Sam along with colleague Mick were friends of Vernon Tomlin who had been drafted in to redecorate the Rovers Return Inn. During a break, Mick had a dig at Michelle Connor over the mug of tea she'd made - not for the fact it contained five sugars (which he'd asked for), but it contained semi-skimmed milk. Sam jested with Michelle saying that Mick had a "very refined palette". Upon completion, both Vernon and Steve McDonald were pleasantly surprised by the high quality of their workmanship and they enjoyed a pint in the bar whilst Vernon counted out their wages.