Monday, December 17, 2007

Speaking My Mind, part 2



Last week, Teresa and I took our kids to see The Christmas Carol. It was a nicely performed production. After leaving the Stranahan, we stopped for a quick bite to eat at McDonalds. "Two items off the $1 menu for everybody, and get water to drink"...our standard menu when hauling a van load of teenagers (give or take a year here and there) around the countryside.

When I ordered for Teresa and I - "Two hamburgers, two fries, and two cups of water" - I was informed "We don't have cups for water anymore, but we do have Dasani bottled water for 50 cents, would you like some?" Imagine my surprise! Especially when I peered around the young man's shoulder and noticed myriad choices of cups sitting on the counter top behind him. I quizzically looked at him and said, "No, thank you - I want a CUP of water" and was simply ignored at that point. I peered a little more noticeably at the cheerful array of neatly stacked cups in various colors. This young man must obviously be blind. Apparently deaf, also, I could only assume, as he continued to ignore my request for water.

I held my tongue - no easy feat. (Never make a person angry when he's holding the spatula that flips your burger, and you haven't been served yet. You might just wind up with some seasonings you weren't aware were on the menu.) I can understand a fast food chain's policy of not giving cups of water to non-customers; I can even sometimes tolerate the practice of charging a dime for water, although I rarely will pay for water, unless I'm parched and have only potato chips to eat. But simply not making water available to paying customers because there are no "water cups"?

Remind me to never eat ice cream with a fork, or cut steak with a butter knife, or wipe my mouth with a kleenex! (For that matter, I would have been happy to go to the van and get the empty Burger King cup and ask for a refill!)

I walked out with raised eyebrows, not simply at the rude treatment of a customer, but more so at the preposterous realization that people truly can't think outside the box!

And we stopped at Rite Aid and paid several dollars for drinks for all! Principles don't die easy for me!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Oh my gosh! You are so much better than I am! I would have let them have it. Then, I probably would search endlessly under the bun of my double cheeseburger to see if something has been done to it (I'm not as smart as you are when it comes to holding my tongue).

I also had to laugh, when I saw that the kids are allowed 2 items off the $1 menu, because that has long been our rule, too. My girls always want pop as one of thier items and I won't allow it. They could live on cellary, carrots, and saltine crackers, as long as they could order pop. I don't know where they get it....seriously! Thanks for the laugh. Mandy (I think this will post this as Brian name, but rest assured, he did not sit here and read all that crazy rant...only I would..LOL)