Yay! I finally made it to the head of the line at Wendy’s McBurger King. I know what I want, I’ve got cash ready, and I’m ready to place my order. I walk up to the counter.
Order taker: “So, like, I said to Brittany, ‘No way!’ And Ashley said ‘Way!’”
Other employee: “No way! So, like, what did Brittany say?”
Order taker: “She said, like ‘Way!’ too! And it was all because Matt told her that he heard from this guy who knows, like, Madison, that she heard from Kendra that Amber did it. With Jason!”
Other employee: “No way!”
Order taker: “Way! And so, like–”
Me: [clears throat]
Order taker: “In a minute.” She turns back to Other Employee. “Like, she just had to…”
Alright, everyone, let’s be reasonable here. You’re apparently expecting your customers to be, or at least act like, mature, civilized adults who are responsible for their actions and, sometimes, the actions of others. That’s asking an awful lot.
I’ll add my other pet peeve. Women (never experienced a guy doing this) that spend a really long time searching for change in every pocket and in thier purse so they can pay with exact change. Often they have enough change in thier hand to pay, just not the denominations to get it right on the nose. And they search…and search…and search while the rest of us wait behind them. I like to get rid of excess change too but I’d be too embarrassed to make people wait like that.
When I order a diet drink and anybody says “Look at your skinny stuff. You don’t need diet.” And yes, some of the counter people have made that statement.
UUUURRRRGGGHHHH! What business is it of yours? My standard line is 'If I’m gonna get sugar, I’m gonna chew it."
Fuck, I just love it when I get grief about absolutely insisting on a Diet Coke. Insisting. I check. I send it back if the little bubble on the lid isn’t pressed down. So many people have given me shit about this. “With all that crap you’re eating and you want Diet ahahahahahahaha”.
Mate, I’m a type one diabetic. Looking it up, it is the one that basically isn’t your fault. Genetics dealt me a shitty hand and I have to live with it. You sugar-filled coke will be almost impossible to adequately control with insulin as such large amounts of sugar make it hit and miss. So just fuck off with your attitude and get me what I asked for.
Considering how much of the theater’s profit actually comes from food sales, not ticket sales, I think it’s totally fair to consider a movie theater a fast food place.
As for children’s behavior, a long time ago I was at a McDonald’s with my family and a little boy (aged three or so) came up to my father from the birthday party he was attending in the back, and started whacking him with his balloon. It didn’t hurt or anything. He just stood there silently wielding his balloon like it was Thor’s hammer. My father laughed and said, “Hey!” A woman came running up and carried the boy back to the party. It was just very weird.
Oh holy crap. I had a similar thing happen in a grocery checkout. The woman in front of me commented on the cashier’s eyeshadow. The cashier just happened to have the eyeshadow on her person which launched into a long, inexcusable discussion about the merits of said eyeshadow.
I wish I could say I was restrained enough to clear my throat, but I think I said something like “READY TO PAY FOR MY GROCERIES NOW!” but most likely “ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME???!?!?!”
One I’m guilty of…When I ran the theater, some douchebag stuck-up yuppie couple came in (like 15 minutes late) for a very very popular movie. The theater was nearly full and the concession stand was pretty much decimated. They wanted small bottled waters. I said “Well I apologize, but we’re sold out of the chilled small water. I can either sell you a room temperature small and give you ice, or a chilled large, which is (XX cents) more.” They went ballistic and demanded I give them the large waters for free. I explained “This is a place of business, not a charity.” [Free anything would’ve come out of my check.] The woman blurted “Nice customer service!” and I pointed to the concessions sign and screamed “DOES THAT SAY ‘COLD BOTTLED WATER’ OR ‘BOTTLED WATER?’” My assistant manager freaked out so bad he spun on his heel and disappeared into the theater.
I should not be asked to pull forward at a drive through without warning after I have paid. If you are out of deep fried pork chunklin’s and need to make some more, politely warn me so that I get a chance to change my order. I can understand banishing the moron who placed an order for ten people off to the side to wait, but not the folks who just got something small and uncomplicated.
Also, please pull the hell forwarward. Nothing annoys me more than someone stopping with a car length and a half between them and the person at the window. Actually, the half is the worst part because it keeps me from getting to the damned speaker.
My wife is another that gets diet coke with everything. It really is a matter of taste for many people.
For me, it’s the folks who stare at the menu as if it’s in a foreign language.* For the most part menu’s are the same amalgam of 5 or 6 ingredients and the staples havent changed for 50 years. I’ve got a half hour to get my artery hardening QP w Cheese meal (for the Europeans that’s a Royale w Cheese) and there are a dozen folks behind you with the same dilemma. You get bun, burger, cheese, ketchup and mustard or Thousand Island dressing in some sort of configuration… go.
Look, you know you want the Big Mac, you are gonna end up ordering the Big Mac, stop discussing the Mac Wrap, it’s the same thing in a tortilla, and order the Big Mac… cut to 10 minutes later ,“I’ll have the Big Mac” … sigh
*- Full disclosure. My wife is one of these and drives me insane.
Can I introduce a flipside complaint from the customer’s side?
If you have some item that is advertised on the menu in a particular way, don’t ask me how to make it. I once went to a sub place, a chain that I’d never been to, perused the menu and decided to order their flagship sub sandwich – The John Doe Regular or whatever it was called. I ordered it and the surly cashier asked me what I wanted on it, so I said “the usual,” meaning the way you have the freaking sandwich right up there on the backlit menu board and with the list of 17 different items that automatically come on the regular.
The cashier gave me an extremely annoyed look like I was crazy and he had no idea what I wanted because I was a total stranger expecting him to know my regular order. I said something like “you know, the normal way” and he responded with the same exasperation. I finally said “lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayo” and left it at that.
