Numero tres, no chiles, por favor. Con diet Pepsi, grande, si!

[edit on 17-4-2006 by Enkidu]

Its a number three with a diet Pepsi. Thats all I got out of it.

I agree that anyone working with the public, in America, should speak and understand the english language. When I've travelled outside the U.S. I at the very least learn some basics and take a small book of translations. At My place of employment I carry around an english/spanish notebook. I don't mind making the extra effort but I would like to be met with equal consideration. I've been in situations where I've tried to communicate with spanish speaking individuals, in spanish, and have been laughed at. WTF? I don't foresake anyone for wanting better lives but there has to be a middle ground. Do We really need the spanish language in itallics under the english words in public? I don't know. If so, why not chinese or vietnamese, etc.? If We are a land of equal opportunity why do some get preferred treatment over others?

I just wanted to make sure that people know my previous post was sort of a 'rolly-eye' kinda thing towards the thread creator, and in no way directed towards people trying to earn a living.

I noticed that Chissler had quoted me and then mentioned something about two strikes... I don't have time to read the entire thread, but do not want anyone to have any wrong ideas about me due to some of my lackluster sarcasm.

When patronizing a business (giving them your money for an expected result) do you prefer:

Crappy service
Bad service
ok service
good service
excellent service

And does it matter to you how, or why, any of the above levels of service were achieved?

Or, do you just settle for "whatever"?
I think this country has been settling for "whatever" for quite a while now, and people have forgotten how to complain.
Trust me, if you complain, things will eventually change, and the businesses will eventually have to adapt to a higher standard. And at the very least, you will get a freebie, for your next visit, if you choose to return!

What this thread has been discussing is that these people should be fired for not providing the adequate service you expect. But are they to blame?

The franchise themselves are to blame. Yet we point the finger at the man behind the counter who has been put into a position he does not want to be put in the first place.

spacedoubt I agree with you, you should become vocal. But be respectful and carry yourself with abit of dignity. Throwing a rant at the man behind the counter will do nothing for you, the worker or the franchise. Go to the manager, put something on paper.

If you want to see results you need to express your thoughts in a certain way, and make sure its directed towards the right people.

I generally don't rant at the employee.
I call the manager, or headquarters, if it's a chain.
And believe me, the bigger store are equipped to handle complaints.
They get them all the time, and are prepared to defuse the situation if possible.
Not all of the big chains are franchise stores, some are company stores.


Just remain calm, and explain your story.

However, I did unload on the guy from the pizza place, because he blamed me for his mistake. This guy also spoke perfect english, he was just lazy.

I still maintain that a frontman, with limited communication skills needs to be moved out of the front, one way or another..

Originally posted by XphilesPhan
It did get me thinking though, we shouldnt accept mediocre service and pay for stuff we dont want because they dont speak english.

Well, we do.

You're a young guy right? How many of your friends have jobs? How many of them work at subway?

The guy who started this thread is a racist and didn't even try. Sure it's difficult to communicate with someone who doesn't speak the same language or who barely speaks your language.

But it is possible. You just have to point and nod or shake your head a little bit more than if you were speaking to someone who speaks english.

And uh, haha on the US being invaded, I think it's funny that your leaders are doing nothing to accomodate the new workforce that the Mexicans are dumping on you, and are completely impotent when it comes to stopping it without looking like horrible bastards.

The most valuable resource after all is people, when they're willing to work that is, this whole "Mexico invades" thing could be such a boon if someone knew how to handle it right and if the government would actually try to calm things and stop labelling it as an issue.

Migrations happen, LOLZ.

I am hispanic and all for my hispanic cousing emigrating to here for work. But I am going to agree, learn the damn language. Do not take a job where your primary responsibility is to communicate with customers whos language you barely understand. Thats ridiculous. At work some customers come to me seaking spanish. Sometimes I will decide to go with it and sometimes I won't. The part that irriates me the most is if I lie and say I speak none, they spout out fluent ENGLISH! I am really despising those friggin people. The primary language of the world should be english IMO. Spanish can be seconds. But unfortunately due to sheer numbers Mandarin is actually the most widely spoken language

Originally posted by shirasiyu330
it's difficult to communicate with someone who doesn't speak the same language or who barely speaks your language.
But it is possible.

Why the heck shoudl anyone have to do that?? If you work a counter, you've got to be able to speak the language that most of the customers speak. I wouldn't want to work a counter in a spanish-speaking neighbhorhood, for example.

It should be expected Nygdan I completely agree, but what became the heated topic here was how much patience should the customer have.

If the employer is speaking broken english, do you give him an opportunity or follow the lead of the author and storm out. Its frustrating he has not checked back into this thread after creating it, but this happens all to often.

Its not too much to ask that the employer have a worker who can speak and communicate at a certain level. When you run into the situation where he/she does not, realize its not the individuals fault. He is trying to make an honest living at probably less than minimum wage, so give him the light of day and shrug it off.

If you feel obligated to file a complaint, do it with management.

Here were i live we are in the middle of a big condo building boom and most of the workers are Mexican, and they all seem like very hard dedicated workers to me. although i don't talk much with them its OK because most of the Hispanic women are smoking hot!!!

Originally posted by DYepes
. Do not take a job where your primary responsibility is to communicate with customers whos language you barely understand.

This is fast food we are talking about here. When you are hired at a fast food place you are hired as a "team member". Therefore you don't know where the managers are going to place you day to day. Sometimes they will place you in the back and sometimes they will place you in the front. So, the person taking the job may not even know they are going to be placed up front working with customers in the first place.

So again this comes down to the responsibility of the employer. If they are going to hire an immigrant who barely speaks English, then they should put them in the back until they have obtained a better grasp at the language. This will benefit the employer, the worker, and the customer.

You haven't been watching Mind of Mencia.

(Now mods, don't trip on me here. I am referring to a skit from a Comedy Central show; I am NOT being a dumb racist.) The star of this show, Carlos Mencia, is a Mexican, so if this offends you, take it up with him, not me.

To come up in America and compete with illegal aliens for a job, you have to learn "Wetback English." Like, if you work at McDonald's, you greet the customer with, "Hi, welcome to Madonnas." (you know, like the singer. But, the stresses on the vowel sounds go from MAK-don-ulds to Mah-DAWN-ahs in this case. My fault for the weak phonetics.)

So, the next time you apply for a job at these places, use "Wetback English." Oh, and it's not "job," it's "yob."

too bad carlos mencia isn't his real name and that he's half german half honduran.

but hey its TV. tv nevah lies.


learn some spanglish and get ovah it?




whatchoo know about mojes?

[edit on 17-4-2006 by Lysergic]

If you don't speak the language, don't get a job that requires you to communicate with people.
It's a simple as that.

Originally posted by Panzeroth
If you don't speak the language, don't get a job that requires you to communicate with people.
It's a simple as that.

Not everybody has the luxury of picking and choosing when and where they work. Some people have to make alot of sacrifices in order to pay the bills and feed their family.

So actually its not as simple as that.

It would be simple if people would show alittle patience and not always be in such a hurry to get nowhere. Our world today is always in the fast lane, nobody ever takes the moment to stop and have a look around.

I live in an area of about 25,000 and when we walk down the street we say hello to one another, complete strangers acknowledge each other. When I lived in major cities I felt so ignorant for walking passed somebody and not saying hello. And when I did say Hello I was given a look that sent chills down my spine.

A couple of years ago I moved out to West Virginia temporarily.

Now, WV lacks any sort of racial diversity for the most part, even in the college town that I lived in. And I noticed something curious.

The elderly instead, were those that worked in the fast food and service industry, who bagged my groceries and did the majority of the minimum wage jobs in town.

My biggest problem with all of the spanish speaking latins I see, are usually talking # about you in spanish. I have worked at several restaurants while in college and I pretty much know how to say anything that is crude and foul in spanish. So often when I'm with my wife and we walk past ANY group of mexican males (I don't care call me a racist if you want but I can understand them) they are talking very crudely about having sex with my wife and about her various body parts. This has led to a few different confrontations because I let em know what I think in spanish. This has proved to not be the wisest choice to make because I actually got in a fight that I did not want to be in. What I am saying is that it is important to be tolerant of all types of people. But let's not forget, that most people from mexico think you are a piece of sh*t. I have a hard time defending people who would probably not do the same for me if roles were reversed and I were in Mexico talking about them and their wives LOUDLY in english.