This story is in no way meant to offend or ridicule people with disabilities. I help the aging and disabled community every day at my dayjob. This is merely a story of frustration, and meant for (somewhat) entertaining purposes only.
As always, read the comments as well as the post. Sometimes the discussion afterwards is funnier than the initial post.
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Sonic!
Yes, Sonic, the wonderful drive-in.
Now, you may be saying... "Dude! But Sonic isn't just an Idaho thing! They're practically everywhere!"
Yes, but this one is special. And when I say special, I mean it more than one way.
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| Short-bus special, for instance... |
I get over there, and there is a huge line at the drive-thru. This happens sometimes, so I didn't worry too much about it.
But as I placed my order, I started to wonder about the drive-thru dude taking my order. He sounded like he was mockingly doing an impression of Ed Sullivan or a cheezy radio DJ.
"mmmmmmmmmWelcome to Sonic... My name... is Brad. mmmmmmmmmWhat can I get you today?"
mmmm...yeah. Really?
I placed my order, then creeped ahead in line. Slowly. Very slowly.
I finally get to the window, and am greeted by mister announcer dude. Turns out he, in fact, is not Ed Sullivan. He's disabled, and speaking isn't one of his strengths.
I try to be friendly, but it's now making sense why it took me about 15 minutes to get to this point in the drive-thru process, where it normally only takes 3-5...
"mmmmmmmmmYour total today.... is...$12.03."
I try to hand him a twenty.
"....for two Chicken Nugget Meals..... one with fries.... one with tots..."
He's not taking the twenty.
"...a coke with no ice... and an unsweet tea...."
I'm waving the twenty. Strippers 200 miles away can sense a waving $20 bill... It's like dog-whistles to a German Shepherd... but he doesn't seem to notice.
"mmmmIs that correct, sir?"
I say yes, and ALL OF A SUDDEN he sees the money!
"Out of twenty? mmmmmmmmmOk"
Now, I'm not trying to make fun of the kid. I know he has a condition, and I applaud him for trying to overcome it. I'm trying to be tolerant and mindful of the situation. My lil bro has aspergers and some other developmental disabilities, so I can empathize a little... but seriously?
Yes, I know you have a script to follow. Yes, I know you have to repeat the order back to me. Yes, I know you have to count the change back to ensure it's correct.
But when the whole damn process takes longer than me humming Bohemian Rhapsody in my head, IN ITS ENTIRETY, there's a problem.
Side note, when I got to the 'Wayne's World' section (after the operetta, before the guitar riffs...) I almost started headbanging. THAT is how disjointed I am at this point.
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| Beelzebub... has a devil put aside for me.... for meeee... for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! |
When I worked at Macy's, I knew my weaknesses. I probably wasn't going to do well as a salesman for ladies underwear. Macy's recognized that too, and utilized my strengths.
Sonic, please do the same. Help him build his character, help him achieve his goal of becoming a productive worker and becoming more independent, but please remember that customers like me just want to get In and Out as quickly as possible.
Speaking of, I wish there was an In and Out nearby.... Sonic is good, but a Double Double is better.
Fucking Idaho....
46 witty retorts:
sounds like a bit of a nightmare! he should maybe be working in the back
I feel uncomfortable in situations like that, I really don't know what the hell to do or how to act. Do I act overly nice? What if it seems like I'm giving him special treatment and I'm treating him like a retard. But what if I'm not overly nice? Do I sound like a bitch who doesn't care?
God damn!
In my experience, most non-disabled people just screw the order up because they could give a crap less about the customer or their job.
The stripper comment made me giggle, I totally pictured stripper ears perking up all over the area!! *abuh 20 wha huh where!*
Isn't the whole reason people rant and rave about sonic their slushies? I never liked their food and i still haven't tried a raspberry blast slushie so i wouldn't know.
I am a firm believer that all fast food employees have some sort of mental disability.
And my first laugh of the day goes to... THIS BLOG! And thank you very much, I needed that!
It's a tough situation. The kid's gotta work, but the drive-thru is definitely NOT the place for him. :/
in and out looks so good
why put him as the Drive through receptionist?
I LOVE ME SOME SONIC! They're the reason I have the weird roll in the middle of my back that doubles as a reading pillow ;)
I'm pretty sure that fast food joints like fast turn around time, so the kid can't possibly be working there for long. It is good that he's trying, but I don't think its helpful for business. There surely are better things the kid could be doing. That said, now I have bohemian rhapsody in my head.
Lol!
They closed the sonic here, the closest one is like 30 minutes away...I think I need to make a trip tonight. I miss Sonic so much now.
ok i cant stop laughing. u've got such an engaging blog..i'm so hooked right now :)
I've got a Sonic nearby now, after several years of advertising on local television with no local locations.
I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair. This is one of the funniest blogs I have ever read! Kudos to you good sir! Kudos!
hahaha
I totally know how that feels! Most of the time I feel bad, because you're supposed to, but it's SO ANNOYING!
In return to your comment on my post: Yes. Watching them perform is a lot more exciting than just listening to them. However, the mere fact that they're still making all the music from their mouths will/should have you intrigued enough to just listen. I'm glad you liked them, and I hope you still plan on buying an album :)
nialangleyspeaks.blogspot.com
Haven't dealt with anything like that and I'm glad for it.
"Strippers 200 miles away can sense a waving $20"...class :)
hahahaha, i'm glad we don't have these in my country
Sonic is amazing. I wish we had more of them where I live.
Customer service with that sort of disability just generally isn't a good idea, he should find a job doing something else. Without meaning to sound intolerant.
I'm loving the wiiide range of opinions on this topic. I'm sure there is plenty of jobs within Sonic that he could do and do well. I'm sure there may be other jobs outside of Sonic that would be ideal for him. But it's kind of a fun social experiment to paint out this scenario, and get your opinions on the situation. Thanks, all, for the comments. It makes me feel good as a blogger to know people are reading, but more importantly, I'm learning a lot from your opinions.
I haven't been to a Sonic before. I've heard of them, though.
I spent two years working one of those shit holes. Dont eat the chili dogs what ever you do.
Oooooohhhhh... In and Out *drool*
LOL! So much for fast food! You were very patient. I can see a lot of people getting upset and voicing their opinion.
You know what you really need?
Orange mocha frappacino!
I think everyone does that, not that slow though.
sonic is not worth that struggle
Just showing my support by stopping by. That's really awesome btw.
I love sonic myself, would love to see more In n' Outs across america.
They use skates at ours, pretty spiffy.
That made me laugh til I almost pissed myself. It would be kinda entertaining to hear him speak. Laughing at the disabled is wrong but I can't help myself sometimes. I feel bad for that dude at Sonic. But really, the management should have put him in a position where his duties didn't include speaking to people. His slowness of speech and inability to understand things only makes the situation uncomfortable for customers and is inefficient for getting orders through.
Btw, were your fires and tots still hot by the time you got them?
Take care!
....for meeeeeeee, for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Shit i love that song. Anywhoo that sounds like a frustrating way to buy some "fast" food. I have never heard of Sonic (apart from the Hedgehog on performance inhancing drugs) but then i live in England and all we have is Americas cast offs McDonalds, KFC and Subway. I blame you guys for making us fat!
Brandon, I'm sure you're catching some hell for this one. But, in your defense, it is called "fast food".
Took some balls to post this, especially in the finals, dude.
Wish you well, glad I'm not in charge of culling through the comments moderation!
Voted for you, just on the bravery factor. I know you didn't mean anything hurtful by this... it's just a frustration rant, and the object of your frustration isn't exactly politically correct enough for some.
Balls... like melons.
Glad I lost to someone with a set.
It's great that he can get a job with his disabilities and I applaud any employer willing to take a chance, but in that type of environment management missed the boat clearly! You want to get customers in and out and to sit there and wait all dam day for food. I think after the initial order I would have left. I have no patience period and when I am hungry watch the hell out! Funny post!
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