Would you like fries with that?

Thursday, November 8, 2007

A lot has been happening this week, and I might get around to posting about it later, but in the meantime I wanted to shared an experience we had last night.

It's about 10:30 or so, and we're hungry. Not much is open but the drive-throughs, so we decide to go to Taco Bell. I should mention now that I happen to like Taco Bell, but my wife really really has to be in the mood for it. Last night she was, so of course I'm not going to say no. I should also mention that I can't eat anything from Taco Bell unless it has sour cream on it, because I love sour cream so much.

We get to the drive-through, and she orders for me first. I want the number 8, which is three soft or cruncy tacos and a drink. I want three soft tacos, and make them supreme (add sour cream, for you non-Bellers). No sooner does she say number eight, supreme, the guy goes "a number three."

"No, a number eight, supreme."

"A number three."

I should also mention at this point the number 3 is three crunchy supreme tacos.

"No, I want a number eight, make them supreme."

"A number three..."

"Shut up and listen to me! I want a number eight, supreme."

(Laughing in the background.)

"No, I want a number eight."

"Number three."

That's when we drove off.

Now, when I was attending a business class in college, I learned that the customer isn't always right (despite the conventional wisdom), but the customer is king. The menu board did not say the number 3 can be soft tacos. The number 8 does. And if I want to pay more for the number 8 and pay extra for the supreme, what do they care. If it mattered that much, they could have merely said, "it would be cheaper to get the number three, and we can make those soft." That would have been terrific. Instead they insisted on contradicting us and insisted on giving us poor customer service.

Consequently, we drove about five miles down the road to another Taco Bell. They gave no trouble at all.