...how?!

[counterjockey]

C'mon, don't lie, Yes we do! You are a disgrace upon on the family, if your uncle hasn't let you drive the tractor by the time you are 7!


I'm a city girl now, but I was born in Sioux City.

...I did get to drive the tractor when I was 7. It didn't have a clutch or a brake pedal, but it had a left and a right one...

[Banrion]

(No, we don't *all* start driving that young in Iowa, but Mom and Dad were only too happy to let me pump gas when it was 5 above zero, raining, or humid and buggy as all get out. Years later I figured out why )

C'mon, don't lie, Yes we do! You are a disgrace upon on the family, if your uncle hasn't let you drive the tractor by the time you are 7!


I'm a city girl now, but I was born in Sioux City.

[protege]

There are people (not counting those fine folks from NJ and OR) who can't figure out how to work a gas pump to save their lives.

Hehe, there was a guy who escaped from jail here not long ago...and got *caught* for that very reason! He'd been in so long, he had no idea how the new pumps worked, or even how to hotwire a newer vehicle. He was caught after his stolen, pre-1980s car ran out of gas as he was trying to outrun the police.

[counterjockey]

If I ever head for Jersey or Oregon, then, I've got a lock on that job. Three years clerking c-stores with gas pumps and I've been pumping gas since I was about twelve years old. (No, we don't *all* start driving that young in Iowa, but Mom and Dad were only too happy to let me pump gas when it was 5 above zero, raining, or humid and buggy as all get out. Years later I figured out why )

There are plenty of filling stations in Iowa and southern Minnesota that let you pump gas and then pay. Most of them, especially those in large chains, have a phalanx of cameras trained on you and your license plate, and the cops aren't too busy to chase your driving-off ass down. Drive offs do happen, but it's been probably about 3-4 months since my store's had one.

[Neo_Classic]

I never knew that! OMG. Where have I been? That law sucks. It would never work in S. Florida, especially during hurricane season.

As for the original story maybe the couple was trying to be funny because I find it hard to believe that they can't understand what a small, medium or large is. Do these people not go to the movies, buy clothes, etc...?

[draftermatt]

It's the law in Jersey and Oregon, no one can pump their own gas.

To the OP, why didn't someone say "what don't you understand"? I would think if they didn't order there often they would try and read the signs to see what's what before ordering, but, I'm sane.

[Neo_Classic]

There are people (not counting those fine folks from NJ and OR) who can't figure out how to work a gas pump to save their lives.

Are there really gas stations out there that have someone pump the gas for you? I thought people were kidding when they use to say that. I just found out a little while ago that in some states you can gas first and then pay. I don't know about you but I don't trust people that much.

[Sonoma]

Keeping it OT for just a moment

But I always wonder how many people cringe when they see my truck with Oregon plates pull up to a gas pump in WA, CA, NV, or BC. Little do they know, I have a functioning brain, and was able to readily figure out how to pump my own gas.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.......

[Bella_Vixen]

This guy had to be 40 and couldn't figure out how to use a simple salad bar.

There are people (not counting those fine folks from NJ and OR) who can't figure out how to work a gas pump to save their lives.

[Lady Legira]

Sounds like the stupid I had in my store last week.

I was cleaning and filling the salad bar. It's a round thing with lots of tubs with differents salads to pick from and you fill your tub and take it to checkouts. Simple right? No, one guy walked up to me as I was filling the damn thing and asks "What do I do?" I bit my lip to not laugh in his face. Lucky a customer took him and pointed the facts out. This guy had to be 40 and couldn't figure out how to use a simple salad bar.

Btw we all hate the Salad Bar with a passion on the Deli counter as it's a pain in the neck to clean & fill when it looks like the entire neighbournood has held a party in it most everyday.

[katie kaboom]

Maybe they frequent Starbucks, where small, medium, and large don't exist.

Yeah, but it's not like he's asking for a tall meal, or a grande or vente meal. I know....i frequent Starbucks way too much. I'm really waiting for my boyfriend to commit me to Starbucks rehab.

[Bella_Vixen]

Maybe they frequent Starbucks, where small, medium, and large don't exist.

[Becks]

It's at least a partial case of the customers NOT READING. If I'm correct, the OP works at a Wendys, or a similar place.

On the order boards, there are places on the signs that say "Combos are served with *size* drink and *size* fries. You can upgrade to *size* for *amount* or even bigger size for *amount*."

[Shengirl]

It's odd that the customers didn't know what that meant, but I think the MoD should have picked up on that after the first, "What does that mean?" rather than antagonizing them further. Just repeating, "small, medium, or large," obviously wasn't doing the trick.

After all, ignorance isn't a crime, and the poor customer wasn't even sucky about it really...just eventually frustrated.

[karath]

This is the last really memorable situation, and technically isn't about a sucky customer, but rather STUPID ones.

SC: stupid customer
MoD: Manger on Duty

My manager was taking the orders in the drive-through at this time; I was refilling our ice machines.
The customers, after about 30 seconds, managed to place their orders, a pair of combo meals.

MoD: And would you like that to be small, medium, or large?
SC: what?
MoD: *assuming they misheard her* smalll, meediumm, or larrge?
SC: what?
MoD: *getting impatient* do you want the combos to be small, medium, or large?
SC: what does that mean?
MoD: ....uh, do you want the combo to be small, medium or large?
SC: but what does that mean?
MoD: you know, do you want your combo to be small size, medium size, or large size?
SC: *joined by husband now* BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? we don't order here very often!
MoD: ...uh, it means do you want the small drink, small fries, medium drink, medium fries, or large drink and large fries?
SC: OHHHH

I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear what they actually chose, but it left me amazed. In this day and age, how can you POSSIBLY not know what it means when an employee asks about the meal size?
Chalk up another one to good old human stupidity, folks