Log 61: Real Conversations Pt2
It was about 10:15 in the morning, which meant me and one other coworker had just started doing the opening procedures for the shop. We open at 11:00, and it almost always takes until then to get everything fully set up. At a quarter past ten, we haven't even gotten the register out yet.
“Can you guys charge this to our room?” I stood up from stocking flavors in the fridge to see a group of 5 high school looking guys standing at the pickup counter.
“Uh, yeah, if you're staying at the Hyatt Regency,” I replied automatically. It's probably the question we get asked the most. For reasons beyond me, the Hyatt has two resorts directly next to each other in Ka'anapali: The Hyatt Residency and the Hyatt Regency. We can only charge rooms at the Regency. I don't know why we really bother delineating this to customers: 90% of the time they have no idea which of the two they're staying in. But, I digress.
“Okay, I'll take a large-” One of the boys interrupted me before I could continue, starting to place an order.
We don't open until 11:00, though,” I interrupted his interruption. The group frowned.
“Can't you just make a couple for us right now? We walked miles to get here!” Now I frowned. Customers are always pulling this “but I walked so far to get here” card. And my first thought is always: why would you do that? Where did you walk miles from to get here? All the resorts are lined up in a row down the beach, and the furthest one from the Regency is a little less than one mile. Even then, you don't even have to walk it! There's a shuttle that goes between all of the resorts 24/7. In the case that you aren't staying at any of the resorts and walked these alleged miles here from Lahaina, I would ask why you didn’t go to either of the two Lahaina locations Ululani's has, both of which open before and close after our location.
“Nope, we're not open yet. But, at 11:00 we've got you covered,” I said with a smile. Put out, the boys retreated to a picnic table across from the shop. Five minutes later, they were back.
“Can we just order now and then you can make it once you open?” A different kid asked. I think I laughed a little.
“Umm, no? That's not really how it works,” I informed him. The disappointment was plain on his face as another one of his friends stepped forward.
“What if,” he paused, presumably for dramatic effect, “we come back there and make it ourselves?”
By this point, the group of boys standing at the register had started steadily attracting other people, slowly forming a line. People won't admit it, but nothing gets their interest like a long line for something.
“No, you can't,” I said firmly to the boy. Then I waved my hands to get everyone else's attention for a moment.
“Hi guys, we're actually not open until 11!” I told them, turning around to get back to stocking flavors. When I was finished, I stood back up to find that the line of customers had not dispersed. These people are about to wait more than a half hour, in the hot sun, barefoot, for some ridiculously expensive shaved ice. And so they did.
