(We live near a major university. Most fast food workers and all managers at this restaurant on campus are students supplementing their income. My husband and I go through the drive-thru for a snack.)

Cashier: “Your total is $8.”

(My husband hands him $23 so we can get $15 change. The cashier hits enter [exact change] on the register, so the screen does not tell him how much change to give us. He looks very confused.)

Cashier: “Um…” *hands husband $20*

Husband: “This is the wrong change; your till will be off.” *tries to hand cashier back the $20*

Cashier: “Um… just a moment.” *calls manager over, and we hear this through the window*

Cashier: “Their total was $8. They gave me $23. How much change should they get?”

Manager: “What did the register say?”

Cashier: “Uh, nothing. I hit enter.”

Manager: “I don’t have time to figure this out. I’ll comp it. Return their money.”

Cashier: *still does not take $20 husband tries to hand him* “Your order is on the house.” *hands my husband another $23*

(And that’s how we got paid to eat fast food by the restaurant manager.)

They Have Everything You Want Except Everything You Want

Fast Food, Drive-Thru, Ohio, USA

Us: “Can we get a ten-piece chicken nugget value meal please?”

Employee On The Intercom: “I’m sorry, we’re out of chicken nuggets right now.”

Us: “Then we’ll take a [Burger] with cheese.”

Employee: “I’m sorry, we’re out of [Burger] patties, too.”

Us: “What DO you have?”

Employee: “Everything but nuggets and [Burger] patties!”

(I work at a well-known fast food restaurant.)

Me: “Hi! What would you like?”

Customer: “How much is a double cheeseburger?”

Me: “It’s $1.”

Customer: “Okay. I’d like a double cheeseburger, please.”

Me: “That’ll be $1.07.”

Customer: “I hate this country. I forgot about tax.”

Me: “Oh. What country are you from?”

Customer: “Hawaii.”

I’m the customer in this story. I frequently stopped at a popular fast food place very early in the morning for coffee on my way to work. I guess this was about the time that the night shift was ending/shift change. Every single morning I paid with bills; no debit at this establishment. The same woman working the drive through window gave me back a ton of small change (dimes, nickels, and pennies) EVERY SINGLE TIME, and refused to give me larger change when I asked.

At one point, I decided to go into the restaurant and ask why this was happening every morning, and I saw the woman taking her cash tray to the back to count it, and presumably clock out.

I asked the man behind the counter about it, and he kind of rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, sorry about that. She likes to get rid of all her change so that it’s faster for her to get out of here at the end of her shift. I can trade that change for you if you like. You’re not the only person I’ve had to do this for.” I told him not to worry about it, and left.

I waited until the end of the week (right before a long weekend), and I decided to go through the drive through again, this time treating my coworkers to coffee and donuts, as well as purchasing a $50 gift card, for a total around $70. As it was so early in the morning, there were never customers in line behind me.

When I pulled up to the cash window, there was the woman who always gave me the small change. She told me the total and I handed her a large plastic bag of small change ($80). She looked pissed and said that she didn’t have to accept it. The manager heard her yelling and came over. He told me that they had a policy against accepting so much change.

I explained the situation to him, he turned around, and I could hear him talking with another employee. I heard the employee tell him she was sick of people coming in and asking to have their change traded, and that it happened all the time.

The manager asked me to pull ahead to the designated waiting spot while she counted my change out. I could see how furious she was, but she wouldn’t make eye contact.

Suffice it to say, she never gave me $18 worth of small change again.

(I am in line at a local burger joint when I overhear the customers at the register: two women, one about 50ish, the other 80ish. Also, this is shortened, as they take about five minutes to order one burger.)

80ish Lady: “Can I have a double burger? What comes on that?”

Cashier: “Lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, cheese, mayo.”

80ish Lady: “Can I have the lettuce on the side?”

Cashier: “Certainly. Anything else?”

80ish Lady: “Can I get the tomatoes and mayo on the side too? No onions, no cheese.”

Cashier: “Okay. Will that be all?”

50ish Lady: “Can she get extra mayo on the side?”

Cashier: “Sure, just ask when you pick up your order.”

80ish Lady: “I want the lettuce on the side.”

Cashier: “Yes, ma’am, your total is [total].”

(They pay and go to get their drinks.)

Cashier: *to me* “Hi, what can I get you today?”

Me: “Hi! Can I get two burgers with everything?” *making sure the other customers are out of earshot as to not get the cashier in trouble* “Oh, and can I get all the toppings on the side?”

Cashier: *giggles* “I know right?”