ellen@reed.UUCP (Ellen) (04/12/85)
After working at a McDonalds for a seemingly interminably long summer, I think I can hypothesize about why they can't comprehend Lord Frith's desire to have his quarter pounders cheeseless. McDonalds employees who work at the counter are presented with a huge list of rules on the correct way to work counter, ranging from "You must present the bag to the customer so that the McDonalds logo shows on the front, facing the customer," to "You may not supply ketchup packets to the customer from the container under the counter unless specifically requested," and absolutely no reason is given for any of this shit. Now if this isn't distracting enough for the poor first-time-employed hapless high school student, he/she is supposed to encourage sales. This is done by suggesting another item on the menu. If Customer orders a hamburger and a soft drink, Counterperson is supposed to say, "Would you like some fries with that order?" If Customer requests a QP only, Counterperson is supposed to riposte, "Is that with cheese?" The idea is that you boost sales in any way possible. I don't know why LF *gets* his QPs with cheese when he specifies not, though...that wasn't in our instructions :-> Thank God that was five years ago. I still get shivers when I walk past a McDonalds now. And, incidentally, I *never* eat there if I can possibly avoid it. Ellen
ben@moncol.UUCP (Bennett Broder) (04/15/85)
On the several occasions I have foolishly decided to dine (refuel?) at
Mc Donalds, I too have had unwanted items suggested. Often they have
been ridiculous suggestions, such as 'do you want coffee?', after I
have ordered a breakfast including milk. I have an idea. Whenever
one of these places starts playing this game, drop an item from order.
(Preferably after it has been rung up)
Example:
Them: Can I help you?
You: Let me have a quarter pounder, large fries and a coke
Them: Large Coke?
You: No, on second though give me a large cup of water.
Them: Do you want cheese on that quarter pounder?
You: No, but you can make that a small order of fries.
If enough people behave this way, perhaps they will rethink
the virtue in using these dishonest and sleezy sales gimmicks.
Ben Broder
{petsd,pesnta,princeton}!moncol!benrzdz@fluke.UUCP (Rick Chinn) (04/22/85)
I can remain silent no longer.
Joe Loda (aicchi!joeloda) said it right. The kids are just trying to be
salespeople and get you to spend a few more cents. Besides, I'd be willing
to bet that there's a bit more margin built into the extras. As a frequent
McD. customer (expedience and hunger wins out over gastronomic excellence) I
don't mind the twits asking if I want something extra, as I frequently
space-out part of my order. So...look upon it as them asking if you forgot
something.
Now, my pet peeve:
You go to the drive thru, order your stuff, they say: that'l be a
dollar-three-ninety at the window please...you drive up, pays your
dollar-three-ninety and then the twit delivers the coup de grace:
The [item(s) you ordered] will be ready in a [couple, few, etc.] minutes.
Please pull ahead and I'll bring your order out when it's ready.
Of course, the twit's idea of a couple of minutes usually stretches out to
five, etc. If I wasn't in a hurry, I probably wouldn't have tried the stupid
drive through. (btw...I call this maneuver "going to to the penalty box")
Sometimes it helps to glance at your watch when they say this and look back
at them doubtfully. Of course, some of them wouldn't respond if you put 25 kV
between their eyes (you know, the ones that are dead from the toes up).
On occasion, (after being forced to wait more than the stated time) I have
backed up into the window after someone has left and refused to budge until
they bring me my food. That usually gets results, pronto!
Another:
When you get your change at the drive thru, the twit gives you a handful of
silver on top of a bunch of paper bills. Then you get to try to get it back
into your car without dumping it all over the insides of your car (or worse,
their driveway).
Still another (this happened at monterey jacks, nee yack een ze box):
I ordered one of their breakfast things from the drive thru. The pretty
picture and the menu made no mention of eggs (I think that they were made
for throwing). The help said nothing of eggs (stupid me for not asking). I
got the thing, paid my dough, and found out when it was too late that there
was egg inside. Yeeeech!
I took it back, explained the predicament, got shown that the sign inside
said "EGGS", prominently. The manager type begrudgingly suggested that maybe
what I wanted was the thing, hold the egg. I agreed. She then tried to
convince me that the reason that it was a breakfast item was that it had egg
inside.
Have I been asleep, or has the egg lobby gotten it legislated that eggs are
for breakfast only?
No offense if you used to be one of their employees, but I just look at the
whole thing as a game of chiefs and indians...you do what you're told if you
enjoy your state of employment. The whole thing just reeks of the parent
corporation's state of mind toward's their employees.
Now if you could only email the twits at oak-brook a stale McFish.
You deserve a brick today...
Rick Chinn
John Fluke Mfg. Co MS 232E
PO Box C9090 Everett WA 98206
{ihnp4!uw-beaver, ucbvax!lbl-csam, microsoft, allegra, ssc-vax}!fluke!rzdz
(206) 356-5232
<--------------- menus do not a user friendly program make ------------------>richl@daemon.UUCP (Rick Lindsley) (04/24/85)
Since everyone seems hot and bothered by this (what is it doing in net.cooks
anyway?) a few comments from a former McD's employee.
Yes, employees are encouraged to "suggestive sell". No, make that "required".
A third of the customers
are actually grateful, because they really did forget to order the fries.
Another third are terribly irate because they never make mistakes and know
exactly what they want. The last third understand what is going on and are
neither offended nor offensive; they just smile back with the same forced
smile they received when they entered the store and say "No, thank you."
You can't please everyone because people really are divided into three
roughly equal groups. As people have pointed out, they are only doing their
jobs. Don't get back with cute little tricks; they've heard or seen them
all and all you succeed in doing is raising the frustration level on both
sides of the counter.
Drive-thrus: Try to remember that if you are in the drive-thru line it is
just as though you are in a line at the counter. That is, the people in
front of you can screw you up if they start the "oh, wait, no, John wants
a cheeseburger, I guess" game. I'm not making excuses for stores with poor
service; just trying to remind people that stores do not routinely try to
discourage or cheat customers.
Bottom line is: if you are dissatisfied for some reason, talk to the
manager. Don't make life miserable for the grunt who took your order,
because chances are they are not entirely happy with the situation either
but can't do much about it.
If you care to get additional information about the "inside story", feel
free to mail me. I'll be happy to give you any of the information regarding
cooking times, service times, holding times, or confirm or deny any rumors
you may have heard. But the people who think it's cute to harass the people
trying to serve them -- well, I had to put up with those antics for four
years and I wouldn't wish them on anyone.
Rick Lindsley
...{allegra,decvax,ihnp4}!tektronix!daemon!richlsth@rayssd.UUCP (05/09/85)
My gripe has nothing to do with the workers at those places, just the system.
I want my burgers plain, just meat and bun. I stopped going to McDonalds
because it would invariably take 15 minutes to get a burger.
I do have fun at Wendy's, when I order a triple, plain. I frieked out an
earthy crunchy hamburger place in Ann Arbor, MI, when they made my burgers,
offered me a dazzling array of things to put on my food, and I refused them.
It took three repeats to get my message across.
Steve Hirsch, {allegra, decvax!brunix, linus, ccieng5}!rayssd!sth
Raytheon Co, Submarine Signal Div., Portsmouth, RIpablo@dartvax.UUCP (David Cohn) (05/10/85)
> > My gripe has nothing to do with the workers at those places, just the system. > I want my burgers plain, just meat and bun. I stopped going to McDonalds > because it would invariably take 15 minutes to get a burger. > > I do have fun at Wendy's, when I order a triple, plain. I frieked out an > earthy crunchy hamburger place in Ann Arbor, MI, when they made my burgers, > offered me a dazzling array of things to put on my food, and I refused them. > It took three repeats to get my message across. > > Steve Hirsch, {allegra, decvax!brunix, linus, ccieng5}!rayssd!sth > Raytheon Co, Submarine Signal Div., Portsmouth, RI *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** One source of amusement for me ( if those of you in netland will forgive yet another article on the subject in this group [net.mactwit, anyone?]), was going to McD's with my mother, a vegetarian, and watching the poor soul try to convey the fact that she wanted a Big Mac (tm) with everything EXCEPT the meat. It just doesn't seem to be that difficult.... ____ David Cohn (pablo@dartvax) apprentice to the Great Ozone Ranger of the North
rcj@burl.UUCP (R. Curtis Jackson) (05/13/85)
> One source of amusement for me ( if those of you in netland will forgive > yet another article on the subject in this group [net.mactwit, anyone?]), > was going to McD's with my mother, a vegetarian, and watching the poor > soul try to convey the fact that she wanted a Big Mac (tm) with everything > EXCEPT the meat. It just doesn't seem to be that difficult.... I worked at a MacDonald's in Ocean Springs, MS for about a year and a half, and we handled all sorts of special requests (including the exact one mentioned above) without ruffling a feather. We had people who wanted grape jelly to put on their hamburgers, hamburgers with nothing on them but about 20 pickles, a Big Mac with only one meat patty, raw patties (for the dog), french fries with no salt (high BP), eggs over easy, etc. etc. etc. -- The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291) alias: Curtis Jackson ...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj ...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj
rws@gypsy.UUCP (05/14/85)
On the other hand, I know for a fact that even 15 years ago you could walk into a Burger King and ask for a "whopper, no meat", and they'd yell back "One vegetarian Whopper!" Bob Schwanke Siemens Research Princeton, NJ 08540-6668 seismo!princeton!siemens!rws