June 27. Day 362.
Today Mr. A celebrated his birthday with a picnic in the park, surrounded by friends and fam.
I was in charge of decorating and catering, so I called our favorite Thai place to see if they could handle an order for 15 people this afternoon.
The man on the phone said yes.
I hung up and said I'd call him back once I read the menu online.
When I called back, I realized I'd forgotten to ask!
"Since we're doing a big order, how about you give me 10 percent off."
"Fine."
The order came to around $80 something, including tax.
Gained: Around $9. In retrospect, he agreed to my request too fast. Maybe I should have let him make an offer, or aimed bigger. Oh well. Still $9.
And, an update from yesterday: I called the mother back after not hearing from her, and asked if she had time to think about my request.
She replied she wouldn't hire me at the higher rate.
I asked and lost.
And yet... I am glad I asked.
I am in not in rush to find a job, and I am confident there are better options if I look harder. That was the first attempt.
Now, if this recession keeps up, or I don't find something by graduation, I will change my tune. But right now, I feel I made the right choice.
Ultimately, I feel that not asking would have been more costly than losing the job.
That's a mantra I need to take with me, for the next time around.
Good for you for standing up for yourself. I'm proud of you! I have a feeling that if you had taken the job, you might have felt down about it each time you went to tutor those kids. Sometimes, a sense of dignity and self-respect is worth more than a few measly dollars. And that was only try #1. Not taking that job has freed you up to take on another job where they will respect you. Love you, Eau
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