This Is What You Need to Know About the Most Hated Ice Cream Seller in the Netherlands
Because of the bizarre prices that ice cream seller Bob in Uddel dares to charge for his scoops, he is probably the least popular ice cream seller in the entire Netherlands. And do you want a napkin with your ice cream? You have to pay for that too!
Ridiculously expensive scoops of ice cream, getting two scoops when you only want one flavor (and having to pay for both), and even having to pay for an extra spoon or a napkin: it’s clear why people aren’t happy with ice cream seller Bob, who sells his ice cream on the Kootwijkerweg in Uddel. Bob has a bizarre pricing policy and an unusual view of customer service, as became clear years ago when a dissatisfied customer made a video and posted it online.
No long line
Online magazine Vice wanted to know what was going on with Bob and his scoops. In an interview, Bob says he doesn’t want a long line at his ice cream stand, which explains his pricing policy. ‘I’ve been selling ice cream for 46 years, and I’ve done this in 13 different places. I know better than anyone how long a line can get at an ice cream stand, and I don’t want that line. That’s why I give people a choice of two flavors instead of four, or three instead of six, so they don’t have to spend as long deciding. This creates much greater speed.’
Bitter taste
The speed at which customers run away, you might think. Bob’s swindling even made it into De Telegraaf and Hart van Nederland, but Bob isn’t changing a thing. One flavor, so two scoops—that’s four euros, just like that. Pretty steep. The Google reviews are anything but kind. Michiel, for example, gives Bob just one star because he had to pay €14.50 for two ice creams and a can of soda. Absurd prices, says Michiel: ‘You get two scoops of mediocre-quality ice cream. (…) It’s no wonder Bob is located somewhere with lots of tourists, because he can’t have regular customers. It left a nasty taste in our mouths, and it wasn’t from the blood orange ice cream.’ Frans writes: ‘I’ve never experienced anything like it. The man seems intent on driving away potential customers.’ And Panther writes: ‘Do yourself a favor and don’t get ice cream here.’
Napkin? Pay up!
Another thing that really gets customers seeing red is the napkins. With every ice cream, Bob gives you a moist hand towel, the so-called ‘happy hands’. Very thoughtful, until you realize as a customer that you have to pay 25 cents for it. An extra napkin? Ring it up! ‘He gives you a cloth but doesn’t tell you that you have to pay for it,’ writes Jolande. ‘Shame on him!’ Vice asked him about the moist wipes, and Bob replied: ‘Why should I explain that moist wipes cost money? I don’t get them for free either, do I?’
In the meantime, Bob has adjusted his policy slightly. Have the prices gone down? No, but the sign at his ice cream stand now makes it clearer how much a (tiny) scoop of ice cream costs. And what else? Bob is clear about it: ‘If people think my ice cream is too expensive, they can go somewhere else.’ You’ve been warned.
