Sometimes, whilst waiting in the drive through at Mickey D’s, I’ll peek into the immediate area. I’m astonished sometimes at the lists they have up on the walls. Pictures explaining how to package someone’s food. That, I can deal with. Perhaps someone doesn’t know English, or has a hard time remembering to add that napkin to the bag.
After devouring tonight’s meal, I happened to cast a glance over at the bag it came in.
There is a yellow dotted line at the top, to show you where to fold the bag to close it.
A yellow, dotted line. I’m serious here. To show you where to fold it.
I’m at a loss for words to describe how this makes me feel.
That’s right up there with the instructions on the candy bar wrapper (“Hold here and tear”). It makes me profoundly sad that it has come to this. Somebody hold me.
In defense of McDonalds’ and fast food in general. They hire a lot of workers who are mentally handicapped. They need constant reminders, but given those, can do an excellent job and be productive members of society.
No jokes, no smarminess. Mrs. Kunilou has taught those kids for 30 years. Sometimes fast food is their highest, best hope. If it takes a line on the bag, so be it.
I work for a fast food company, Tim Horton Donuts. We are directly affiliated with Wendy’s. I have been here for going on 12 years now and although I no longer work in the stores (I work in the operations office) I have to tell you that you may not see the point of the lists and yellow lines on the bags…but I have to say that unfortunately they are necessary. The people that are working now, alot of then students, are simply not the same quality of staff that we had even as few as five years ago. I can’t speak for McD’s, but I know the work ethic at Tim’s is lower (if it is even there) and we as the employer has to provide as much as we can to “remind” these people of the standards they have to follow in our never ending pursuit of “exceptional customer service”.
Turnover in fast food is also greater than it has ever been…this leads to many more inexperienced staff who need these tools to help them in their jobs. As well as the addition of new products and new equipement.
The idea that we have to post a sign reminding our staff to say “thank you” to our customers a few years ago would have been ridiculous, now I hate to say it is also necessary. When I have to ask one of my stores’ managers to speak to a staff about saying please and thank you to customers (and other staff) I just have to shake my head. At my ripe ol’ age of 30 I would never not thank someone for doing something, or not ask that they “please” do whatever…and that is no longer the norm. I see more and more of a “what’s in it for me, the world owes me” behaviour.
Everything is so fast paced and the consumer expects so much from people who are willing to give only as much as they have to…if that much. All the training in the world can’t make people use what most of us would consider common sense.
Most of our training CD’s are really very good…we have been weeding out the bad ones. We did however just receive a video on how to measure people for new uniforms that screams out SEXUAL HARASSMENT. The kit included a memo on what kind of bra to buy that you simply could not believe! I would have never guessed I would receive a memo telling me to tell people to wear a neutral coloured bra (not blue, red or black), without a pattern, that covers your full breast (no demi-cups or push up bras) with a cup that is padded enough that “nothing shows through”. (This is not a joke!)
DISCLAIMER: There are also many employees who are excellant at their jobs, great with customers and exhibit courtesy towards everyone…they are just becoming much more difficult to find.
Way-ulll…is it really the video that’s harassing, or is it an attempt to prevent the female staff from being harassed by patrons? I know it’s a touchy subject, but I was told by the female GM at my McD’s not to wear a black bra, and not to wear “a thin one…you know what I mean…”. After a few closing shifts, I didn’t question the edict. If the video is shown to female staff only, with no males hanging around, I wouldn’t say it’s out of line.
Nope… the video was showing how to measure the staff for a new uniform…but there was alot of…ummm… touching. It was a little uncomfortable for all of us (in the office) to watch.
Maybe I said it wrong, I am a little tired today The sexual harassment we were seeing is if we were measuring our staff like in the video, that could be seen as sexual harassment because it would make them uncomfortable.
The memo was about the bras was way more explicit than anything we normally have. The one on one talks are not so bad…I have only had to do a couple in my 12 years here.
The way the memo was worded was a little…shocking.
Sorry, maybe I should have proof read a little better.
I worked at a McD’s ten years ago (God, has it been that long? I’m getting old!) and their training consisted of sticking me into a breakroom which was little more than a closet and forcing me to watch videos. Then I was thrust in front of a cash register and told to take orders. When we had a bus. My God! Did I ever wish that there were pictures on those stupid little buttons! That way I could have found what the customer ordered without having to scan all over the keyboard and try to read the squiggly little type on the buttons! Instead, I had to stand there looking like the typical fast food doofus (and I’d already discovered The Straight Dope by this point, so I know I wasn’t a doofus!), while the customers glowered at me and made comments about the idiots they hire to work in fast food these days.
No offense to Angkins, but my experience is that places like McD’s view their employees (you know, the ones who flip the burgers, etc, and actually make the money for the company) as little more than cannon fodder. (If you guys want a better class of employee, pay better!)
Here’s what I wanna know: are there castes within the fast food industry, or is it simply different management techniques? The LO and I have long since observed that certain fast food places will consistently have staff so wildly incompetent that any order beyond the level of “One…large…diet…Coke…please” is certain to get screwed up. Other places have workers who manage to get even moderately difficult orders (no MEAT, for example) right time and again.
Are there some places that get the higher echelons of the fast-food worker pool and some places that routinely get the dregs?
As some one who works in the fast food industry (Sushi Bars) I can tell you thank the thing you are always striving for is consistancy. Consistancy between different stores and consistancy between different visits to the same store. A lot of the pictures and instructions are there to make sure things are done the same way in every branch.
Also, with respect to many of my exellent employees, you have to allow for the lowest common denominator.
It is also important to realise that it is a recipe for disaster to think that what is obvious to me is obvious to a new employee.
Sadly detailed instructions are also there to provide a degree of legal protection for the employer.
As far as the black bra issue at work I was basically acused of sexual harrasment (ie looking at her bra) when I pointed out to an employee that this was not sutiable attire at work. Luckly it was a female supervisor that had brought it to my attention (and then left me to deal with it) and she was able to back me up.
Speaking of time-bomb looking clocks… what about the one that has their “average serving time”??? And why is it that my order NEVER makes it under that time? Ever!
Is it McDonald’s that has a circle in the middle of the burger wrapper (as if to say “place burger here”)? I don’t know of any other place to put the burger, do you??
Don’t forget that the main goal of McDonald’s is speed. Anytime you can do something which eliminates the need to think or pull something from memory will speed up the process.
The sexual harassment we were seeing is if we were measuring our staff like in the video, that could be seen as sexual harassment because it would make them uncomfortable.