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This one just happened tonight, and I'm still shaking my head.
Now, I have a pretty high tolerance for Stupid. I used to work in phone tech support, I HAD to. But this one just had me shaking my head and wondering why the wolves haven't dragged these kids off yet.
It was about 3am, and I was in our Mobile unit, as our Mobile officer was off for the evening, and I decided to use this to my advantage of swing by McDonald's on my break. Now, McDonald's doesn't exactly rank high up there on my list of rpeferred foods, but when it's the only place open late nite, and you're hungry, you tend to be forgiving.
Many nights, especially on weekends, the drive thru of this place is NOT open, as they have staffing problems. So, I drove past half expecting it to be closed. No! Lights on, and cars in the drive thru being served, excellent! I pull into the drive through...
Ahead of me were several cars and... two teenaged boys.
On foot. Waiting behind the car at the order board.
To start with, I could tell these kids weren't too bright. This is Edmonton. Northern Alberta. Middle of winter. COLD. It's also 3 am, and there is a fairly long line of cars (Surprising for this time of night). What were they wearing? Jeans, one was wearing a hoodie, the other a flannel shirt. And they were hunched over shiverring, and doing that stupid macho thing where they pretended they didn't notice the cold.
At first, I thought they were in the car ahead of them, and had stepped out for a smoke. But no smokes, and as the line moved it became apparent that they were in line themselves.
*Sigh* alright, I've been there before. My money says the place won't serve them, and I really don't care if they're going to be idiots and stand outside in sub-zero temperatures in inadequate clothing and give themselves hypothermia in order to satisfy a fry craving. After all, it doesn't affect me any.
Right?
Right??
WRONG!
Y'see, this particular McDonald's had a weight sensor by the sign, to tell them when a car was there and needed to be served. Naturally, two skinny teenagers slowly freezing to death didn't weight enough to trip the sensor, as became obvious when they stepped up to the sign and nothing happened.
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
I watched this with some bemusement at first, because they seemed so completely bewildered at their situation. The magic speaky-box wasn't making the words so they could tell it they were hungry. Their expressions reminded me of bovines... kind of staring blankly into space.
Now, when I was a teenager, I tried walking through the drive thru once, I admit. I encountered a similar sensor, so I walked up to the window. They wouldn't serve me, so I moved on. Took me 5 minutes, and I learned then that most placed have a policy where they won't serve you. Fair enough.
So, faced with the same damning sensor that was doing its job, how did our heroes cope?
Did they give up?
Did they walk up to the window, to try and order?
Did they try yelling at the window to let them know they were there?
Did they ask someone in line behind them for help triggering the sensor?
No.
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
By this point, the line ahead of them was starting to move up, and I was somewhat less amused at their antics.
One of them got the idea in his head to walk around to the side of the store. But it was not the side with the window, it was the far side. I don't know what he was doing... he didn't try any of the doors, he didn't look in any of the windows... he just wandered out into the parking lot a ways, milled about, then wandered back.
That didn't make the magic sign respond either, so now they got serious. What did they do?
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
By now nearly 15 minutes had passed, and the last car that was ahead of them was being served, and had had enough. I honked my horn.
They looked at me. Well, sorta. They looked in my general direction, blearily, as if they couldn't quite understand what that noise was or where it was coming from. And...
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
So I started leaning on the horn, more hoping an employee from inside would hear the commotion and come outside and dislodge these teenage roadblocks before I ran them over. Now, I was in a marked security vehicle, was wearing my uniform (Which is patterned after the local police). I was very tough to miss. There was also a line building behind me.
One of the teenagers wandered up to the car. I rolled down my window, and he asked, kind of vacantly, "Is there a problem?"
*Twitch*
*Twitch*
*SNAP*
"YES there's a problem!" I said, as I suddenly became every adult that had ever thwarted me as a teenager. "You're in a drive thru. You have no car. You can't set off the sensor, and you're blocking the lane. I want to order. GET OUT OF THE WAY."
He blinked and looked at me. "We just want to get some food."
"They aren't going to serve you at the drive thru if you don't have a car!"
"I've gotten service here before." He said, somewhat smugly.
I'm kinda proud of myself... I didn't yell, I didn't rant... I slipped into my authorative security tone. "You've been standing there fifteen minutes. You aren't heavy enough to trip the sensor. You're in a DRIVE THRU and you have NO CAR. There are people behind you who HAVE cars who would like to order. GET. OUT. OF. THE. WAY."
Hr shrugged,w andered back to his friend, thumbed back at me and said "Apparently he wants to order." His friend shurgged like this was a surprising inconvenience, but they milled over to the side to let us through. Naturally, the sign worked as soon as I roleld forward.
I checked in my rearview as I was collecting my food. They were still in line, although now they had gotten the idea that the magic speaky-box wasn't going to work for them, so they had walked forward to the first window, an were negotiating with an employee there in order to secure their munchie fix.
I don't know if they ever got food or not. I hope not. Otherwise the wolves won't be able to get to them before they procreate.
Now, I have a pretty high tolerance for Stupid. I used to work in phone tech support, I HAD to. But this one just had me shaking my head and wondering why the wolves haven't dragged these kids off yet.
It was about 3am, and I was in our Mobile unit, as our Mobile officer was off for the evening, and I decided to use this to my advantage of swing by McDonald's on my break. Now, McDonald's doesn't exactly rank high up there on my list of rpeferred foods, but when it's the only place open late nite, and you're hungry, you tend to be forgiving.
Many nights, especially on weekends, the drive thru of this place is NOT open, as they have staffing problems. So, I drove past half expecting it to be closed. No! Lights on, and cars in the drive thru being served, excellent! I pull into the drive through...
Ahead of me were several cars and... two teenaged boys.
On foot. Waiting behind the car at the order board.
To start with, I could tell these kids weren't too bright. This is Edmonton. Northern Alberta. Middle of winter. COLD. It's also 3 am, and there is a fairly long line of cars (Surprising for this time of night). What were they wearing? Jeans, one was wearing a hoodie, the other a flannel shirt. And they were hunched over shiverring, and doing that stupid macho thing where they pretended they didn't notice the cold.
At first, I thought they were in the car ahead of them, and had stepped out for a smoke. But no smokes, and as the line moved it became apparent that they were in line themselves.
*Sigh* alright, I've been there before. My money says the place won't serve them, and I really don't care if they're going to be idiots and stand outside in sub-zero temperatures in inadequate clothing and give themselves hypothermia in order to satisfy a fry craving. After all, it doesn't affect me any.
Right?
Right??
WRONG!
Y'see, this particular McDonald's had a weight sensor by the sign, to tell them when a car was there and needed to be served. Naturally, two skinny teenagers slowly freezing to death didn't weight enough to trip the sensor, as became obvious when they stepped up to the sign and nothing happened.
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
I watched this with some bemusement at first, because they seemed so completely bewildered at their situation. The magic speaky-box wasn't making the words so they could tell it they were hungry. Their expressions reminded me of bovines... kind of staring blankly into space.
Now, when I was a teenager, I tried walking through the drive thru once, I admit. I encountered a similar sensor, so I walked up to the window. They wouldn't serve me, so I moved on. Took me 5 minutes, and I learned then that most placed have a policy where they won't serve you. Fair enough.
So, faced with the same damning sensor that was doing its job, how did our heroes cope?
Did they give up?
Did they walk up to the window, to try and order?
Did they try yelling at the window to let them know they were there?
Did they ask someone in line behind them for help triggering the sensor?
No.
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
By this point, the line ahead of them was starting to move up, and I was somewhat less amused at their antics.
One of them got the idea in his head to walk around to the side of the store. But it was not the side with the window, it was the far side. I don't know what he was doing... he didn't try any of the doors, he didn't look in any of the windows... he just wandered out into the parking lot a ways, milled about, then wandered back.
That didn't make the magic sign respond either, so now they got serious. What did they do?
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
By now nearly 15 minutes had passed, and the last car that was ahead of them was being served, and had had enough. I honked my horn.
They looked at me. Well, sorta. They looked in my general direction, blearily, as if they couldn't quite understand what that noise was or where it was coming from. And...
They stared at the sign. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They nudged a storm drain with their toes. They milled about. They peered at the sign. they peered around the sign. They walked in circles. They nudges the storm drain with their toes. They made some halfhearted hops to try and trip the sensor. They milled about.
So I started leaning on the horn, more hoping an employee from inside would hear the commotion and come outside and dislodge these teenage roadblocks before I ran them over. Now, I was in a marked security vehicle, was wearing my uniform (Which is patterned after the local police). I was very tough to miss. There was also a line building behind me.
One of the teenagers wandered up to the car. I rolled down my window, and he asked, kind of vacantly, "Is there a problem?"
*Twitch*
*Twitch*
*SNAP*
"YES there's a problem!" I said, as I suddenly became every adult that had ever thwarted me as a teenager. "You're in a drive thru. You have no car. You can't set off the sensor, and you're blocking the lane. I want to order. GET OUT OF THE WAY."
He blinked and looked at me. "We just want to get some food."
"They aren't going to serve you at the drive thru if you don't have a car!"
"I've gotten service here before." He said, somewhat smugly.
I'm kinda proud of myself... I didn't yell, I didn't rant... I slipped into my authorative security tone. "You've been standing there fifteen minutes. You aren't heavy enough to trip the sensor. You're in a DRIVE THRU and you have NO CAR. There are people behind you who HAVE cars who would like to order. GET. OUT. OF. THE. WAY."
Hr shrugged,w andered back to his friend, thumbed back at me and said "Apparently he wants to order." His friend shurgged like this was a surprising inconvenience, but they milled over to the side to let us through. Naturally, the sign worked as soon as I roleld forward.
I checked in my rearview as I was collecting my food. They were still in line, although now they had gotten the idea that the magic speaky-box wasn't going to work for them, so they had walked forward to the first window, an were negotiating with an employee there in order to secure their munchie fix.
I don't know if they ever got food or not. I hope not. Otherwise the wolves won't be able to get to them before they procreate.
I would have lasted maybe 5.
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