I work in retail, so I've had a few angry customers, but the great majority of them are perfectly nice.
With that said, I HATE dealing with the ones that become "those guys." Making the situation worse for me is that I have PTSD. So when a customer
yells at me or even raises their voice to me just a little bit, I can feel very threatened. And I become a crying mess the moment the person is out of sight.
I become very afraid that the person is going to come back in with a gun and shoot me.
So, um, yeah, yelling isn't exactly the best way to get a point across. Certainly if the person is more calm I'd be more willing to help them.
--Amanda
"Hey, it's not like dying is on my schedule for this week."
--Yumeko Asagiri, Bubblegum Crisis: The Next Generation, part 3
Hey wait, wait, WAIT! Hold on a moment!
I just noticed that this thread still is going on, but I also noticed you keep assuming I was yelling! When did I mention I yelled? I emphasized certain words
a little forcefully, (reflected in the capitalization of words in the "quote" in the first post) but I never started screaming at them at all. I may
have been a notch or three louder than my normal speaking voice, and at the beginning I called out to get their attention. But I never yelled. I know that
people at the counter -noticed- me complaining to the manager and the window girl, as I wasn't trying to be circumspect.
What I'm fairly certain I did do is what in stage terms is called "projecting", which is being certain you are heard "at the back row"
without seeming to shout. But I never raised my voice in pitch and I never screamed at them. In fact the "projecting" bit is a bad habit I picked up
in drama class in high school and one I sometimes have to consciously stop myself from doing. I wind up seeming a bit of a loud talker sometimes as a result.
I've had people tell me to lower my voice when I wasn't trying to shout. Well I wasnt' trying to rein myself in this time, but also never outright
yelled at them. Believe me when I tell you - if I ever yell in your presence, I will hurt your eardrums doing
it! Because when I yell, I both yell and project!
I was undoubtedly something of an ass, here. But I wasn't the flaming insane-seeming thug that some of you seem to be assuming either. We clear on this
point?
Interesting conversation.
Not gonna comment on what happened, but having worked inside these fast-food places, I can tell you quite a bit about what goes on inside.
You're right - it is indeed all about the metrics. The reason they want you away from that window is because most drive-through systems (Yes, there is an
actual system in place) rely on pressure plates buried under the pavement or concrete slabs. Once you park your vehicle at the order-window, the clock starts
running and a signal is sent to the com system to alert the crew. In McDonalds, that's usually the loud and intermittent beeping that seems to come from
the entire back area.
Times are logged for time from order-taking to first window, then to the second window (if there is one), as well as the total time and so on. These times get
averaged out over the hour. During the lunch rush at a Wendy's or McD's they demand a 90 sec. or less total drive-through time, with a maximum of 120
seconds for larger orders (though that's still considered a sinfully long wait). Any orders that get held up are diverted to the waiting spots away from
the drive through, and someone just getting a drink is something to be thankful for (just one or two 30 second times have a big impact on your averages).
Times are even logged for front-counter service, though these aren't quite as critical as there aren't any sensors or pressure plates involved.
However, this is where things can get mixed up horribly during a lunch rush (if you watch carefully you can even see it in action). During a lunch rush it is
not uncommon for food for an order at the Drive Through to get swiped for a customer waiting in line. This is a common newbie mistake that the resturants try
to minimize by devoting one cook-line to the counter and one to the drive-through. Of course, Murphy's Law states, in not so many words, that this world is
far from perfect.
Now, here's the really nifty part.
This whole system is tied into the POS (Point Of Sale) computer system and the results of your times are transmitted to the home office in real-time. If
someone happens to be keeping an eye on the store's performance, they can actually phone up the manager and bitch them out for their 'lousy times'.
This has actually happened at a McD's I worked at.
Is it a screwed-up system? Yes, but it ensures that managers are keeping their crews on the ball. That you managed to hit upon a row of rotten luck like this
tends to happen. I'v had a few customers that this has happened to and they weren't any more pleased than you were.
Although I can tell you some pretty wild stories about other stuff that's happened to me working an overnight drive-through...