Move over, work husband
Pret a Manger are well-known for its friendly staff, as well as its clever marketing ploy to build up brand loyalty by offering 28% of customers coffee on the house. These random acts of kindness 'for no apparent reason' stick with us, but this giveaway initiative is actually part of their official policy.
Buuuuuut when and if you get something for free, it is probably because the barista fancies you, the cashier thinks you're nice, the manager realises you're a regular or because you've taken the time out of your day to ask how their day is going. It pays to be polite.
So, what happens after you've gotten that first free coffee? Well, that's when it gets interesting because you need to start nurturing that relationship for long-term benefits that go way beyond food. (No, we're not talking about that kind of benefit.)
Having someone - man or woman - that you see pretty much every day who, without fail, asks you how your day's going, who knows when and where you've been on holiday and who notices that hair cut without you having to point it out, is like having the pseudo perfect husband that your Ken always was to your Barbie.
They know how you like your coffee or tea, they know how you always grab two rather than just one pack of butter with your soup (because, honestly, one is never enough) and they make you take little pots of honey back with you when you've got a cold.
Unlike other marriages, you totally don't have to be monogamous and you can (with added effort) have a handful of SOs but just like in real life relationships, you will both do and experience actions you just won't understand. Like when your Pret SO doesn't make the effort to serve you or when they spot you walking past carrying a bag from EAT.
Cue the 'it's complicated' zone. Congratulations, you've achieved full relationship status.
