# Dear Mr. in the Box: You owe me 12 minutes of my life. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 16, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317 "2003-06-16T22:16:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/21 "2003-06-17T03:46:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BadBaby \* > \*\*What’s wrong with debit cards for fast food? Credit cards, now that’s a little wonky, if that means you have to borrow enough cash to buy a taco, that is. \*\* Well gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get my food FAST (hence the name), instead of waiting for you to key in your PIN and waiting for the bank to approve it. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/22 "2003-06-17T04:01:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*Well gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get my food FAST (hence the name), instead of waiting for you to key in your PIN and waiting for the bank to approve it. \*\* Yeah, damn those restaurants for providing a service that the majority of their customer base wants. A service that from the information in this thread, is not only in California but also at least in Illinois and Washington. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/23 "2003-06-17T04:07:36Z")
Well then, in the interest of fairness: Fuckin’ Illinois Fuckin’ Washington There, now I’m not just sneering at the lunacy of the nuts on the West Coast anymore. Happy? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/24 "2003-06-17T04:17:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Interrobang!? \* > **My beef is really with this one location, and specifically their choice of exactly the wrong location for a “cash only” sign – where it was too late to let me go get cash without going through the line.** Hey, at least they have a “cash only” sign. Here, the unsuspecting newjacks have to deduce that JBX doesn’t take credit cards simply from their _lack_ of Visa/MasterCard signs. When you’re a connoisseur like me, you get to refer to the restaurant by its stock ticket symbol. I also play softball with Jack on weekends. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF_ > **Well gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get my food FAST (hence the name), instead of waiting for you to key in your PIN and waiting for the bank to approve it.** I’ve never seen a fast food joint that accepted ATM debit cards, just the Visa/MasterCard kind that you have to sign for. At Burger King, they usually don’t even ask me to sign, they just hand me a receipt (and pray that I won’t contest the charge, I guess). It doesn’t seem to slow down the line. The line at JBX actually seems to move slower than at other restaurants, but that’s probably because they’re understaffed. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/25 "2003-06-17T04:18:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*There, now I’m not just sneering at the lunacy of the nuts on the West Coast anymore. Happy? \*\* Absolutely, Dude. Anything that like eliminates ignorance and stuff is totally awesome, Bro. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/26 "2003-06-17T04:37:45Z")
It took me the longest time to figure out what was going on with this thread. Not taking debit at fast food, whaaaa? In fact, I paid for my lunch today (McDonalds) with debit. 🙂 I’m from Canada though, so that may explain it. Everywhere up here takes debit, and where there’s a debit machine, you can use credit cards as well. I’ve actually paid or my coffee once with a credit card. Mind you, it was all I had on me, and there was no one behind me. I think in the last year, I have been in one store that did not take debit, save for night clubs. I actually pay cash for something about once every two weeks, including meals. Cash only stores seem so… weird to me. Of course, I’ve had a debit card since I was 16. As far as time goes, it takes me five seconds to punch in my code, and 15 seconds tops to connect with the bank and print my receipt. About the same time for a credit card, plus an additional 5 sec. to sign the thing. Does it take longer elsewhere? Because this is not too much more time than it takes to hand over bills, get my change, and pocket it (say 10 sec vs. 20 sec.). ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/27 "2003-06-17T04:45:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*Well gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get my food FAST (hence the name), instead of waiting for you to key in your PIN and waiting for the bank to approve it. \*\* i agree with you here, as a cashier i can say debit cards are slow as a glue race. And with the quality of Fast food workers lately, these transactions probably take 10 times longer than they should. “Duh, Bill, where for i hit PIN?” “here, press these buttons!” **Customer 2 months later** : “WTF is with this $900 McDonalds charge?” ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/28 "2003-06-17T05:03:52Z")
They take debit cards almost everywhere here in Houston as well now. Some McDonald’s, both Wendy’s that I’ve been to lately…but not any Jack in the Box that I can think of around here. And for Airman: As Mr2001 stated, they take the kind that have Visa/MC stamped on them, and you don’t have to key in your PIN. Emporer Penguin: I doubt it really takes that much longer, if at all here…but Americans are particularly impatient. (More so in certain regions than others 🙂 ) ~J ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/29 "2003-06-17T05:29:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FisherQueen \* > \*\*Fast food that takes credit cards? That would be cool. I haven’t seen any where I live. \*\* I know the Arby’s by me (outside Atlanta) takes credit cards. It makes going there so much easier. I don’t carry cash at all if I can avoid it, so stopping at the ATM, getting cash, etc. You think that’s bitchin’, I can order Pizza Hut delivery via Internet and pay for it with my card. ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/30 "2003-06-17T07:11:19Z")
## quote: ## Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF Well gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get my food FAST (hence the name), instead of waiting for you to key in your PIN and waiting for the bank to approve it. Christ, I just wanted to know why anyone would take issue with debit cards. Anyway, I don’t know about where you’re buying things with your debit cards, but here in my little granola chewing, crystal wearing, hippy dippy part of California, it’s no slower or faster than using cash. A quick swipe of the card, press a couple of buttons and off you go. Meanwhile BettyLou is still rummaging through her purse for another fiver and Skippy the counter kid is trying to figure whether he should give you two dimes and a nickel or one of them big silvery coins for your quarter change. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/31 "2003-06-17T09:30:21Z")
There remains one burning question: WTF is a Bistro Jack? They don’t sell 'em at their stores around here, and there’s nothing about it at their website… ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/32 "2003-06-17T13:04:23Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by BadBaby \* > \*\* > Christ, I just wanted to know why anyone would take issue with debit cards. Anyway, I don’t know about where you’re buying things with your debit cards, but here in my little granola chewing, crystal wearing, hippy dippy part of California, it’s no slower or faster than using cash. A quick swipe of the card, press a couple of buttons and off you go._\* You guys must have a whole new system. When I go to Wendy’s the procedure is: - Hand cashier a fiver. - Cashier hands me the change in the same motion. With a credit/debit card? - Hand cashier the card. - Cashier swipes card. - Wait for authorization, usually delayed by someone talking on the phone on the same line the CC machine uses - Pass customer a clipboard to sign the receipt, or a keypad to enter a PIN. - Sign receipt or key in PIN. - Hand clipboard or keypad back to cashier. - Cashier hands customer a receipt. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/33 "2003-06-17T13:26:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr2001 \* > > But any true follower of Jack already knows that they don’t take plastic. Cash or check only. A greenhorn like the OP clearly doesn’t deserve a Bistro Jack. A CHECK? They take CHECKS? I am simply astonished, and also delighted, in a strange way. Do they take your drive-in order via pneumatic tube? ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/34 "2003-06-17T13:58:41Z")
Ok, I live in Chicago and we DO have places that take debit/credit cards, but I’m going to agree with **Airman Doors** , I think it’s idiotic. Look, I want a Big Mac - I have my $5 in my paw just waiting to hand it to you so you can hand me my cardboard box full of cold crap that is your signature sandwich. But NO - I am in line behind Billy Butthead who apparently doesn’t have the mental capacity to remember if he has $4.79 left in his bank account. But hey - maybe the interest fairy has visited and somehow made his balance go up! So we’ll try it. BUT NOPE! Bank won’t approve it. So now Billy digs through a number of pockets, trying to pull together $4.79 - but wait!! Billy’s had an idea! Billy has all that change in the car for tolls on the tollway! Billy is gonna run right out there REAL QUICK and get it so he can pay for his lunch! Meanwhile, I could have gone to another restaurant (and I use the term restaurant loosely when referring to fast food), handed them money and had them hand me food (simple concept, really), eaten it, and gotten back to work by the time I’ve finally placed my order at “Chez Clown”, thanks to Billy and his debit card crap. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/35 "2003-06-17T14:34:24Z")
Drive-thrus in Dictionopolis must be different from the ones around here. Almost every drive-thru here has a wide area that allows one to pull out of the drive-thru lane until just before you get to the window. In fact, this is part of the parking lot as a whole – seen from above, the parking lot resembles a “U,” with the restaurant sitting in the cup of the “U.” The drive-thru thus shares its space with the back of the parking lot, at least for a time. It is possible to get to the menu, realize you don’t have enough cash for anything, and pull out of line (and into the parking lot proper, from whence an exit can be made) without disturbing anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/36 "2003-06-17T16:24:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Drive-thrus in Dictionopolis must be different from the ones around here. Almost every drive-thru here has a wide area that allows one to pull out of the drive-thru lane until just before you get to the window. Many, many drive-thrus aroud here have just such an escape option. That would have been the ideal solution to my problem, actually, but it seemed a bit unreasonable to request that the fast food joint completely rejigger their parking lot and get involved in property line disputes with the oil change place next door when they could just move their sign. Fast food architects, take note. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/37 "2003-06-17T16:42:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Missy2U \* > **Ok, I live in Chicago and we DO have places that take debit/credit cards, but I’m going to agree with Airman Doors, I think it’s idiotic.** No, what’s idiotic is the McDonald’s [Speedpass](http://www.speedpass.com/home.jsp). ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/38 "2003-06-17T17:10:12Z")
Well, Jeff, there’s one thing you can say for the Speedpass, either place ya use it, you’re gonna get gas… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/39 "2003-06-17T20:53:53Z")
Wow. There’s some animosity toward debit/credit in here. I love it, myself, and just about _every_ fast food joint in Tucson takes them except Taco Bell. I like not carrying cash. I like being able to pay the exact amount without making change. If I’m out of cash, and I need to stop and get something to eat, like hell I’m going to hunt for an ATM and grab cash before going to a fast food joint. That defeats the purpose of popping in for a quick bite to eat. The idiots who can’t operate a PIN keypad or sign a credit card slip probably can’t handle cash, either. It’s no more difficult, and just as convenient if not more. ---
**Author:** ![Timban](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Timban](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timban)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317/40 "2003-06-17T21:55:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*Well gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get my food FAST (hence the name), instead of waiting for you to key in your PIN and waiting for the bank to approve it. \*\* Wah wah, poor fucking baby. Gotta wait an extra 15 seconds for your food? Poor little thing! Geez, are people that impatient these days? Are 15 seconds gonna kill you? Hey, next time you’re in a line and the guy in front of you is paying with a card, take that fistful of dollars and cram them up your all-important ass, eh? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-mr-in-the-box-you-owe-me-12-minutes-of-my-life/182317.md?page=3)