Tea or coffee mate?

[wade88]

If anyone plans on sticking around at my house or even dropping off a delivery for more than 5 minutes, i always offer them a drink and a biscuit, as general policy. I just think its polite.

As a nation build on the principles of a good well desrved tea break and an honest digestive, i feel the milk of human kindness, literally, is departing us faster then we can say white and one please love.

How often when you lot are on jobs are you given the kind option of a drink? Im noticing more and more these days, that people just dont seem to extend such welcoming formalities at all, in stead just linger around getting under your feet making sure you dont steal the china.

On an average out of 10 jobs, how many times are you offered a drink?

 

[Des 56]

9/10
The ones who offer not,are more than likely under 40 s
It reflects the Thatcher and Blair generations


Only just noticed the poll
As much as I love tea, I cant abide the taste or smell of that vile American substance called Coffee
ugh It makes me feel sick writing about it

 

[mogga]

generaly every job Some need a heavy hint
them "Where would you like to start?"
me "the coffee machine (kettle) is a good place to start n make sure its safe to use!"
A few of our clients are chain resteraunts and the coffee can be of dubious quality We also have tyhe pleasure of working in My fav coffee houses (the american one) where we normaly get a "ToGo" altho there is 1 where I wasnt offered and had to pay for it ( she will learn "if its not on the line I cant do it " ) the resteraunts somtimes offer food albe it ussualy followed by "could you do me a favour?"
When Iv got a tradesman,big delivery I and the wife allways offer a cuppa She even advises them if they want Tea NOT to let me make it lol Had a joiner fitting our bedroom the wife had to nip to shop n told him to help himself he even washed the cups that were in the sink

 

[oxocube]

If anyone plans on sticking around at my house or even dropping off a delivery for more than 5 minutes, i always offer them a drink and a biscuit, as general policy. I just think its polite.

Can I have your address, just in case I'm ever in your area, strong tea and a full english is my preference.

 

[vernam616]

5/10, usually find its the elderly generation that offer you tea & biscuits, most people nowadays are miserable gets

A hint usually helps, my usual one is " Do you need to use the electricity before i turn it all off ", " is there anything you need to do "

works 9/10

 

[Mark_Burgess]

9/10 like Des 56

However, I can not drink that gnats pee tea!!

 

[Des 56]

5/10, usually find its the elderly generation that offer you tea & biscuits, most people nowadays are miserable gets

A hint usually helps, my usual one is " Do you need to use the electricity before i turn it all off ", " is there anything you need to do "

works 9/10

Your solutions to this huge problem may indeed be helpful

How to "make them" make it

I worked with a guy who would say,Do you know,I got up so late this morning,I had no time to make a cuppa
I never ever went without tea working with him,it worked every time, bless him

 

[simpson93]

i remember once i was offered a tea while doing a concil rewire by an ealderly lady, she asked me how many sugars "2 please" see here put it into the cup 5 seconds later would you like any suger.
told her that she had already put some in 5 seconds later would you like any suger, im ok thank you.
its always nice being offered a cuppa. altho one time was hard at work and i declined a cuppa then the guy offered me a cup of vodka... im alright mate.
cant stand coffe tho.

 

[Phil]

out of 10 times probably 3/10 but it depends on the customer. as Des said the elder ones always offer and the younger ones tend not to. also depending on the state of the place i will sometimes politely decline. if i am thirsty i normally say do you want to boil the kettle before i turn the power off and if thats not a big enough hint i don`t know what is

 

[vernam616]

Sometimes you just have to be a little forward i think without being too cheeky

A friend at work can get a cup of tea in any house he go's to, infact ill go as far as saying he will also get bacon sandwichs, tried and tested whilst working with him a few times

One day asked me if i would like a bacon sarnie, thinking he was going to go to the local cafe, oh no just knocks on a door on a site we were working on, 10 seconds laters he asks if i want red or brown

 

[Adam W]

I do as little domestic work as I can get away with, but I don't recall ever having been offered a biscuit. In commercial properties tea & coffee tend to be on a 'help yourself' basis; sometimes there is a biscuit tin but it's difficult to know what the crack is with the biscuits - I've heard of people in offices being branded 'thieves' for 'stealing' biscuits which were bought by someone else then left unlabeled in a communal area.

Although I have always offered tradesmen a cuppa, the frequency does tend to increase proportionately with the age of the customer. Without jumping in and blaming Gordon Brown, it would be interesting to see what the tea and coffee situation is like in 10 - 20 years time - is it that older people are more polite, that they are less worried about possible litigation, or just that once retired they are pleased to have visitors of any description and go out of their way to make them feel welcome?
Or that they are worried about feeling vulnerable and getting ripped off if the tradesman doesn't have his fill of tea?

Is the poll above for what we would offer, or what we would drink?

 

[alarm man]

its def the oap's who know how to treat tradesman,i mean who keeps 10 types of biscuits and brings them out on a plate with a perfect cuppa and a chat,these young lasses should be sent on a beverage course before being allowed tradesman in their home...

 

[Mark_Burgess]

these young lasses should be sent on a beverage course before being allowed tradesman in their home...

Followed by a course on "how to use that hoover" and "you can wash up before everything has been used".

 

[mogga]

best one ever was doing street light outside a convent nun poped out a side gate n asked if we would like some soup to warm us up coz it was a cold day Inside was laid out a table with soup sarnnies teapot sugar milk bikkies Gaffer came to see how we were gettin on n Was invited in sat down n given same as us I recon he smelt it down the street it just hit the spot

 

[kathwilcox]

sure is the elderly that you get the treats from.

was working with the local dno on one of there power surges, tea and coffee wasn't a problem even at 1.30 am as we had the community support van at hand, but of the residents still managed to deliver me a phone message and about 10 slices of home made cake.

love those jobs, nothing like a bit of team spirit.

 

[Paul.M]

Phil has knicked my saying "do you want to boil the kettle before the power is switched off", works every time.

Yesterday the customer (really nice bloke btw) offered me a jd & coke as we were cleaning down and packing up? I wasn't driving so of course I said yes. It would be rude not to .

Few years ago the gas board were re-newing the main gas pipe in the street and the pipes feeding each home. Big trench outside my house and 7 men working their guts out in the winter morning. I went out and asked the gaffer if they all want a brew? Teas and coffees for them all and a very happy bunch of workers. When it came time to dig up my garden and lift the flagstones they took a lot of care and you wouldn't have known that any ground had been dug up. The powers that a cuppa has on workers .

 

[Knobhead]

It wasn’t in the works rules but it may as well have been, if Tony and Dave (my fitter) come in to the control room get the tea brewed quick. There were seven control rooms and we had our own pint mugs in each of them. Get a busy night shift, we would be awash with tea.

Russian one sugar please.

 

[wade88]

Its very apparent to me now then that the reason im not getting enough fluid on my jobs is i simply havnt learnt the right phrases to extract a drink out of people. I always allow people to make the first move and i guess i like to believe people will just ask me because they are nice people, but balls to it....im going for the "kettle on before power off" technique from now on.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

I have been to some dumps in the past, and I usually have a flask of hot water in the van.

One time I was not offered a drink due to the miserable sod there, so powered down and lunchtime came along, sat in the van had a sarnie and made myself a drink, oh the joy of the look on the miserable sods face when I had a nice hot coffee when I walked in, that will teach him to have an electric hob!!

 

[baileysufc]

its an un written rule any tradesmen deserves a brew and well if the customer is clever tea and bacon sarnies allways a good idea before you ask them if they wudnt mind just ...................