Good Employee or Total Idiot??

This is a real event that happened to me at San Francisco Airport a few hours ago...

My daughter wanted some chocolate milk - sounded good so we headed over to the coffee shop/bakery. I asked for a chocolate milk... here's how the story went down:

Me> Hi there, could I get one chocolate milk please.

Employee> We don't have that.

Me> um... I can get a mocha but I can't get chocolate milk for my daughter?
(A mocha is chocolate milk with espresso in it)

Employee> We only have hot chocolate.

Me> Can you make it cold?

Employee> No. We only have hot chocolate.

Me> But you have chocolate syrup right?

Employee> Yes.

Me> you're joking right? Can't you just mix some milk with the chocolate syrup?

Employee> No. we really only have hot chocolate.

Me> (Laughing) ... why can't you make what I want?

Employee> It's not on the menu.

Me> ...

Me> How about you charge for hot chocolate and give me chocolate milk.

Employee> It's against the rules.

Me> wow... this is unbelievable (walks away)


****************

Now. This employee was following directions that someone (some idiot) above her said she had to follow. She blindly followed the rules, despite them being utterly (udderly?) ridiculous!!

I thought about this on the drive home and it occured to me that nearly ALL OF US are being this stupid!

Would you go to a job interview without a tie?
Would you expect to be hired in most places if you have purple hair?

We live our lives by this ridiculous NORM that is dictated to us by things like movies, TV commercials, and our fellow human beings.

The chocolate milk fiasco was too far, but is not hiring someone because they have purple hair also just as stupid??

TPTB have programmed the vast majority of the people to be their own jailers. They are too lost in mental fog to recognize it, or even believe it if you point it out to them.

Originally posted by DarthMuerte
TPTB have programmed the vast majority of the people to be their own jailers. They are too lost in mental fog to recognize it, or even believe it if you point it out to them.

well said! I saw it this morning

reply to post by Thermo Klein


This Thread has been having a heated discussion on that very topic!

I think this is a problem with an employee button pusher. Putting milk and syrup in a cup and swishing it around and pressing "Hot Chocolate" on the keyboard just didn't compute for them. I'm sure if the boss had been there, you would have gotten your chocolate milk with a smile. The quality of employee we have to choose from these days is pretty frightening.

reply to post by Thermo Klein


And this would be exactly why I work for myself. It will be a cold day in Hades that some dumb employer will ever tell me I can't make him (or her) a dollar and a happy customer by making a kid some chocolate milk.

I truly wish that meteor had not missed us, collectively humanity needs to perish to ever fix the mess we live in.

Well, the employee is looking out for himself. He might depend on that job, and if one of his superiors gets mad that he broke that dumb rule he might not have that job anymore. So even if he thinks its dumb too, that's not the only factor in his decision.

reply to post by SkyMuerte


Wow! I have a little more faith in Humanity than you

I do sometimes wonder how many people will just die off rather than wake up though

reply to post by getreadyalready


Lol, yes it is annoying and frightening all at the same time.

This is just as bad as everything always being the computers fault. I hate that excuse more than anything, I want to reach over the counter and rip the computer out and throw it in the street when somebody gives me that excuse.

Originally posted by SkyMuerte
reply to post by Thermo Klein

 

And this would be exactly why I work for myself. It will be a cold day in Hades that some dumb employer will ever tell me I can't make him (or her) a dollar and a happy customer by making a kid some chocolate milk.

I truly wish that meteor had not missed us, collectively humanity needs to perish to ever fix the mess we live in.

I would have to agree with Getreadyalready on this one. It's not that the employee was told not to do it or that these types of things are frowned upon by the owner. What business owner wouldn't want the employee to make them more money? The problem here is the mental fortitude of today's younger generation. A lot of them, like the one you had to deal with, are literally too stupid to figure out anything that is slightly different than a normal order.

reply to post by Skewed


Yes!! Especially when paying with cash. My drink is $1.99, sales tax is 7.5%, here is $2.25, keep the change, I've got things to do while you figure out how to fix your problems.

That has gotten me panicked looks, and almost screams before. "What the hell do I do with this $2.25, you can't leave, how much do you owe, what do I do!?!?!?!?"

reply to post by DarthMuerte


I don't know if I believe anybody has purposefully done this to us, but the end result is the same.

Rampant stupidity, rigidity of thought, and lack of critical thinking are the hallmarks of the new era.

This is why I no longer work for someone. (I do freelance photography. Love it!) Especially a huge corporation. I couldn't take all those stupid rules. I felt trapped and like my brain had turned to mush. I hated not being able to think for myself and my coworkers constantly saying "Make sure you do XYZ or you'll get into trouble!".


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Reminds me of when I had my pizza shop. Employees would call if a customer farted. yet on one occasion, a potential customer came in and wanted to order 60 large pizzas. They asked if we would give them one gallon of iced tea if they bought 60 pizzas. The manager told them know, and we lost the order. REALLY?!?!?! Was all I could muster. So you gave up a 60 pizza order for a $2.00 gallon of tea???

Yup, the younger generation isn't real bright. Scares me to think they are our future leaders!

This sort of logic is becoming all too common these days. I see it almost everytime I leave the house.

Especially the younger generations, which many seem to lack the common sense problem solving skills. I'm sure you were also looked at with a stunned look and like you had horns growing from your head. Simple request no? "It's not in the computer so derp..."

Originally posted by tallcool1
The problem here is the mental fortitude of today's younger generation. A lot of them, like the one you had to deal with, are literally too stupid to figure out anything that is slightly different than a normal order.

That's not true and I think you are quite aware that it isn't.

Well, still, if he's making coffe I see two versions of how his life is going.

A) He's in college and needs a job. Good on him.

B) He's never been to college, and doesn't plan on it. Well, this is the type of job he can get, and he probably needs it more than if he were in college.

So if its B, then yes, he's probably an idiot.

Originally posted by Thermo Klein

Wow! I have a little more faith in Humanity than you

I do sometimes wonder how many people will just die off rather than wake up though

My faith in humanity ended long ago. I was a very well read child, my family believed in books before TV. Sadly I see nothing getting better until the population is thinned out by about 70%

If I were king anyone with an IQ under 80 would be sterilized at birth....... People that did violence to strangers would be subject to immediate termination (only if witnesses or video evidence can prove it of course). If I were king welfare would become workfare. a bus would show up every morning to take you to something that you could do to get your State check.......... Lick envelopes if that's all you can do I would not care. No staying at home if able bodied or if you have a wet tongue.

Hmmmm Maybe I should start a if I was king thread......

reply to post by getreadyalready


Better yet, the cash registers that show a diagram of the cash drawer and will display how many of each to give back.

If you have a 11.35 item and you give a 20 the screen would indicate that the employee should give one 5 dollar bill, 3 one dollar bills, 2 quarters, 1 dime and 1 nickel.

would put that one in the idiot file for not remembering - the customer is always right.

Aside from a time in military during my misspent youth.. Have always worked for myself never was good at following orders.

On the times that hired over the years never did go by looks instead hire based on skill and competence . Had employees with tattoo's another with rainbow coloured hair. Though never was easy hiring as once they find out the job entailed working in warzones or disaster areas most suddenly had other things to do. Damn hard finding good competent nursing staff if you arent in a hospital or clinic.
Mostly retired now but still would hire based on ability over looks.

Originally posted by idunno12

Originally posted by tallcool1
The problem here is the mental fortitude of today's younger generation. A lot of them, like the one you had to deal with, are literally too stupid to figure out anything that is slightly different than a normal order.

That's not true and I think you are quite aware that it isn't.

I disagree.

Sure, there are many bright kids still out there, but there are a lot higher numbers of the completely functionally obselete ones too! They might even be smart kids, but they have no idea how to adapt, improvise, theorize, or function autonomonously.

Sad but true.