Merchants of shame: Never eating here again.

[Otterpop]

The change thing is so bad here (the cashiers aren't good with math or pocket the extra money) that I always TELL them the amount I'm handing over.  Even tell them the change if I can manage to figure it.  Them:  "That'll be 12.02."  Me:  "Here's 22.02 so you can give me a 10 back."  Never have anyone short my change now.

OP, it sounds as though the cashier wanted your change AND a free meal.  What a toad!

[iridaceae]

Okay, it's been a few years, but I worked at Wendy's when I was a teenager.   When I worked there, there were really very few orders that were just the default. 

*shrug* Experiences differ. I worked at a Taco Bell and in my experience you do go on autopilot; at least, at that store we did.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Okay, it's been a few years, but I worked at Wendy's when I was a teenager.   When I worked there, there were really very few orders that were just the default. 

*shrug* Experiences differ. I worked at a Taco Bell and in my experience you do go on autopilot; at least, at that store we did.

I think very few people who order Taco Bell food alter it in any way (really, is corn meal + beef + cheese + lettuce just perfect or what?), but when it comes to burgers people get *very* picky.

[Mental Magpie]

The change thing is so bad here (the cashiers aren't good with math or pocket the extra money) that I always TELL them the amount I'm handing over.  Even tell them the change if I can manage to figure it.  Them:  "That'll be 12.02."  Me:  "Here's 22.02 so you can give me a 10 back."  Never have anyone short my change now.

OP, it sounds as though the cashier wanted your change AND a free meal.  What a toad!

I understand that you want your correct change back, and you should get it, but the way you do it is kind of demeaning.  If you said that to me I would not be thinking nice things in my head.  Telling them how much you've given them is just fine, but doing the math for them is a bit rude.  Trust them to do their jobs; only raise a stink if they don't.

[ACBNYC]

I check my order every time I eat out, whether it's Five Guys burgers or gourmet places. It's safer that way.

I was luckily eating in at Five Guys one night rather than taking it to go...I was puzzled at the first two bites because it seemed like something was missing. Sure enough--the hamburgers! They got the toppings right though. 

[zara1269]

The change thing is so bad here (the cashiers aren't good with math or pocket the extra money) that I always TELL them the amount I'm handing over.  Even tell them the change if I can manage to figure it.  Them:  "That'll be 12.02."  Me:  "Here's 22.02 so you can give me a 10 back."  Never have anyone short my change now.

OP, it sounds as though the cashier wanted your change AND a free meal.  What a toad!

I'm sure you don't mean any malice with that statement but as a fast food worker who is probably more schooled in math than 90% of my customers (BS in Business Admin -lots of math required and working toward becoming an RN- again math) I would find that mildly offensive if one of my customers spoke to me like that. Maybe I'm just being hypersensitive.

Granted I do make mistakes from time to time but for the most part I am pretty good on the change thing and even if I weren't we do have that handy dandy register that calculates the change. One thing that I think messes up the change transaction...and this happens quite often will be that I will have taken the money and put the money given to me in the register and just right before I give the change back the customer will ask me a question before I start counting out the change and then I will sometimes get thrown off track and forget if they give me a $10 or a $20. Because of my super hero math skills I don't often use the register to tell me what change to give (my bad) I will sometimes have to ask the customer what they give me. After nearly 13 years off and on of doing this I realize that 99% of my customer base are honest people and I trust them and I usually give them the change that they think they should have. The moral of the story is: do not distract the cashier by asking them a question while they are doing the cash transaction.

Also just have to point out that after working so long in this field I never do alterations to my order. I either order it the way it comes or I order something else. I'm lucky that I can usually choke down anything.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Also just have to point out that after working so long in this field I never do alterations to my order. I either order it the way it comes or I order something else. I'm lucky that I can usually choke down anything.

I was with you until this.  There's nothing wrong with politely asking up front if you can get that burger without mayonnaise.

[JadeAngel]

When I still lived with my family there was a Mcdonalds we tended to frequent. They almost never got anything right. I think my favourite was when they somehow managed to forget to put the meat on a cheeseburger.
My mother took it back and the manager, who our family was friendly with, responded "Did you ask for them to put meat on it?".  Yeah, he was a bit staggered at how often mistakes were made there, but he was especially tickled over this one. "How could they forget the meat?!"
 

I went to my friendly McD's last week and did drive through, I'm another one who always checks the order before I drive off, because sometimes they do mishear you through the speakers or forget things.

Anyway I pulled up to the order station which has a handy screen which shows your order and asked for a Quarter Pounder meal and an apple pie. The screen flashed up with a cheeseburger and then the person taking the order asked me to repeat it which I did. The screen still had the cheeseburger, but the guy told me to drive through.

At the first window where you paid your money I confirmed 'this is for the quarter pounder meal, correct?' and the cashier checked the screen and said 'yes'. I paid my money and drove on.

At the second window I said to the person as they handed me my drink 'This is a quarter pounder meal right?' because the amount of money I gave was less than what I usually pay, and they checked the screen and said 'Yes'

I opened the bag they handed to me and what do you know? A Cheeseburger! So I handed it back through the window and said, 'I'm sorry, but I ordered a quarter pounder meal and I confirmed my order three times. Would you mind getting me the correct burger? Cue a discussion involving the cashier who took my money, the person wearing the headset for the drive through, the worker who gave me my food and a manager all huddling around the screen arguing about how they all could have misread the order one after the other.

Upshot I got my burger (freshly made) and paid the reduced price, but I tell you what, it's no wonder their corporate mascot is a clown!! 

[Otterpop]

nderstand that you want your correct change back, and you should get it, but the way you do it is kind of demeaning.  If you said that to me I would not be thinking nice things in my head.  Telling them how much you've given them is just fine, but doing the math for them is a bit rude.  Trust them to do their jobs; only raise a stink if they don't.

No demeaning intended.  I really do want the $10 bill back.  Otherwise I'll get ones and fives which I seem to fritter away more easily.  It's a challenge to me to get the least number of paper and coins.  Never had anyone act offended.  They're usually grateful I don't take all their change.  Plus, I get to do mental math and always get the right amount of change.  The most important part however, is saying the amount I'm handing over.

[Mental Magpie]

nderstand that you want your correct change back, and you should get it, but the way you do it is kind of demeaning.  If you said that to me I would not be thinking nice things in my head.  Telling them how much you've given them is just fine, but doing the math for them is a bit rude.  Trust them to do their jobs; only raise a stink if they don't.

No demeaning intended.  I really do want the $10 bill back.  Otherwise I'll get ones and fives which I seem to fritter away more easily.  It's a challenge to me to get the least number of paper and coins.  Never had anyone act offended.  They're usually grateful I don't take all their change.  Plus, I get to do mental math and always get the right amount of change.  The most important part however, is saying the amount I'm handing over.

Ah, I took it to me you were telling them how much change you were expecting back, not how you wanted it back.  I apologize.  I will suggest saying, "Could I have my change back as a ten, please?" so that you make it clear that you are not doing their math for them but instead want it returned a specific way.  I think that would help keep the demeaning tone (though not intended) out of the exchange.

[zara1269]

I was with you until this.  There's nothing wrong with politely asking up front if you can get that burger without mayonnaise.

Nothing wrong with it at all Traska just talking about me personally. To me the hassle of doing this is not worth it. See you have to actually order it that way...the person taking your order has to take the time to search through a menu of options on their end...find the no "mayo button"...then has to make sure to repeat back to you "no mayonnaise"...then the people making your food have to take the time to stop and read the request and then have to go off autopilot and not put mayo on the sammich and if they are like me they probably make the sammich with what comes on it first and then right before wrapping the sammich they realize they put it on there...then they have to chuck that sammich and make a new one....so then you get the sammich and you have to take the time out of your day to check the sammich to make sure the unwanted product is not on it...if it is you have to take the time to go back and get a new one remade...and the cycle continues. And if you are in a hurry and can't wait to get a replacement this puts a damper on your day (usually).

So, you see, for me personally (not saying this should be this way for anyone else) it's just not worth the effort to order any special accommodations. I am way too tired/lazy to go through it personally.

No demeaning intended.  I really do want the $10 bill back.  Otherwise I'll get ones and fives which I seem to fritter away more easily.  It's a challenge to me to get the least number of paper and coins

I gotcha...sorry I mistook you said. I will say that more often than not I hardly ever have any tens in my drawer. They are very rare in this area for some reason. I usually never have any to give...they tend to go like hotcakes.

[Yvaine]

Okay, it's been a few years, but I worked at Wendy's when I was a teenager.   When I worked there, there were really very few orders that were just the default. 

*shrug* Experiences differ. I worked at a Taco Bell and in my experience you do go on autopilot; at least, at that store we did.

I think very few people who order Taco Bell food alter it in any way (really, is corn meal + beef + cheese + lettuce just perfect or what?), but when it comes to burgers people get *very* picky.

My theory is that it's because Taco Bell actually has a fairly short list of ingredients and a long list of items, and so almost every imaginable permutation of ingredients is already available. You want something pretty plain, they've got that, while at a burger place the plainest burger still has about a zillion things on it. You want everything but the kitchen sink, they've got that too.  We all had a laugh whenever they came out with a new menu item, because it was usually just a reshuffling of the same few things. Once in a while you got a new ingredient for a limited time, but not often.

And the few changes people do make are incredibly predictable. When I worked there, if something had tomatoes or green onions, probably more customers wanted them off than wanted them on.

And no, no one ever has tens, not at anywhere I've worked. It's because they go to the ATM right before they get there, and it gives them 20s, so any tens in your drawer get cleaned out by the first few customers.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Okay, it's been a few years, but I worked at Wendy's when I was a teenager.   When I worked there, there were really very few orders that were just the default. 

*shrug* Experiences differ. I worked at a Taco Bell and in my experience you do go on autopilot; at least, at that store we did.

I think very few people who order Taco Bell food alter it in any way (really, is corn meal + beef + cheese + lettuce just perfect or what?), but when it comes to burgers people get *very* picky.

My theory is that it's because Taco Bell actually has a fairly short list of ingredients and a long list of items, and so almost every imaginable permutation of ingredients is already available. You want something pretty plain, they've got that, while at a burger place the plainest burger still has about a zillion things on it. You want everything but the kitchen sink, they've got that too.  We all had a laugh whenever they came out with a new menu item, because it was usually just a reshuffling of the same few things. Once in a while you got a new ingredient for a limited time, but not often.

And the few changes people do make are incredibly predictable. When I worked there, if something had tomatoes or green onions, probably more customers wanted them off than wanted them on.

And no, no one ever has tens, not at anywhere I've worked. It's because they go to the ATM right before they get there, and it gives them 20s, so any tens in your drawer get cleaned out by the first few customers.

Two things:  One, Taco Bell has never done anything before or since that rivals the pure awesomeness that was the chili cheese burrito.  That was the pinnacle of fast food.  Two, most ATMs around here give out tens.  The only ATMs that don't are the ones actually connected to specific banks.  Although, the closest M&T bank's ATM gives out specific amounts down to the penny.

[Yvaine]

Two things:  One, Taco Bell has never done anything before or since that rivals the pure awesomeness that was the chili cheese burrito.  That was the pinnacle of fast food.  Two, most ATMs around here give out tens.  The only ATMs that don't are the ones actually connected to specific banks.  Although, the closest M&T bank's ATM gives out specific amounts down to the penny.

The CC burrito is...GONE?!?!?!   

Around here there are a few that give out 10s--mine does, and that's part of why I like it--but most of them just do 20s. I'd love to have one that gave out amounts to the penny! *envy*

[Diane AKA Traska]

Two things:  One, Taco Bell has never done anything before or since that rivals the pure awesomeness that was the chili cheese burrito.  That was the pinnacle of fast food.  Two, most ATMs around here give out tens.  The only ATMs that don't are the ones actually connected to specific banks.  Although, the closest M&T bank's ATM gives out specific amounts down to the penny.

The CC burrito is...GONE?!?!?!   

Around here there are a few that give out 10s--mine does, and that's part of why I like it--but most of them just do 20s. I'd love to have one that gave out amounts to the penny! *envy*

/tangent
That's the reason I stayed with M&T a year longer than I should have.
/end tangent