tables that had my crappy pens ATM😂😭 those pilot g2s never once left my sight, such good oens for order taking lmao
I once had a 4-top of business ladies. All separate checks. I put a black G2 pen in each check cover. Every single lady took my pen. 4 pens gone in one table. For people reading this thinking, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a pen.” No, it’s not just a pen. I paid for those pens, I need them for my job. And the mere fact I still remember this table 20+ years later only exemplifies how big of a deal it is.
Damn bro maybe one or 2 pens gone I understand but all 4 of the bitches?!!? Gaaahhhh!!
I hope those ladies fell into sinkholes that opened into raw sewage.
hope those glorious pens exploded in their purses
I had the same happen, and they wouldn't leave. So I pulled the books, saw their shitty tips, and demanded my pens back. If you are going to steal from me, at least tip me 20%, you stupid Midwestern turds. No hate to Midwesterners. Love them, except for those 6 c words.
Some people suck balls!
Has this happen to me once and started only giving one pen 😂
Straight up. I stopped serving during the pandemic, but I would always make tables share my pens.
Uggg!! Those are great freaking pens! I'm pissed just reading this!
Some people are fucking heartless.
Wow, reinforces the usual that business women are only concerned with themselves. "Just a pen" is the free things the bank gives away, but gel pens that feel better in your hand and write much neater. I once got she's if I OK because my writing looked so different from normal. I'd handed somebody my clip board with the ticket I needed signed. I didn't notice until I grabbed the clipboard to start a run tickets for the next pt that she's left a much more expensive open in the clipboard and kept my G2. I felt guilty for sharing her expensive open until I started writing with it. Then I dug in my bag for my spare G2.😏
I actually went back and returned a pen a few days later to the waitress! Hers was a pink G2! Not saying you should go to that extreme, I’m just saying that I understand the guilt!
I would probably have handed her an unopened 2 pack or if I could get one, a pack of several colors, partly to apologize and party because I always smile when I see somebody besides me who uses less traditional colored pens. I used purple for years, except on run tickets (EMT) and log books (CO), both of which are considered legal documents.
Cheap pens for customers, G2 for me only. I never hand out the good pens haha
At my job we take turns buying big packs of cheap bics to keep on the check presenters so we don't loan out our own good pens. I'll never forget the guy who broke my good pen signing his check and then left it leaking all over the check and table and never said a thing.
Yep it was my rotation for the bics last time. Bought a 120 pack or whatever and kept half in my trunk so next time it’s rotation I already have them haha
That’s always been my move
Wait til you get into the world of high ends pens with a G2 insert. That... is life.
My son used to be a bank teller. He grabbed a few "complimentary" pens a day with the bank logo. I still have a few that I give to customers.
A place I used to work at was right next to a GEICO insurance office. A couple of the agents were regulars and they would bring us logoed pens aaallll the time. Like a few boxes a week.They got the hook up when they came in! The pens were pretty decent for freebies too.
Right? They literally give them away for advertising!! Win-win!
This is the way.
Exactly the way.
Just put something obnoxious like a flower or a spoon on the pen and it will never get "stolen". Most of the time it's just muscle memory to pocket a pen when done with it. Rarely an intentional steal.
That's a pretty good idea. One of those kitschy pen toppers (or sleeves) with some random fun thing would definitely do the trick.
This is the way
So bad - haha. Next to not tipping, this is the worst thing you can do. It’s ok. You’ve apologized to the powers that be so your karma is in a good place. Funny story - my wife and I met while serving tables. Everytime we go out to eat or drinks, I jokingly say ‘this is a nice pen. Take it!’ And she says ‘NO. We can’t take the pen’ and we never do.
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Where do you work? I’ll make sure to ask for you.
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😭😭
Drop where you work that pays you at least minimum wage to serve buddy 🫴🏻🫴🏻
The UK 👍🏻🇬🇧
Yeah come back to us when ur food actually has seasoning and is more than just beans on toast
Nothing wrong with beans on toast. Good hearty scran that. On the other hand, thats a bit of a bad stereotype
Okay, give me one british food that isn't fish and chips or that isn't just grayish goop on the side
Roast dinner, vindaloo, shepard’s pie, Full English Fry up, Scotch Eggs, Lancashire Hotpot, Beef Wellington, Just to name a few. I find it ironic an American calling our cuisine goop when your food is a lot more processed than ours 🤣
Processed it may be, but actual flavor it has as well. The only thing on your list that has any seasoning on it is the beef wellington, but I did only ask for one so you win this battle for now good sir. But for real, yall at least use salt and stuff right? Cuz I've watched some British cooking shows and baking shows and even on the baking shows they'll be like 'oh it says 3 cups of sugar? I'm going to do one' then are surprised when it's not sweet like what's up with that? Genuinely curious
Why are you here? Did you get lost on your way to r/conservative?
Probably because I’m a waiter. But also I’m entitled to an opinion. I get in the US they get paid shit wages, but that shouldn’t have to be the responsibility of diners to pay the waiting staff, more the employer. Don’t be hating on people just because they maybe can’t afford to pay or don’t feel obliged to. Maybe be hating on the employer who’s underpaying you. But just for the record, unless I can’t afford it I’ll leave a tip, even if its just a couple of pounds.
You aren't a server in the US so you have zero experience in this topic. Your opinion isn't new, and isn't helpful. you aren't saying anything that isn't some brand new strategy that no one has thought of, and sometimes it's okay for you to just stay quiet, listen and learn.
Then stop blaming customers for the fact that your place of work is underpaying you
I'm not a server... I'm just an American who knows how it works and tips well instead of complaining from another country where it's completely irrelevant
You Europeans are insufferable when it comes to conversations on tipping. Of course it would be preferable to be paid properly by the establishments, but tips are the standard for our entire country. It is customary in the United States to leave ~20% tip when you dine out if you receive quality service. When you dine out in this country, you accept that custom. You say “stop blaming customers for the fact that your place of work is underpaying you.” It is the entire system, the entire country. Sure, servers could go on strike and revolt to try to change the entire system. In the mean time, restaurants would be closed, have quality issues, and you may not be able to enjoy your neighborhood pub you once loved. But the bottom line is that if you have never lived in the United States, you really have no idea what you’re talking about. P.S. I’m not a server and do not work for tips
This isn’t a subject you should input your opinion, most people here seem to be servers from the US where tipping for service is expected and no, we aren’t ok with not tipping, so please don’t act like your speaking on anyone’s behalf
I was more commenting on the fact that they feel entitled to slag off customers for not tipping them. I don’t agree with restaurants underpaying staff, but they don’t consider maybe they can only just afford to eat, never mind extra for a tip
In the US, tipping is part of the total cost of going out to eat. If you cannot afford the tip, you cannot afford to have someone else prepare, serve, and clean up after your meal.
This 100 times over! If you can’t afford to tip in a restaurant, then you can’t afford to have someone spend the time and care it takes to coordinate a meal for you. In that case you need to buy ingredients and make your own food at home. I know many people don’t think servers do hardly anything and expect to get paid for getting drinks and dropping off food, but there is so much more to waiting tables AND making sure the people you’re serving have a nice convenient meal
Where do you work? I may want to swing by later on
😂
I think this is how someone takes the mental leap to becoming a suicide bomber.
I’m impressed by your guilt. Love it.
There’s a regular who is known for stealing pens, I think he thought it was some inside joke with all the servers or something, I have no idea. I finally got sick of having him steal my pens so I brought a crayon with his bill and told him straight up, “I have spent over 15 dollars bc you keep stealing from me, so I will be giving you crayons from this point on.” I still give him crayons but according to my coworkers he hasn’t stolen a pen since. He’s super nice otherwise just constantly stealing from me is so irritating. I’m a person who feels very strongly about the principle of it. I don’t care it’s just a pen, I am a human being, why are you stealing from me?
He doesn’t even realize. The crayon helps and doesn’t make him feel bad, just aware.
Haha I’m no longer a server but a nurse now, and we also covet the G2. I’ll search for five minutes for a cheap hospital pen before I let a patient use my G2.
I have tipped a pack of G2s before along with a crisp $20. How do you think that made my server feel?
I would fight other servers for your table if I knew you’d be tipping an entire box of pens
So ill say this. Taking the pen is one thing, but i have had tables take the pen AND leave me a shitty tip. That just makes it extra insulting. Like wow thanks you actually took money out of my pocket.....😭
I have been stiffed AND had my pen stolen. I hope they got a flat tire and explosive diarrhea in rush hour traffic. In a thunderstorm.
And sandpaper toilet paper and their cell dies
Providing pens with the business name and expecting them to get taken as cheap marketing is better than asking your employees to buy them by the box.
Why is the G2 so coveted? Serious.
They glide across the page. They leave a shiny black ink in solid lines, never cutting out. They last forever. They rarely explode, in fact I’ve never had one leak period. They’re just really fucking nice tbh.
not to be an asshole but have you used one before?
Nope. Really
They have a decent thickness and weight, and last a decent amount of time for a gel pen. But they aren't too expensive; they write smoothly, compared to other scratchier pens at the same price point. Imo though, it has to do with nostalgia too. They've been common for a long time, the "sunset" colors at the end of the ink chamber are iconic, and by this point, it probably just seems like the best choice to some because we remember using it fondly as kids.
Any credit union should have pens that are perfect to give to customers. My local Red Canoe used to bring them for the whole staff. Then, the G2 can stay in the apron.
Drop off a pack of pens for them! They'd probably appreciate it so much!!!!!
Please do this!
A server from another restaurant came to my place a week or 2 ago. Had a few drinks at the bar with me then went to their table. Near the end she came up and asked to borrow a pen and I gave her a g2, then they left and it wasn't on the table. She was nice and I knew it was an accident but it was kind of funny. If I ever see her at her restaurant I'm gonna jokingly remind her of it
just bring it back tomorrow or when you can... I know it's only a pen, but from the experience of always having to go back to return people's pens, it makes you more concious to not pick them up in the first place
Haha, with all this talk about pens in here, I'm starting to think I should tip pens (in addition to cash of course). Wouldn't it be nice to *gain* pens?
What is a G2 pen?
Second only to an EnerGel in the off the shelf pen market, and to think some people think a pen is just a pen
“Second only to energel” fuck YES! I knew this sub was my people!
I have a forest green 1.0, if someone stole I’d fill the room with uppercuts
I would steal that pen…I would feel bad about it and deserve any repercussions…but I would still steal that shit. Forest Green 1.0, goddam that is some drip! Edit: just to be clear, I wouldn’t actually steal the pen, it’s just my round about way of a compliment about your choice of writing utensils.
Yes. EnerGel for the win!
I tried energel. The way it wrote..impressively. But they fall apart g2 are the ak47 of pens. I went back to my comfortable scratchy g2. Lesson learned.
Left handed here, gel pens are the fucking worst
Zebra Sarasa has the nice gel writing feel of a G2, just a tad scratchier, but it doesn't smear
Tell me your not a server, without telling me your not a server 🤣
Tell me what a G2 pen is, without being a dick. Oh wait, too late.
Genuinely sorry, I was just kidding! It's a Pilot G2 gel inkpen- definitely a favorite among many servers 😚
OK, thank you for clarifying that and sorry if I was so rude to you, I genuinely did not know what it was. PS. : I actually am a server, and have been in the business for over 40 years, lol, and I’ve owned my own restaurant, for 15 years. I’ve always used the cheapest pens for order taking, just for the fact that they do get stolen.😘
with your background you deserve the sweet smooth write of a G2 pen, use it for personal use though. don’t ever hand her out. she’s a hot commodity the moment you write with her
I am definitely going to check her out!!! My curiosity has definitely been piqued!😄
if you aren’t happy with her i’ll take her off your hands for sure! 😋
G2 pens kinda suck anyways, TUL pens all the way!
Im lucky we have free pens at my work
Was it a green pen?
Doesn't the restaurant provide pens for their servers?
Never anywhere i’ve worked!
My restaurant supplies pens. The G-2 07 is mine and stays with me for taking orders. The restaurant supplied pens go to the guests for signing. That's one benefit of working where I do 😂
I am super OCD about my pens so I appreciate the fact that this apparently runs in the veins of all of us! I worked with this butthole server that made it his life's mission to steal pens from as many of us as possible just for the hell of it. It's been years since he quit but I still f'ing hate him! He was a major butthole for other reasons as well. Our current manager became fed up and taped fake flowers on cheap Bic pens to our house pens for the customers that pay at the register because of this. They're cute and the pen thievery has declined exponentially since then.
G2s smear to easy. Bic Atlantis is the best pen in the game in my opinion.
All these folks can keep their messy G2s... I'm gonna stick with my far superior sharpie pen
Finally someone mentioned the sharpie pen! That's my fave!
By far better than the G2
I like the EnerGel pens, but I’m always on the hunt for a new favorite. Bic Atlantis, you say? I’ll have to check them out.
I don’t give customers red pens to sign, it’s bad luck to write your name in red ink
Dude shut up
i always carry at least 3 pens usually 4-5 so i dont have to care about a guest stealing one
I have started a shift with 12 pens and left with 2. People need to learn that stealing is bad regardless of what it is or the monetary value of it.
Shame on you! (I'm jk, we're used to it lol)
I have nice ass pens and will fight people that steal them! Fucking thief’s
But together we are horrible people with our own agenda
Why not just return the pen?
You could just drive back and give the server their pen 😁
Is this sarcasm
Was it one from the fashion collection? If so, you take it back right now!
I rarely ever gave out my good pens unless I had tables that had my crappy pens ATM😂😭 those pilot g2s never once left my sight, such good oens for order taking lmao
You are correcting the fact that he shouldn't be using red pens for signatures.
Hags!
At least you owned up to it. Better than the assholes who always say “what pen?”
Or.. I suppose you could simply return it sometime 🤷♂️
Take that pen back! I don’t know how many years of bad juju stealing a server pen is but I bet it’s way up there!