Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[Dindrane]

Speaking of fast food drive-thru, one thing that always makes my brain hurt is when they do have that confirmation screen, have a sign up asking people to check it to ensure the order is correct, and then the employee (for whatever reason) doesn't actually enter the order into the system such that it is visible in time for you to actually look at it.

It mostly seems to happen when the drive-thru is busy, so I can sort of understand why it might make more sense from a workflow perspective to enter the order in between the time that the customer pulls away from the screen and pays/picks up the order. But at the same time, the restaurant is probably more likely to make a mistake (and I as the customer am going to feel more awkward about taking time to check my order) when things are super busy. So placing my order and then being told I'll get my total at the payment window makes it impossible for me to check whether they've heard me correctly (and means it's a good thing I typically pay with card rather than cash, since they also want me to have my money ready!).

[Piratelvr1121]

Another fast food related thing that made my brain hurt.  I don't know just how universal it is but at least in our town, most of the fast food restaurants have arranged their drive through so that when you are done getting your food, your car is usually pointed toward the exit.  Which usually means you go in a C shape around the building. 

There's a Chik-Fil-A near our grocery store and last Friday, while leaving, I saw a sign posted that faced the entrance of their lot saying "Drive through goes around the building."

It's a good thing I was in the car with just Piratebabe because I couldn't help but say "Well, DUH!" I mean, really? They needed a sign to point out the obvious? No other fast food joints in town have such a sign outside their buildings, and you can see the pickup window on the same side of the building as the sign!

Granted, usually a sign would be put into place because someone proved it was necessary, and you know, I'm going to actually hope that's the case and it's not a matter of the managers thinking their clientele are just that stupid.

[VorFemme]

I almost always make a change or two to the standard order, so I prefer to go inside rather than the drive through.

That said, the drive through sound TODAY is a lot better than it used to be when I first started driving, back in the mid-1970s.  Much better.  Trust me on this.

But I have noticed the same "lack of either attention or retention" when I go inside. 

"I'd like a number five, no pickles, no mustard, no onion; onion rings instead of fries; a diet soda; and I'm eating here.  They type in the number 5 and ask if I want it "here" or "to go".  I remind them that it is "here".  I noticed that only two punches had been made, so I reminded them that I didn't want mustard, onions, or pickles on the sandwich and that I wanted onion rings instead of fries (raw onion I can't handle - cooked onion I can, especially with a little catsup).  Then I got asked about my soda (no change) and the diet soda (not all places are self serve drinks - they do still control the cups, even if you fill it yourself).

For something that I order three or four times a month (weekly "treat" for myself) - I end up spending 3x to 5x (or longer) in line than anyone making a standard order or even upsizing the drink & fries.  I also get handed a bag of food a lot instead of a tray, but that might be on the person making the order up while the counter person is taking more orders (depends on the exact store I'm in).

It's as if the person taking the order either has no short term memory or is using all their attention to find the buttons on the cash register for the next step that they don't recall anything of what I said after "number 5" and have to ask me the next question on the script to figure out which button to push.  There are a couple of places that I eat at often enough that I don't have to repeat myself - but I don't eat lunch out every day, so no one business is going to be seeing me as a "regular" enough to know my order before I open my mouth.

Not since the one pizza place when Ambrosia Hino was three, anyway. 

[Shalamar]

I can see losing patience with having to continually repeat yourself.

Me too.  I think NewMommy handled it just fine.  She said "Please pay attention", not "Open your ears, you cloth-eared twit". 

I'm reminded of when my husband and I went through the Wendy's drive-thru a few years ago.    I'm not sure if Wendy's still does this, but back then their biggest drink was called a Biggie.  My husband ordered one, but the employee repeating back the order kept changing the size.  "So, you want a small?"  "No, a Biggie, please."  "Was that a medium drink?"  "NO.  I'd like a Biggie, please."  "What size was that, again?"  Finally, my normally very even-tempered husband roared "A BIGGIE!  I WANT A BIGGIE DRINK!", and I started giggling helplessly because he sounded like a toddler having a tantrum.

[Yvaine]

It's as if the person taking the order either has no short term memory or is using all their attention to find the buttons on the cash register for the next step that they don't recall anything of what I said after "number 5" and have to ask me the next question on the script to figure out which button to push. 

It's exactly that. Most registers have a specific order you have to press the buttons in. So if you want "a number five, no pickles, no mustard, no onion; onion rings instead of fries; a diet soda; and I'm eating here," but the computer's particular setup wants the cashier to do for-here-or-to-go first, and the "sauce" stuff like mustard first, and then the pickles and onion, and so on, then the cashier is trying to input the information in the order the computer wants it while trying to remember everything else you said at the same time. Some people have a knack for this, but quite frankly, your brain ends up as fried as the onion rings on a busy day. They're not trying to annoy you. It's just a side effect of register computers that are inflexible about how to input things.

[VorFemme]

It's as if the person taking the order either has no short term memory or is using all their attention to find the buttons on the cash register for the next step that they don't recall anything of what I said after "number 5" and have to ask me the next question on the script to figure out which button to push. 

It's exactly that. Most registers have a specific order you have to press the buttons in. So if you want "a number five, no pickles, no mustard, no onion; onion rings instead of fries; a diet soda; and I'm eating here," but the computer's particular setup wants the cashier to do for-here-or-to-go first, and the "sauce" stuff like mustard first, and then the pickles and onion, and so on, then the cashier is trying to input the information in the order the computer wants it while trying to remember everything else you said at the same time. Some people have a knack for this, but quite frankly, your brain ends up as fried as the onion rings on a busy day. They're not trying to annoy you. It's just a side effect of register computers that are inflexible about how to input things.

I worked fast food in high school - before the "one button" for each step of the order cash registers came along.  Heck, the hamburger place didn't even have electrical cash registers...three years later, the pizza place did have electrical cash registers, but since I never worked lunch, I didn't have to remember how to do the adult, child, or senior buffet - just punch in the price(s) and hit subtotal, tax, and total.

Today, the cash register no longer seems to have rows of numerals for the price to be punched in as a price - it's all "item ordered" at the fast food places. 

[Yvaine]

It's as if the person taking the order either has no short term memory or is using all their attention to find the buttons on the cash register for the next step that they don't recall anything of what I said after "number 5" and have to ask me the next question on the script to figure out which button to push. 

It's exactly that. Most registers have a specific order you have to press the buttons in. So if you want "a number five, no pickles, no mustard, no onion; onion rings instead of fries; a diet soda; and I'm eating here," but the computer's particular setup wants the cashier to do for-here-or-to-go first, and the "sauce" stuff like mustard first, and then the pickles and onion, and so on, then the cashier is trying to input the information in the order the computer wants it while trying to remember everything else you said at the same time. Some people have a knack for this, but quite frankly, your brain ends up as fried as the onion rings on a busy day. They're not trying to annoy you. It's just a side effect of register computers that are inflexible about how to input things.

I worked fast food in high school - before the "one button" for each step of the order cash registers came along.  Heck, the hamburger place didn't even have electrical cash registers...three years later, the pizza place did have electrical cash registers, but since I never worked lunch, I didn't have to remember how to do the adult, child, or senior buffet - just punch in the price(s) and hit subtotal, tax, and total.

Today, the cash register no longer seems to have rows of numerals for the price to be punched in as a price - it's all "item ordered" at the fast food places.

Yeah, nothing is punched in as numbers these days, in my experience. They're like this:
http://planetauthorize.com/images/restaurantpro-express.jpg
with each of those buttons being a menu item, or a specification you can add, etc. And most of them have 3 or 4 screens to go through for each order, and every restaurant is different in how it's set up.

[Cami]

I almost always make a change or two to the standard order, so I prefer to go inside rather than the drive through.

That said, the drive through sound TODAY is a lot better than it used to be when I first started driving, back in the mid-1970s.  Much better.  Trust me on this.

But I have noticed the same "lack of either attention or retention" when I go inside. 

"I'd like a number five, no pickles, no mustard, no onion; onion rings instead of fries; a diet soda; and I'm eating here.  They type in the number 5 and ask if I want it "here" or "to go".  I remind them that it is "here".  I noticed that only two punches had been made, so I reminded them that I didn't want mustard, onions, or pickles on the sandwich and that I wanted onion rings instead of fries (raw onion I can't handle - cooked onion I can, especially with a little catsup).  Then I got asked about my soda (no change) and the diet soda (not all places are self serve drinks - they do still control the cups, even if you fill it yourself).

For something that I order three or four times a month (weekly "treat" for myself) - I end up spending 3x to 5x (or longer) in line than anyone making a standard order or even upsizing the drink & fries.  I also get handed a bag of food a lot instead of a tray, but that might be on the person making the order up while the counter person is taking more orders (depends on the exact store I'm in).

It's as if the person taking the order either has no short term memory or is using all their attention to find the buttons on the cash register for the next step that they don't recall anything of what I said after "number 5" and have to ask me the next question on the script to figure out which button to push.   There are a couple of places that I eat at often enough that I don't have to repeat myself - but I don't eat lunch out every day, so no one business is going to be seeing me as a "regular" enough to know my order before I open my mouth.

Not since the one pizza place when Ambrosia Hino was three, anyway.

Back in the day, I worked in fast food. While part of the problem may be the person looking for the right button to press, part of the problem may be the cashier's natural ability to process a spate of disparate information, especially when it comes to them aurally, rather than in writing. Some people can make a mental list in their head of what they're hearing and then press the buttons in order. But MANY people do not have that natural ability and simply can not do it. They are not stupid or ignorant, their brains do not work like that and no amount of effort can make them acquire that ability.

As a result, when I give an order with non-standard requests, I wait until they have keyed in the basic information, then slowly list what I want. And FTR, when I do so, the cashier invariably asks, "Did you used to work as a cashier?" because they realize someone is talking their language, as it were.

[Yvaine]

I almost always make a change or two to the standard order, so I prefer to go inside rather than the drive through.

That said, the drive through sound TODAY is a lot better than it used to be when I first started driving, back in the mid-1970s.  Much better.  Trust me on this.

But I have noticed the same "lack of either attention or retention" when I go inside. 

"I'd like a number five, no pickles, no mustard, no onion; onion rings instead of fries; a diet soda; and I'm eating here.  They type in the number 5 and ask if I want it "here" or "to go".  I remind them that it is "here".  I noticed that only two punches had been made, so I reminded them that I didn't want mustard, onions, or pickles on the sandwich and that I wanted onion rings instead of fries (raw onion I can't handle - cooked onion I can, especially with a little catsup).  Then I got asked about my soda (no change) and the diet soda (not all places are self serve drinks - they do still control the cups, even if you fill it yourself).

For something that I order three or four times a month (weekly "treat" for myself) - I end up spending 3x to 5x (or longer) in line than anyone making a standard order or even upsizing the drink & fries.  I also get handed a bag of food a lot instead of a tray, but that might be on the person making the order up while the counter person is taking more orders (depends on the exact store I'm in).

It's as if the person taking the order either has no short term memory or is using all their attention to find the buttons on the cash register for the next step that they don't recall anything of what I said after "number 5" and have to ask me the next question on the script to figure out which button to push.   There are a couple of places that I eat at often enough that I don't have to repeat myself - but I don't eat lunch out every day, so no one business is going to be seeing me as a "regular" enough to know my order before I open my mouth.

Not since the one pizza place when Ambrosia Hino was three, anyway.

Back in the day, I worked in fast food. While part of the problem may be the person looking for the right button to press, part of the problem may be the cashier's natural ability to process a spate of disparate information, especially when it comes to them aurally, rather than in writing. Some people can make a mental list in their head of what they're hearing and then press the buttons in order. But MANY people do not have that natural ability and simply can not do it. They are not stupid or ignorant, their brains do not work like that and no amount of effort can make them acquire that ability.

As a result, when I give an order with non-standard requests, I wait until they have keyed in the basic information, then slowly list what I want. And FTR, when I do so, the cashier invariably asks, "Did you used to work as a cashier?" because they realize someone is talking their language, as it were.

Heh, I worked at Taco Bell once, and about a year later I was eating at a Taco Bell when I overheard someone trying to order something odd and the cashier wondering out loud how to enter it. I called out a whole series of buttons that would get him where he wanted to go and he just looked at me with bogglement 

[lowspark]

Another fast food related thing that made my brain hurt.  I don't know just how universal it is but at least in our town, most of the fast food restaurants have arranged their drive through so that when you are done getting your food, your car is usually pointed toward the exit.  Which usually means you go in a C shape around the building. 

There's a Chik-Fil-A near our grocery store and last Friday, while leaving, I saw a sign posted that faced the entrance of their lot saying "Drive through goes around the building."

It's a good thing I was in the car with just Piratebabe because I couldn't help but say "Well, DUH!" I mean, really? They needed a sign to point out the obvious? No other fast food joints in town have such a sign outside their buildings, and you can see the pickup window on the same side of the building as the sign!

Granted, usually a sign would be put into place because someone proved it was necessary, and you know, I'm going to actually hope that's the case and it's not a matter of the managers thinking their clientele are just that stupid.

I'm laughing at the bolded.
Either the manager thinks the clientele is stupid or they are stupid. Or well, at least enough of them are stupid that it necessitated action on the part of the manager. I'm actually not sure which is worse! 

[Piratelvr1121]

I think what also makes me laugh is the Chik-Fil-A is the only fast food place in town that I've seen with such a sign.  Which means the other places haven't had a problem with this so makes me wonder if the one who seems to have a problem getting this concept only ever eats at Chik-Fil-A?

Who knows, but it struck me as kind of funny. 

[lowspark]

I just had a thought... maybe it's the manager who's that stupid. Maybe he's the one who thought, hmmmm... the drive thru goes around the building? Who knew? I better warn the customers.

To be fair, although most drive thrus wrap around the building, not all do. Not sure about fast food places, as I can't think of any who don't, but banks (in my experience) don't so maybe that's sort of where the manager is coming from.

Also, in some situations where the line does wrap around the building, there are opportunities for line cutters, or for people to snake the line out instead of around. Maybe that's what happened in this situation.

I'm giving way too much thought to this! 

[nalapuppy]

Heh, I worked at Taco Bell once, and about a year later I was eating at a Taco Bell when I overheard someone trying to order something odd and the cashier wondering out loud how to enter it. I called out a whole series of buttons that would get him where he wanted to go and he just looked at me with bogglement 

This word made me smile.  It just sounds so confusing but playful......kind of a fun word.

[Yvaine]

Heh, I worked at Taco Bell once, and about a year later I was eating at a Taco Bell when I overheard someone trying to order something odd and the cashier wondering out loud how to enter it. I called out a whole series of buttons that would get him where he wanted to go and he just looked at me with bogglement 

This word made me smile.  It just sounds so confusing but playful......kind of a fun word.

Thanks. I like words...even the ones I coin on a whim. (Though google tells me other people have coined it too!)

[Dindrane]

Back in the day, I worked in fast food. While part of the problem may be the person looking for the right button to press, part of the problem may be the cashier's natural ability to process a spate of disparate information, especially when it comes to them aurally, rather than in writing. Some people can make a mental list in their head of what they're hearing and then press the buttons in order. But MANY people do not have that natural ability and simply can not do it. They are not stupid or ignorant, their brains do not work like that and no amount of effort can make them acquire that ability.

As a result, when I give an order with non-standard requests, I wait until they have keyed in the basic information, then slowly list what I want. And FTR, when I do so, the cashier invariably asks, "Did you used to work as a cashier?" because they realize someone is talking their language, as it were.

I've never worked as a cashier, but what you describe is what I always figured was going on. Sometimes it's hard to guess what order to present information so that you're giving it in the same order that the cashier needs it.

The other thing that comes into play here, though, is that it's really easy for people to go into auto-pilot when they are focused on something other than what a person is saying to them. I know I have a hard time processing information (especially spoken information) when I'm trying to multi-task, so it doesn't surprise me that cashiers in fast food restaurants seem to have the same problem.

So if you rattle off your whole order right at the beginning while they are trying to input the basic stuff, process what you said, and then remember it in whatever specific order is necessary for the system (or necessary for them to communicate your order correctly), chances are good they will have to clarify what you want and that they may get something wrong. That's especially true if your order is anything outside of the ordinary.

For example, I pretty much always order Diet Dr Pepper when I can. I don't like Diet Coke as much, and I don't drink regular soda at all, but it's far more common for people to order either Diet Coke or regular Dr Pepper. If the restaurant is really busy (or if I'm going through a busy drive-thru), I will say I want Diet Dr Pepper right at the beginning of my order because it seems to help make sure they don't hear me wrong. But I always expect to repeat myself when I do it that way.

It's generally much more effective if I can say that I want a number 5, no pickles, and then wait for them to ask me follow up questions about what drink I want, whether it's for here or to go, and what size meal I want.