What I wish I had said.
I never have the right words when they’re needed.
This is a bit of a confession and apology to the McDonald’s employee that I failed to stick up for. I never seem to be able to find the right words when needed on the spur of the moment. It’s always been that way.
In my school days, I’d be insulted by a bully and just go on about my business, thankful it didn’t turn into a fight. Once I got home and stewed over it a bit, I’d come up with just the right insult that would have been so fitting for what he’d said to me. Of course, I couldn’t go back and say it the next day. That’d just be too lame.
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there has been a debate going on in America over whether or not the minimum wage should be raised. I gotta say, that I’m a pretty conservative guy and for the most part, I’ve been on the side of letting the market decide what the minimum wage should be. That being said, the more I see self-identified conservatives behaving like asses, the more I’m led to reevaluate my opinions.
That’s what happened about a year ago at McDonald’s. I had taken up delivering for DoorDash and UberEats as a side hustle and was waiting in the dining room for my delivery order to be put together.
I could tell it was not a good day for McDonald's. The drive-thru line was wrapped around the building. There was one cashier, maybe two or three cooks, and a line full of bumpkins who didn’t know how to work the kiosk to order their food. I’m sure there was someone for the drive-thru too.
The cashier appeared to be only taking call-in orders, handing out food to inside customers, and listening to complaints from said customers. She was overwhelmed.
“Miss. I need to place an order,” said the gruff voice of the man who was intimidated by the prospect of ordering food at an electronic kiosk.
“Yes sir. I’ll be right with you.” The cashier finished her call-in order and looked across the room. Most of us were there for the delivery or call-in orders. The dining room was still closed to indoor dining due to pandemic precautions.
“Ma‘am. I need some help now!”
“Yes sir. How can I help you?”
“I wanna order my food.”
“Yes sir. You can place an order on the kiosk there.”
“That thing requires a card to pay there.”
“That’s okay sir. You can just place your order and then choose the option to pay at the register.”
“You mean I gotta do all this myself? That’s the problem with America right now. We got all these people getting paid who don’t want to work.”
The cashier gave in and took his full order at the register. I was just standing there waiting for my pick-up when the man turns my way and says to me, “And they think they should get paid fifteen dollars an hour.”
My order was up, so I left.
What I should have said:
- Sir. These are the workers who have shown up to do the best they can while others have called out sick. Give them a break. Put yourself in her shoes.
- Yes sir. But you know what? I like McDonald’s now and then, but I don’t think I would work here for fifteen dollars.
- Yes sir. I can see that you are better than these people, and they should just be thankful to serve you. You are the most important person in the world and I can’t believe I’m in the same room as you. Who does she think she is, asking you to push buttons on a kiosk?
- Sir. You’re rude. Fifteen dollars doesn’t seem like enough to deal with people like you.
I don’t mean this to be a commentary on the minimum wage — just on the way we treat people. Please be considerate of the people you find yourself around. Maybe saying nothing to the man was the right thing on my part. Who knows what he was going through, after all?
Anyway, to the cashier at McDonald’s: I’m sorry I didn’t step in for you. I’m sorry I never came back and gave you a word of encouragement. I honor you for showing up during hard times.
