Like most here, I have a serious issue with people thinking that a certain task is beneath them. If its gotta be done and you're the closest available person, just clam-up and do it so long as its reasonable I say.

I'll never forget a time when I was serving as a campaign manager and was coordinating a door knocking event one Saturday morning. The president of a college chapter of the candidate's political party of association came along with a group of volunteers. When I tried to hand him a stack of flies and a map of the area we were handing them out in, he said "OH NO NO NO, I'm the PRESIDENT of the XYX University College Democrats/Republicans I DON'T DO Door knocking !!! I'm just here to make sure it gets done !!".

I'd been up till 2am the night before getting things organized and hadn't had my morning coffee yet so before I could even stop myself I blurted out "I don't give a crap what you call yourself. As far as I'm concerned your King Shit of Turd Island. If you're not planning on helping out, I don't have time for your B.S. right now. You've got three seconds to get out of my sight and two of them are already gone !!". To the amusement of everyone around me. This idiot nearly got run over in traffic racing to his car !!

But I think the worst assignment I personally did under that clause came while I was working as part of a lawn mowing crew one summer between college. We'd just finished mowing the lawn of a sweat old lady's and were loading up the truck when she came out with a can of Raid and asked if I could exterminate the occupants of an EXTREMELY large hornet nest the buggers had built onto the side of her house. Clearly she wasn't physically able to do it herself and she was very nice about it. So I didn't mind going the extra mile for the customer but I did very much mind the army of 50 hornets that came flying out of the nest looking for me with murder in their heart !! But hey, in the end we all got a laugh out if it and I know for a fact she recommended our company to several other future customers. So all's well that ends well I guess.

I have never figured out why his son (or his wife) couldn't do that.

– Having to organise and work the Sunday before Christmas, for the company Kids Christmas Party. This still irritates me. I was “compensated” with one weekday in lieu. Giving up my Sunday, is NOT the same as a weekday, not when I have no choice to decline your “offer” of managing the horrid munchkins high on sugar. My predecessor’s grandchildren had attended in previous years, so she enjoyed the event. I had no such ties.

-This same company also had us (receptionists) serve pizza and beer the last Friday night of every month. Only two beers per person, we had to hand each beer to each individual, it was worse than the cricket. We got time in lieu again, for stuffing up my Friday night.

-Going with my boss to buy nailpolish. She wore a very particular colour from Christian Dior and I had to help find it, based on the chipped remnants on her nails.

-Going with that same boss to choose an evening outfit, including having to pass comment on whether she “looked fat in this”.

-Re : Cake cutting. I am in two minds. In one job it annoyed the hell out of me. In my current job, if I didn’t do it they would either hack it to pieces or cut it badly so they not everyone got a piece. It’s surely a skill, and not everyone has it.

The way I look at it, it's not so much whether something is in my job description per se, but other factors. I'm a technical writer, but I've done random things like taking website photos, setting up for office parties or conferences, etc.

Like Film Co. Lawyer, I'm not going to spend my personal funds on something for work. I don't think it's appropriate of a company to ask that, especially in situations like Taria's, where you're being asked to spend your own money on something that's essentially personal, for someone who makes more than you.

It also seems reasonable to say "no" if there's someone else available who can and should be doing a task. I don't mind doing a boring or easy task that needs to get done, but I have no interest in doing other people's work for them. Help, sure. Offer suggestions if needed, no problem.

I also try to avoid taking on extra responsibilities if they'll interfere with my core responsibilities, unless they're clearly more important than what I'm already working on.

I agree. I often do similar things for the people I work for. However, I draw the line at sweeping the parking lot when we have a janitorial staff and I am an admin.

Yes, there are a lot of things that fall under 'additional duties' that are reasonable – and the ones you mentioned are all ones I would do gladly (and in some cases do, I often pick up lunch for my guys when I am going out anyway, and sometimes when I am not).

But there are some things that are just the company taking advantage. *shrug*