A way a lone a last a loved a long the by Sam M. '07
An opportunity for heated debate and a cry for revolution.
This weekend I went on a rafting trip down the Kennebec river in mid-to-Northern Maine with some people from my dorm. The Edwards Dam apparently didn’t do much for the rainbow smelt population in the river, but it did make for some pretty nice “class 4” rapids on the upper part of the river. We had about 36 people go, we slept in cabins, we swam, we played Mafia, and we saw the aurora borealis.
I’m a little too sleepy to blog about all of it tonight, so I’ll leave you with this moral dilemma:
On the way home, we stopped at a Wendy’s. I ordered a #5 Spicy Chicken Fillet combo. However, I was served a #4 Big Bacon Classic combo with mayonnaise and pickles. Now, as you can see, the actual nutritional difference between the two sandwiches was pretty much negligible; however, I really wanted some poultry, so I took the hamburger and my receipt back up and asked for a chicken sandwich. The cashier gave me a chicken sandwich, then took the hamburger, took it behind the counter, and threw it out. I understand that this should be company policy, since I had already handled the food and it was no longer saleable, but still–wouldn’t it have been better to give the defective hamburger back to me rather than immediately disposing of it? Anyway, my dormmates and I had a passionate discussion about it on the bus, and then I called Mitra to settle things from an economic perspective. So, as I see it, these are the two main arguments:
A: I shouldn’t get the hamburger, because I didn’t pay for it.
B: I should get the hamburger, because they were going to throw it out anyway, so what does it matter whether it goes in the trash or into the mouth of somebody I know?
What do you guys think? And have any of you actually worked at a fast food establishment? Is there a logical reason for this throw-out-the-bad-food policy that I’m just missing because of my blinding love for Wendy’s spicy chicken?
Anyway, until the matter is resolved I’m boycotting Wendy’s, and I would encourage you to join me. Maybe, if I’m so motivated, I’ll write a letter to Wendy herself asking for an apology. Then, and only then, will I be able to enjoy in good conscience those tender, flaky, tangy sandwiches once more.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, so tomorrow… actual rafting!
Dairy Queen has already solved this problem. When they make a mistake, they put the dessert in a pile (in the freezer I hope), when the pile gets big enough they put it in a bag (usually 4-5 items). Then people can order grab bags for $2.50 which include the mystery mistake desserts. So for the price of one dessert you get many. The customer is happy because he/she feels like he/she got a bargain, and Dairy Queen is happy because they made some money instead of throwing it out, and of course customer satisfaction is a priority… so they say. And why you’re at it I think you should ban all fast food places, I already do, and then if all the people who read your blog do, I think we might just be able to take over the world. Think of the possibilities.
I’m with Mollie on this one.
The real dilemma here is what we’re going to eat at Downtown Crossing next Labor Day.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2125910/
Wendy’s may discard incorrect orders because if Wendy
Perhaps what one should do in this situation is this: go up, tell the counter person that you have the wrong sandwich, get the new chicken sandwich, then when he/she asked for the hamburger, stuff it in your mouth really fast. And then run.
You can see the aurora borealis from mid-Maine? Nice.