Question about the DUMB fast food workers(part rant, but if oyu can explain this stupidity...)?

Question

When at taco bell, I order "fiesta potatoes"(for my kids) I order them plain, "I want nothing on the potatoes, just the postatoes". Then, the oh-so intelligent drive thru worker asks"Do you want cheese?" I say, no. "so, you want nothing on the potatoes, just plain"? YES, is it so hard to believe? At subway, I get the veggie delite, I say I want everything, except tomatoes. Why am I being asked if I want jalapenos? Yes, I did say everything. And, lastly, when I order a cookie at subway or donuts at dunkin donuts. I get offered extra 6 donuts for 20 cents or whatever, and the second cookie is cheaper. I say, I dont care if its cheaper, it wont get eaten. Ive been argued with over the extra 6 donuts! Why cant they believe I dont want it? Why? Bc its 20 cents or whatever it is I should eat it and get fat for no other reason except its cheap?

Its not suggestive seling. I said the potatoes are to be PLAIN, I am still paying the full price as though the cheese and sour cream were on it. I know the donut thing is suggestive selling,I appreciate the offer but after I say NO, they should drop it, dont hound me.

DIVID, I do cook. I cook every day. We dont have fast food that often, mostly when were out all day. We dont buy donuts except if we have certain realtives over and they ask me to pick it up.

Answer 1

Well, I think I can at least tell you why they don't just put everything on your sub when you ask for everything. It's an adaptive behaviour, not just plain stupidity.

Having worked fast food, I know that at least half the people who say everything don't really want everything. There's was usually an ingredient in front of me that they hadn't thought of putting on a sandwich, and if I went down the list, they would say no to it. If I didn't go down the list and trusted that they really wanted everything, they would spot it on their sandwich at the very end and I'd have to pick it off or make them a new sandwich. I decided I would rather annoy customers by asking about every single topping than spend my life fixing sandwiches. Maybe something similar is going on with the potatoes. Maybe sometimes when people say they don't want anything on the potatoes they mean no onions and peppers, but of course they want the cheese. (I don't know what normally comes on them.)

I can't imagine why people would argue with you over giving you more cheap donuts and cookies though. I wouldn't. $7/hr just isn't enough to care what people buy or don't buy.

Answer 2

That sounds like my workers - we hire 6 mentally challenged individuals who ask stupid questions like that because of what they are. The fast food industry in my area is so short of workers half of the staff are really truly mentally challenged. Think of that if you are ever in red deer alberta and that maybe there is a reason some of those people work in fast food - nobody else wants to. A minimum wage worker can't produce the results of other higher paid employees because they either A) Don't care and are only working there until they can get a better job B) Don't have the skills to do a good job and never will When you are paying minimum wage you can't afford to be picky and get the left over employees to put it bluntly.
And the suggestive selling is pushed by people sitting in their offices in corporate headquarters who give you crap if you don't do it so they can make an extra 20 cents. They are just doing their job as they have been brain washed to do. Their managers give them crap for not suggestive selling so yes they will continue asking you because they don't want to get yelled at by a manager for not doing their job right. Personally I have sympathy for them because I know what it's like to be that person obviously you don't have a clue.

Answer 3

People treat fast food employees like they are the scum of the earth and it is really rude! So when fast food employees are asking you multiple questions about your special order, they are being thorough in an effort to ensure that your order is correct because many people before you have treated them like crap when their special order is not what the customer believes they had ordered. Often times people will order an item and say they want an item with nothing on, but complain when when they truly find nothing on their ordered item. The excessive questions are to make sure that you get exactly want you want.

Answer 4

Just like telemarketers, fast food workers are prompted to ask certain questions. The donuts are just promotional. Subway asks incase you don't realize jalapenos are even an option. Some people don't know. They are just trying to save them selves from you coming in and complaining that you didn't get something, or you got something you didn't want. It is just a confirmation. Fast food workers have obviously delt with people who said, I want plain potatoes, and then the customer comes in asking where is the cheese. Try to look at it from their view, they are in the customer service industry, they are just trying to please everyone.

Answer 5

They've been trained to have to ask. It's annoying, I know. My worst one is ordering a quarter pounder with cheese and an iced tea. The "helpful" person on the other end tells me it would be cheaper to get a value meal. I have to argue with them telling that I don't WANT the fries, and that I'm paying for the burger and drink. Then they come back with something like "But if you got the value meal, just don't eat the fries!" I have to argue with them again! Jeez, I don't understand it either.

Answer 6

I SOOOO can feel your pain!! One reason I'm SURE of is how they're being trained to SELL, SELL, SELL! Even if it means to irritate the customer - one customer somewhere will fall for it and order it and BOOM they've made that extra 20 cents!! Another reason is 17 yrs old and younger generation now a days if not raised right - want the money MORE than the labor aka customer service so anything to just get you out of the way works for them!! It's painful, stupid, aggravating and NOTHING can be done!!!!

Answer 7

LOL- I know exactly what you mean! I am honestly convinced that in order to get a job at a fast food restaurant, you have to flunk a basic IQ test. It's the only reasonable explanation for the almost unbelievable cluelessness of a lot of fast food employees.

Answer 8

There is a resturant called the "Fudd Ruckers." bizzare, i know. But nothing i've heard of dumber than Taco bells.

Answer 9

Your complaints are very valid. A sure solution to this problems is to quit dragging your poor kids around to fast food restaurants and donut shops and consider their health even if you don't care about your own.

Have you actually considered cooking for your kids? They might enjoy a home-cooked meal rather than the high fat garbage you are feeding them.

Answer 10

Oh i know EXACTLY what you mean.
You tell them, OVER & OVER what you dont want on it.
& Half the time, they DONT listen & put it on there anyways, after even REPEATING the order back to you.