# Do You Spend More on Dinner When It's OPM?



## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

When eating out, I tend to spend more when I'm paying for it myself. If someone else pays or if it's on expense account, I tend to be relatively frugal with my food choices. This just makes sense to me, but with business colleagues, it seems like the prevailing attitude is the reverse. I've been flabberghasted more than once when colleagues went out of their way to choose the most expensive item on the menu, not because it was what they wanted, but because it was expensive. 

Are you more spendthrift or frugal when it's OPM rather than your own?


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Snow Hill Pond said:


> When eating out, I tend to spend more when I'm paying for it myself. If someone else pays or if it's on expense account, I tend to be relatively frugal with my food choices. This just makes sense to me, but with business colleagues, it seems like the prevailing attitude is the reverse. I've been flabberghasted more than once when colleagues *went out of their way to choose the most expensive item on the menu*, not because it was what they wanted, but because it was expensive.
> 
> Are you more spendthrift or frugal when it's OPM rather than your own?


The example you describe (and which I have emboldened) is somewhat vulgar behaviour and presumably indicative of inexperience. Once one is accustomed to expense account dining then it is merely a question of choosing whatever takes one's fancy at that moment, irrespective of cost.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Snow Hill Pond said:


> I've been flabberghasted more than once when colleagues went out of their way to choose the most expensive item on the menu, not because it was what they wanted, but because it was expensive.


That's "stickin' it to The Man!!" and there seems to be some in quarters that encourage that sort of thing.



Such behavior is off-putting but one can not shame the shameless.


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## FJW (Jan 25, 2012)

Snow Hill Pond said:


> Are you more spendthrift or frugal when it's OPM rather than your own?


I tend to be frugal no matter who's paying the bill.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

Shaver said:


> The example you describe (and which I have emboldened) is somewhat vulgar behaviour and presumably indicative of inexperience. Once one is accustomed to expense account dining then it is merely a question of choosing whatever takes one's fancy at that moment, irrespective of cost.


I agree that the behavior is unpleasant, especially if the person doesn't finish his meal, but I think there's more at play than inexperience as I've seen colleagues of all levels do this.

I agree that one should order what he wants, and I do that. But what I've found myself doing is if the cost is above a certain threshold (depending on location, who is attending the meal, and what meal it is) I pay with my own cash, and if it's "reasonable" I expense it. I guess part of me wants to do the right thing by the company and the other part of me doesn't want a call into the boss's office to discuss nickels and dimes.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

WouldaShoulda said:


> That's "stickin' it to The Man!!" and there seems to be some in quarters that encourage that sort of thing.
> 
> 
> 
> Such behavior is off-putting but one can not shame the shameless.


You're exactly right.


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## Canadian (Jan 17, 2008)

If I want to impress a client or on business travel, I go to Denny's or a Chinese joint. I enjoy cheap diner food, and it presents an image to the customer that I am as careful with my money as I should be with theirs. Business travel always goes on the expense account, unless it's a boozy night out, where I tend to pay for myself. No longer a drinker, I don't have the urge to go to a fancy cocktail bar. 

I had a client who hired somebody in a sweetheart deal. He was the cousin or brother in law, or something or the owner of a very successful map production company. He had been a client doing about 15k a month with us. The person he hired came directly from being a french fry chef at McDonalds to his position representing this map company. He would basically pull his truck up to my dock and watch as I, my dad and a middle aged woman loaded his truck. He had a topper, which meant we had to double over and get sore backs when we loaded.

What does this have to do with expense accounts? He stayed at a 150/night hotel. In Lethbridge, that's pretty high end. He ate at the best restaurants (he bluntly asked me where the best prime rib was) and expected the world from people, because he tossed his expense account around. My dad and I and Brenda politely loaded his truck, then when he left, he made a point of thanking Brenda for helping, because this jerk didn't lift a finger and watched us load his truck.

That company has since gone out of business. This particular gentleman never made another appearance. The guy who normally came, would sleep at the cheapest motel he could find, got a sandwich from the bakery and coffee from the gas station.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Snow Hill Pond said:


> I agree that the behavior is unpleasant, especially if the person doesn't finish his meal, but I think there's more at play than inexperience as I've seen colleagues of all levels do this.
> 
> I agree that one should order what he wants, and I do that. But what I've found myself doing is if the cost is above a certain threshold (depending on location, who is attending the meal, and what meal it is) I pay with my own cash, and if it's "reasonable" I expense it. I guess part of me wants to do the right thing by the company and the other part of me doesn't want a call into the boss's office to discuss nickels and dimes.


A company credit card (or expense account) should allow, resultant of conducting your business transactions in a location preventing you from reasonably returning home, a standard of accomodation and dining commensurate with your normal domestic acquaintance.

Only if you are entertaining clients personally, is the bill your own responsibility. As example from my experience as a sales representative: treating a client in order to engender - or better yet! to celebrate - an order bestowing a valuable commision fee, would be my own cost to meet.


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## imabsolutelyunique (Jul 17, 2012)

Snow Hill Pond said:


> I guess part of me wants to do the right thing by the company and the other part of me doesn't want a call into the boss's office to discuss nickels and dimes.


You are absolutely right! It's only for fun meaninglessly but in the end it will get the best of you.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

Shaver said:


> A company credit card (or expense account) should allow, resultant of conducting your business transactions in a location preventing you from reasonably returning home, a standard of accomodation and dining commensurate with your normal domestic acquaintance.


I agree, and believe me, I'm not prowling random Hampton Inns at 7AM for an easy free breakfast while on business travel. I just find it unseemly to defend my meal purchases to either my boss or (worse) the accounting guys. And so, if the cost of the meal would put me over my self-imposed per diem, I just pull out the personal CC instead of the corporate one.

I once had a colleague who hardly ever expensed meals. His rationale was that he had to eat anyway, so why should the company have to pay for his meals? For other travel-related expenses, he had no problems billing the company as they were costs imposed on him that he would not have incurred otherwise. I'm not quite there yet, but I can see working towards that point-of-view.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

imabsolutelyunique said:


> You are absolutely right! It's only for fun meaninglessly but in the end it will get the best of you.


I once had a colleague who expensed a $45 breakfast (and this was 10 years ago when it was really hard to spend $45 on breakfast). Apparently she didn't like the selection from the hotel restaurant buffet and ordered a number of items ala carte. She had an unpleasant meeting with the boss after that one.


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

It depends on the restuarant where we go or how much our family wants to spend on dinner. My Parents budget would be close to $100.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Canadian said:


> The guy who normally came, would sleep at the cheapest motel he could find, got a sandwich from the bakery and coffee from the gas station.


That guy had a per diem allowance and pocketed the difference, obviously!!


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## dks202 (Jun 20, 2008)

Can't decipher OPM....


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

dks202 said:


> Can't decipher OPM....


Sorry about that...

OPM = Other People's Money


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Snow Hill Pond said:


> I agree, and believe me, I'm not prowling random Hampton Inns at 7AM for an easy free breakfast while on business travel. I just find it unseemly to defend my meal purchases to either my boss or (worse) the accounting guys. And so, if the cost of the meal would put me over my self-imposed per diem, I just pull out the personal CC instead of the corporate one.
> 
> I once had a colleague who hardly ever expensed meals. *His rationale was that he had to eat anyway, so why should the company have to pay for his meals*? For other travel-related expenses, he had no problems billing the company as they were costs imposed on him that he would not have incurred otherwise. I'm not quite there yet, but I can see working towards that point-of-view.


Except that it costs considerably more to eat out than it would to prepare the same meal at home. That is one of the reasons why the company should be expected to pay.

An accounts department will sometimes question your company card statement or expenses. So will some bosses. It is their job to do so.

Or, it occurs to me, are you suggesting that the questioning is excessively hostile?


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## bernoulli (Mar 21, 2011)

I tend to go to the best restaurants no matter who is paying the bill.



FJW said:


> I tend to be frugal no matter who's paying the bill.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

Shaver said:


> Or, it occurs to me, are you suggesting that the questioning is excessively hostile?


Oh no, nothing like that. It's just something that I don't like to argue about. When I spend my money, I like to think that I'm doing so carefully. And I'm even more so with OPM, so I don't like being questioned about it. I guess it's more ego than anything else.


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