She Almost Got It Right, But Not Really
food December 31st, 2012
God bless the 80-year-old cashier workin’ the front line at the McDonald’s I frequent.
I’ve seen her before, always during the morning shift, when McD’s turns into a pickup joint for the over 75 set. It’s full of joking, laughing, and blissfully curmudgeony people.
The cashier is a social butterfly, knows all the regulars’ names, asks about their grandkids and probably loves what she does.
Except what she does is this sort of thing:
Me: Two medium coffees with 10 creamers on the side.
Her: (cutting me off): One medium coffee?
Me: No. Two medium coffees with 10 creamers and a sausage and egg biscuit.
Her: Two medium coffees.
Me: With 10 creamers and the biscuit.
Her: That’ll be $2.12.
Me: You didn’t get the biscuit.
Her: What was that?
Me: The biscuit. Two medium coffees with 10 creamers and a sausage and egg biscuit.
Her: OK, $5.25 then.
I hand her $10 and she gives me back five singles and 75 cents.
I return a dollar. She has no idea why.
She puts the coffee in the carrier and asks "Cream and sugar?"
I mentally drill laser beams through her sweet little head, then say a prayer for her and all the people behind me, because you just know nobody’s gettin’ what they want today.
And then I smile because I firmly believe that the management keeps her on because she loves to see people and people love to see her.
Sometimes familiar faces in friendly places are enough.
That, and checking your order before you leave.
Stumble it!
December 31st, 2012 at 7:26 pm
I wonder what she costs them
Pricilla – Famous SpokesGoat´s last blog post ..I am NOT an Appleholic!
December 31st, 2012 at 7:34 pm
I think it’s just a McDonald’s thing. At mine, many young Hispanic girls work there. Most get it right but one has never gotten it right. Not one single time.
Suzy Soro (@HotComesToDie)´s last blog post ..My Book, Celebrity sTalker, Is Out
December 31st, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Thank goodness she wound up at MickeyDs rather than in med school or flying a plane or something.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:36 pm
That could have been any 16 year old cashier, absent the friendliness!
December 31st, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Aww, that’s sad but she probably does enjoy seeing the people. Maybe she gets the orders for the regulars right. Oh wait, you are probably one of the regulars, huh? Glad you were patient with her.
Karen and Gerard´s last blog post ..A Socks and Boots Story
January 1st, 2013 at 6:07 am
Pricilla — Do you mean in wages, lost sales or a screwed up drawer at the end of her shift? The choices are many.
Suzy Soro — Probably also goes for most fast food joints. Is it me or has pride in a job well done gone totally by the wayside? I’m amazed at how slow everyone moves and how it seems people behind the counter treat the job as a place to hang out and be social. I know. I sound like an 80 yr old woman myself now. “Get off my lawn!”
Flit — Now that’s a scary thought. I’ll take a messed up order over a crashing plane any day of the week.
Lynn — True. And it surprises me they’re so bad at it because practically everything in the ordering process is automatic. Geez, all they have to do is read a slip of paper and put those things in a freaking bag!
Karen — Ha! You’re probably right. And the regulars don’t leave. They sit there all morning. If the order’s wrong, they just go back to the counter. If you’re doing take-out, it behooves you to check and recheck the bag. Ugh. (p.s. I’m a regular, but mainly at the drive-thru, which is a whole different matter. I have stories about screw-ups there that would make your head spin.)
January 1st, 2013 at 8:11 am
I have a feeling this will be me in a couple more years… or perhaps months.
Boom Boom Larew´s last blog post ..Another day in the life of a (pseudo) cat lady…
January 1st, 2013 at 12:52 pm
“I mentally drill laser beams through her sweet little head, then say a prayer for her and all the people behind me, because you just know nobody’s gettin’ what they want today.”
That is hilarious.
And I also think it’s sweet!
meleah rebeccah´s last blog post ..Happy New Year MoFos – Wrapping up 2012 – Welcoming 2013
January 1st, 2013 at 2:58 pm
I might be wrong but I think this has gotten worse the last years. Everytime (well not as often anymore) I am there I experience something weird. Last time I got wrong change back too, but when I told him, I got the same note back as I gave him. I just said thanks and pretended he gave me a free meal because of McD’s lack of math-interest.
Øyvind´s last blog post ..Bergen dressed by winter
January 1st, 2013 at 8:34 pm
I’m with Suzy….I think they eff up your order no matter who is working. I’m also thinking half of those old folks who eat their breakfast at McDonald’s probably don’t even remember what they order, so it’s a win/win…or a lose/lose…but everyone is happy, right?
Did you ever notice the personal space of those old folks in McDonald’s in the morning? They all sit at their own tables and yak across the entire restaurant at each other. Why don’t they just sit together???
Lin´s last blog post ..Is it that time already?
January 1st, 2013 at 9:07 pm
I always double check my order before leaving but I feel a bit guilty so I try to do it without them noticing. Pretty sure that makes me look even stranger than if I’d just done it obviously haha.
Katie´s last blog post ..2013
January 1st, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Dear darling lady! I am not good at the cashiering thing and I never have been. But this gal is good at what matters! I usually get the wrong thing at the drive through window. One day I will learn to check before we drive off!
January 2nd, 2013 at 1:31 am
From a big picture perspective, that’s really sweet.
Chris@Knucklehead!´s last blog post ..Twenty Miles and a Wild Goose Chase
January 2nd, 2013 at 6:19 am
Um, why did you need 10 creamers?
Daisy the Curly Cat´s last blog post ..Wordless Wednesday: He Even Sleeps Like a Maniac
January 2nd, 2013 at 6:42 am
Boom Boom — Me too. And that’s why I can’t work in retail. I would probably be sending kids home with coffee and adults home with Happy Meals.
meleah rebeccah — There’s a certain amount of forgiveness you have to extend to the elderly, even if they’re only getting a fraction of things correct. At that age, close is good enough, right? Hee.
Oyvind — “lack of math interest.” Yeah, that’s just about it. The problem is they use the cash register to do all the thinking for them. I stopped giving cashiers weirdly calculated cash in order to get back an even bill (say, $11 on a $5.55 bill). They look at that extra dollar like it’s wrong and try to give it back. Ugh.
Lin — Right and right. Also, I think it hardly matters if the order is wrong for people who plan to spend three hours at the place. If it’s wrong, they just walk back up to the counter, but for us take-outers, you gotta check before you leave or you’ll be cursing under your breath for an hour after. And yeah, when I walk in there, it’s like a party I wasn’t invited to. Everyone’s talking real loud and I wait for a food fight to break out at any moment.
Katie — Yeah, I say check it like a mad woman. Maybe if they know you totally doubt the order will be correct, they’ll try harder?
Linda Medrano — I normally go through drive-thru, except if I see a really long line. I once watched some poor sap ahead of me drive away without one of his giant bags of food. He pulled out of line and then a cashier stuck the bag out the window, trying to scream at him to come back. I was even thinking of trying to drive ahead to catch him, but I didn’t want to come back for my own order after. So I just thought “that guy’s gonna be pissed later.”
Chris@Knucklehead — It is. And you know I forgive so few things, crankpot that I am.
Daisy the Curly Cat — Oh, you had to mention that, didn’t you? Well, um. See, my mom’s kind of a creamer junkie. She uses most of it and yes, her coffee winds up looking like milk.
January 3rd, 2013 at 8:16 am
Aww… God bless her, indeed! She probably brings a smile to many a face. Except, of course, those who don’t know her and simply want to eat. LOL!
Jay from The Depp Effect´s last blog post ..How to be happy!
January 3rd, 2013 at 3:39 pm
You were lucky that day. She gave you something to write about. I can tell from your post that you really enjoyed her and if you go back there you will seek her out because we are all looking for something happy and she was a happy gal.Just serving you made her happy and look at all the people you have gotten to laugh by telling her story. You will look for her if you go back.
Ben Swilley´s last blog post ..Happy 2013 From Athens-Dining South, New Year’s Day!
January 3rd, 2013 at 5:45 pm
ha. the next time you go to mcdonald’s, i wanna watch. just saying.