Sunday, January 03, 2010

Where's my HASENPFEFER?

So it's New Year's Day and the Goat is off engaging in goat-like activities with all the other little goats (he went to a football party with his buddies), and the kid and I have no plans other than to hunker down in the snow and cold. Sort of a bummer.

I peruse the weekly grocery circular and see that Giant Eagle has live lobsters on sale for $8.99 a pound and the sale ends today and they're open on the holiday. There are few things the kid and I enjoy more than spreading out newspapers on the kitchen table and sharing a messy lobster feast, so the answer to the dull holiday was obvious.

"How about a lobster dinner, kid?"

We pile into the Mini and schlep through the snow to the Giant Eagle, where we immediately head back to the lobster tank. This is what we find:


"How can they be sold out when there's all those lobsters in there?" I say to the kid. She doesn't say anything, just eyes the tank with disappointment.

I find someone at the seafood counter who finds the seafood manager who explains to me that all the lobsters are reserved.

"When's the guy picking them up?" I ask, hoping they would only be holding the lobsters for an hour or so.

"Not until Sunday."

"Did he already pay for them?" I ask, stunned. After all, it's Friday.

"No, but he's a big customer that buys tons of stuff here all the time. And," she adds with import, "he'll have to pay full price because the sale will be over by Sunday."

"So your flyer says you have lobsters on sale, and you do have lobsters, but you're not selling them until after the sale?"

"I know it seems odd," she says.

"I'll need to talk to another manager," I say.

* * *

Perhaps some "big customer" is at the Giant Eagle today complaining that his/her order is short two lobsters, but I do not feel bad about this. To them I say, they were delicious.


Don't mess with the O'Brien.

* * *

More on title reference here: ShishkaBugs

28 comments:

bZirk said...

LOL!! You go, Girl! :D

paul bitzan said...

Well done, Ma'am. Damn the man!

G. B. Miller said...

Gotta like retail yutzes like that.

"We do have them on sale, but they're already sold, even though you can see them."

Logic like that is how you reprimanded afterwards.

Anonymous said...

Fuckin' A! You inspire me. And I know your daughter will be another uppity woman. We need you more than ever.

RJ

Unknown said...

Awesome!!!!

Bill said...

i can just hear those little creatures screaming when you throw them in the boiling water!! where's peta when you need them? what else was on the menu?

Anonymous said...

I knew you were not leaving without your lobsTer!

Kelly@TearingUpHouses said...

That's justice!!! Hilarious. Hope you 2 enjoyed your dinner. I love lobster!

Kelly

Tony Rugare said...

Victory for the consumer! Great way to start the New Year.

Amy L. Hanna said...

LMAO @ people's gumption anymore - with a SUPERMARKET, of all places.
You see it, you buy it AND you take it home that day - no "reservations" = NO SALE.
What fucking nerve.

Erin O'Brien said...

We just have tater tots with the lobster.

We eat the spindly knuckles first, then the "arms" of the claws, then the claws, then the tail.

My kid cracks me up. She gets that tail meat out of there, then just takes the WHOLE thing, dunks it in the butter (using her hands) and takes a big bite. Brilliant, really.

Matt Conlon said...

Well done. :)

...Isn't Hassenpfeffer rabbit though?

Erin O'Brien said...

Yeah it is, Matt. I just imagine the guy at Giant Eagle yelling, "Where's my lobster!" like the king in the famous Bugs Bunny cartoon (which I've linked at the bottom on the post).

Matt Conlon said...

Ah, of course! I knew it sounded familiar... Sorry, I woke late this morning and hadn't had my coffee yet. :)

e said...

From one uppity woman to the two of you: Well Done! I don't eat lobster myself, but its the principle of the thing...

Glad to see there is still a grain of commonsense, customer service and courtesy from someone in a supermarket these days.

Ohiofarmgirl said...

that's what i'm talkin' about... stick it to the 'dirty bird' ... i mean, the Giant Eagle! whoot!

Kirk said...

Another good Bugs Bunny cartoon this reminds me of, especially if you're familiar with old-time movie stars, is one called Slick Hare. Elmer Fudd is a waiter in a hollywood restaurant, and a cartoon Humphrey Bogart is the tough customer that wants a "rabbit for baby". The rabbit is of course Bugs. Naturally, Elmer fails to capture Bugs, and nervously tells Bogart that they're all out of rabbit. Resigned, Bogart says "Oh, well, baby will have to have something else" We finally get a look at "baby" and it's a cartoon Lauren Bacall, a major sex symbol back in 1946. Bugs takes one look at her, and jumps right on her empty plate.

DogsDontPurr said...

Lobster and tater tots. Now that's why we love you!

Jack Cluth said...

You go, girl!!

Love,
Dances With Drawn Butter

;-)

Angela P said...

Although I'd like to say "You go, girl!", it's already been said.

And although I do eat meat, I don't kill the animals myself and can't come to terms with throwing a live animal into boiling water and hearing it scream.

I know it's stupid, but you lose points for doing so. And I know millions of other people do it too, but I don't read their blogs.

Still <3 ya, though.

ahclem said...

You are clearly wasted on supermarket managers. We need you negotiating health care reform.

Dan Bushman said...

Where's your hassenpfeffer? Erin, I like your style, but really, we've just met...

Joe said...

Thought you would find this amusing:

http://bigdicksplace.com/2010/01/03/mini-tosses-out-genius-advertising.aspx

Erin O'Brien said...

Thanks Hoose, that's hilarious. Dicky closed comments, probably because you linked his place here at my place. He's a'scairt of me and my homies.

Ms Knowall said...

Like the post.
It's 'Hasenpfeffer' though.

Mojito Libre said...

That is great, Erin! Seriously, that's like the jackasses that put lawnchairs down on a public street to save "their" spot?

Btw, AP, lobsters don't "scream" when they hit the water...that's the air escaping from their shells, if it's any consolation to you...

Anonymous said...

Way to go!

- DJCinSB (catching up after 2 weeks of dial up only vacation. Sigh.)

sevnetus said...

This is such a great story! I am happy that the good guys won.