The store always seems like it is staffed by people working against their will. As if they are being forced to work for the fast food giant and that looks like it is extended to management. It isn't the cleanest place I've ever eaten either but what can one expect with the attitudes of the employees. The morning of Tuesday September 15, 2015 solidified my dislike for the place so I will explain and ask that you feel free to tell me if you agree with the reasoning's on this issue or if I have over reacted. There was nothing out of the ordinary on the visit, simply 3 friends wanting breakfast that was ordered through the drive through. The order was as follows: One breakfast combo meal with coffee as the drink, two additional breakfast sandwich's (2 orders of "2 sausage McMuffin with egg sandwich's) and two ice coffees, one was to be a Mocha.
Now, for the record. a regular breakfast menu item that is a combo meal, consists of a sandwich, hash brown patty and either orange juice or coffee but does not include specialty drinks such as iced coffee or Latee. The drive through employee advised us of their restrictions on the meal drink but told us of the special on the iced coffee's which was buy one get one free. In this case, we were to have five drinks for three people but because one came with the meal and the other came from a promotion, it made sense to accept. It was at this point that the insanity began The voice on the other end of the drive through menu stated that we would have to pay for the coffee. Understanding the restriction plus the fact that we had ordered coffee drinks which weren't covered under the meal restrictions and intended to buy the others left me questioning, "What coffee?"
A set price is listed on the menu board (at this store, meal # 6) so we ordered one number six and two other sandwiches which fed three in our party and so I felt my question valid but the response left me speechless. Because we had, "ordered other drinks, we would need to pay for the coffee or juice or any choice of drinks that came with the meal." My insistence that, "it came with the meal", was met with the standard, "first window please", and so I moved up the line. Her answer remained defiant to an apparent policy that backed her reasons behind the additional charge. Hungry and not wanting any further early morning arguments, I paid and moved up to window number two. Met by a lady in an obvious Manager outfit gave reasons to ask her about such an obscure policy by explaining my concern. Unmoved, she simply defended the employees actions as being valid.
I couldn't believe my ears and repeated my understanding of the situation. Stating that we ordered two sandwich's, two iced coffees that came with two free ones of equal or lesser value and a breakfast meal that came with either coffee or juice but we had to pay for that drink simply because we had ordered something entirely different and unattached from that category? Again unmoved, she simply said,"Yes". Dazed and confused, I drove away but I'd like to offer something here as an explanation that I have noticed in every business I have ever encountered from a 99 cent store to an automobile business and even to medical facilities such as hospitals and dentists because it is so customary that it appears automatic, have you seen it too?
Every business on the planet except for McDonald's on Gaffey Street in San Pedro California loves ... in fact train their personnel to ask for "point of purchase" sales. Most places actually place some of these or similar items at the check out area and they double as "impulse buys" In short, these are suggestible items that compliment or enhance or have similar uses to the products or services already agreed on and are being purchased. An example; in a food service business would be, "would you like to super size that order" or "would you like an apple pie with your meal" or perhaps, "did you know we have buy one get one free on our iced coffees" and the profit is staggering on these items alone.
McDonald's has stooped to a new level of greed by suggesting I pay for an item that I was to receive but charged extra simply because I ordered another item in that category. Plain and simple terms make this theft. Another defined term is "bait and switch" which is where you are offered one thing but coerced into purchasing another based on bogus reasons such as, "we no longer have that in stock" and both are against the law. Be wary of businesses that practice these methods of increasing profits from sales. read more