In addition to being a shy liberal arts student, I am also, unfortunately, a shy customer, which creates a lot of problems.
First, ordering food is terrifying. For years, I have whispered my orders and refused to look at the waiters, and more often than not, I would have to repeat my orders more loudly and feel embarrassed for having to say my order again.
Secondly, I have problems asking the waiters for help with anything outside of initially ordering my food. It's hard to ask for refills on my drinks, extra plates for sharing food, or other similar favors. If I did somehow gain the courage to ask the waiters for help, I don't call out for them when they pass by. No, no. I raise my hand like I'm an elementary school student and wait for the waiters to notice me and come to my table. If they never notice, I just give up and suck it up.
Lastly, if I can't bring myself to ask the waiters for extras, then I definitely cannot send my food back if they got my order wrong. Nope. I'll just eat food I didn't order and pay for it, and the waiters will never know. Forgot my fries? That's OK. I didn't need them anyway. Forgot my drink? That's OK. I have water at home. Forgot my entire meal, and that I ordered in the first place? That's OK. I'll just crawl into a corner and cry while I starve. Apparently, to my social skills, that is better than having to talk to people and getting what I paid for.
My article so far will probably come across as frustrating to some while others might relate. I understand that I only really need to fix my self-confidence and understand that as a customer, I have a right to ask for help and get what I paid for. Sometimes it's not that easy, though. However, I am working on my self-confidence. It helps that, recently, a friend who works in the food industry told me that waiters have no problems doing what the customers ask as long as they ask nicely.
I've decided to try the method in which I fake my confidence and pretend that I am a competent customer who knows what I want. If I do that enough times, I hope to one day be able to order my food with real confidence and not look and sound like an unsure five-year-old.
It's a process, though, and I want other shy people to know and realize also that it's OK to get what you want when you deserve it. Just ask nicely.
