McDonalds Peeve
Geoff Miller
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What peeves me about McDonalds and their drink sizes is that they have
their own terminolgy, and their people are so indoctrinated that they
correct you if you fail to conform. Anywhere but McDonalds, a "regular"
size drink is the medium-sized one. At Mickey D's, though, a "regular"
coke is the small size -- and you get corrected if you call it a "small"
coke.
Something that really bugs me is the way these fast-food people make such
a big deal out of the fact that they carry Pepsi instead of Coke, or Sprite
instead of 7-Up, or vice versa. The Coca-Cola and Pepsi companies may not
like it, but both products have been so common for so long that their names
have become generic, as has 7-Up.
When I walk up to the counter at a fast-food joint and order a coke, what
I'm really ordering is whatever carbonated cola-flavored beverage that
particular place happens to sell. I don't give a shit if it's Coke, Pepsi,
RC or whatever -- just give me the goddam thing! I don't want to be asked
if Pepsi is okay when I order coke, or if Coke is okay when I order Pepsi.
(Of course, whatever I happen to say is always out of phase with what the
place sells, so this kind of thing happens to me a lot.) I realize that
there are minor, teensy-weensy differences in taste between the brands, and
I'll even confess to a slight preference for Pepsi. But c'mon, their all
close enough as to be practically identical to all but the terminally
anal-retentive.
Geoff
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Geoff Miller + + + + + + + + Sun Microsystems
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William S Mason
the customer if Pepsi was OK when they asked for Coke. While I thought
this was stupid, because most people don't care, I found that this was
not always the case. Some people (I guess) cannot stand Pepsi. Several
times people came through drive-thru, and ordered Coke. When I asked if
Pepsi was alright, they said "No. Never mind," and left!! I guess the
resturants annoy many just to please a few. I think that if you really
cared about what you were going to drink you would look at the menu first,
to see if they had it!
Michael J. Landshark Wheeler
>What peeves me about McDonalds and their drink sizes is that they have
>their own terminolgy, and their people are so indoctrinated that they
>correct you if you fail to conform. Anywhere but McDonalds, a "regular"
>size drink is the medium-sized one. At Mickey D's, though, a "regular"
>coke is the small size -- and you get corrected if you call it a "small"
>coke.
I'd like to mention that at SOME McDonald's locations, they are test-marketing
NEW SIZES [read, NEW NAMES FOR THE SAME SIZES.]
Size Old Name New Name
12 oz. regular child size
16 oz. medium small
22 oz. large medium
32 oz. super size large
Isn't this fun?
Michael J. "Landshark" Wheeler
Chaz Larson
>I'm really ordering is whatever carbonated cola-flavored beverage that
>particular place happens to sell. I don't give a shit if it's Coke, Pepsi,
>RC or whatever -- just give me the goddam thing! I don't want to be asked
>if Pepsi is okay when I order coke, or if Coke is okay when I order Pepsi.
>there are minor, teensy-weensy differences in taste between the brands, and
>I'll even confess to a slight preference for Pepsi. But c'mon, their all
>close enough as to be practically identical to all but the terminally
>anal-retentive.
I agree, but having managed a fast food outfit in the past, I can tell you that
that terminally anal retentive customer who has to have Coke or Pepsi or
whatever he just asked for that I don't have will often make a big enough
stink about it that I, as the counter person, would rather risk irking people
such as yourself by asking if Coke/Sprite will do instead of Pepsi/7Up than
risk a major annoyance by assuming it is a having some zoob start abusing me
about how he "ordered Pepsi, not this Coke shit."
A surprising number of people would change their order when i told them I
didn't have Coke/Pepsi/7Up/Sprite.
All that said, I agree with your peeve on a personal level. I don't like
the question myself, since I don't care either if it's Coke or Pepsi. I can,
however, understand why it gets asked.
ob.peeve: Suggestive selling of any kind.
"Do you want fries with that?"
"Did you need some film or batteries?"
"Would you like some dessert today?"
If I had wanted any, I'd have asked for it in the first place.
chaz
--
Spanish Meta-physicists resurrect Jim Morrison.
-- American Doctors Offer Undeniable Proof.
cla...@ux.acs.umn.edu AOL:Crowbone
Pete Halverson
>Something that really bugs me is the way these fast-food people make such
>a big deal out of the fact that they carry Pepsi instead of Coke, or
>fast-food joint and order a coke, what I'm really ordering is whatever
>carbonated cola-flavored beverage that particular place happens to sell.
>I don't give a shit if it's Coke, Pepsi, RC or whatever -- just give me
>the goddam thing!
Even better, back before Friendly['s] started carrying Pepsi (Coke? I still
don't pay attention), ordering either major brand would result in you being
asked whether "Friendly Cola" would suffice. Gack.
If I'm not in the mood to dig my way through the mess of marketing mush and
"promo-of-the-week" paraphenalia that adorns the typical fast-food menu to
find out whether I'm in a Pepsi or a Coke shop, something like "...and a
small [diet] cola" seems to forestall the inevitable rejoinder. Finding a
suitable genericism for Sprite/7up/Slice is a bit trickier---I usually have
to settle for something like "whatever-clear-soda-you-serve".
--
===============================================================================
Pete Halverson INET: halv...@crd.ge.com
GE Corporate R&D Center UUCP: uunet!crd.ge.com!halverson
Schenectady, NY "Money for nuthin' and your MIPS for free"
Dave Butterfield
>I'm really ordering is whatever carbonated cola-flavored beverage that
>particular place happens to sell. I don't give a shit if it's Coke, Pepsi,
So order "cola" if you mean the generic.
>I realize that
>there are minor, teensy-weensy differences in taste between the brands...
Some people have developed finer granularity taste buds than you have.
'Course, that's obvious if you're eating at McDonalds! :-)
--
The U.S. constitution has its flaws, but it's
a damn sight better than what we have now!
Deborah Brown
If one doesn't care which they get, they should just order "cola". I am one
of these people who orders Pepsi (I can't stomach Coca Cola, YECCH). If I
am asked if Coke is ok, I say no, and order the iced tea instead.
I am especially peeved at Booger King for switching to Coke, as they were the
most convenient fast food restaurant for me who carried Pepsi. Now I just
stop into a convenience store for my Pepsi fix. I haven't darkened the drive
thru of a Booger King since the Big Switch (I don't eat ground cow anyway, so
I admit they're not losing that much business by losing me).
*****"'Often-Wrong's' got a broken heart/can't even tell his boys apart"******
Quote: "We are so in tune with each other, when Magic gets gas, I break wind."
Tom Beckett, QUANTUM LEAP
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Dan Dunphy
Brian L Moore
>I am especially peeved at Booger King for switching to Coke, as they were the
>most convenient fast food restaurant for me who carried Pepsi.
Same here. I called their "1-800-YES-1800" number to ask why they changed, and
got one of their idiot customer service reps. His answer? "Uh, I don't know.
I think it had something to do with contracts." Brilliant. He asked me if I
would like to leave my name and number, and I did. I beleive Taco Bell will
get my business now, since they are practically the only fast food chain that
still serves Pepsi (besides, they are cheaper anyway).
I urge all who are peeved about BK moving from Pepsi to Coke products to call
their customer service number (1-800-YES-1800 in case you missed it last time
:-), and bitch about the switch. Maybe they will come to their senses. Then
again, maybe not.
BTW, are there *any* college campuses that have Pepsi products and not Coke?
-blm
--
Brian L Moore |
Purdue University Engineering Computer Network | internet: b...@ecn.purdue.edu
MSEE Building, Room 104 | BITNET: BMOORE@PURCCVM
W. Lafayette, IN 47906 (317) 494-5745 |
David Willard
>
>BTW, are there *any* college campuses that have Pepsi products and not Coke?
>
Greenville, SC (my alma mater, '87) has only Pepsi and its related
products. Come to think of it, I haven't seen too many Coke machines
here at Clemson, either.
Dewey
(maybe someday my .sig will come)
Eric Peterson
| d...@cci632.UUCP (Deborah Brown) writes:
|
| >I am especially peeved at Booger King for switching to Coke, as they were the
| >most convenient fast food restaurant for me who carried Pepsi.
|
| BTW, are there *any* college campuses that have Pepsi products and not Coke?
Florida State University is covered with machines selling various
combinations of Coke, Sprite, Minute Maid, A&W Root Beer, Dr. Pepper,
and their diet variants. All of the food service places on campus
also sell only Coca-Cola products. But for some unexplained reason,
the Union Bookstore sells only Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and
7-Up, perhaps as a haven for those sick of the Coca-Cola onslaught.
Of course, Encore has only Coke in its vending machines. But they do
have Barq's ...
Eric
--
Eric Peterson <> epet...@encore.com <> uunet!encore!epeterson
Encore Computer Corp. * Ft. Lauderdale, Florida * (305) 587-2900 x 5208
Why did Constantinople get the works? Gung'f abobql'f ohfvarff ohg gur Ghexf.
Odin
I heard it this way, which means it's probably a bunch of b.s....
BK served Pepsi because they were willing to put in a lower bid than
Coke, to get BK's support. Recently Coke came in under Pepsi, and so
BK switched. Now here's where it get's really thick... Pepsi, clearly
upset about this, became interested in buying out _Wendy's_, so they
would then (hopefully) compete BK right into the red.
Anyway, that's what I was told, by a completely unreliable source...
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| "To fall in love with yourself is the first secret of | Mike Stangel |
| happiness. Then if you're not a good mixer you can | mas35638@uxa. |
| always fall back on your own company." -Robt. Morley | cso.uiuc.edu |
`---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
Geoff Miller
In article <40...@cci632.UUCP> d...@jloda.UUCP (Debbie the Leaper Brown) writes:
>If one doesn't care which they get, they should just order "cola". I am one
>of these people who orders Pepsi (I can't stomach Coca Cola, YECCH). If I
>am asked if Coke is ok, I say no, and order the iced tea instead.
The reason people don't say "cola" is that it's not the *common* generic
name for cola flavored beverages -- "coke" is (note the small "c".) To many
people, a "coke" might even be any type of carbonated soft drink, cola-
flavored or not. Similarly, nobody ever says "tissue" when they're talking
about a snotrag -- they say "kleenex."
>I am especially peeved at Booger King for switching to Coke, as they were the
>most convenient fast food restaurant for me who carried Pepsi. Now I just
>stop into a convenience store for my Pepsi fix. I haven't darkened the drive
>thru of a Booger King since the Big Switch (I don't eat ground cow anyway, so
>I admit they're not losing that much business by losing me).
Oh, come on! Like I said earlier, I admit that there's a slight, discernable
difference in flavor between Pepsi and Coke, but is it really great enough
to cause you to turn up your nose at one or the other? I suspect that it's
all in your mind! :)
Lemming
(Brian L Moore) says:
>
>BTW, are there *any* college campuses that have Pepsi products and not Coke?
>
Well, Penn State has some weird arrangement with the soda companies and
not only has both Pepsi products and Coke products, but they are usually
in the same vending machine. It was a little annoying my freshman year
when the dorm vending machine only had Coke, Pepsi, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi,
and Mountain Dew. All I wanted was Sprite/7up.
Daniel Carr
In article <35...@male.EBay.Sun.COM> geo...@purplehaze.EBay.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) writes:
>When I walk up to the counter at a fast-food joint and order a coke, what
>I'm really ordering is whatever carbonated cola-flavored beverage that
>particular place happens to sell. I don't give a shit if it's Coke, Pepsi,
>RC or whatever -- just give me the goddam thing! I don't want to be asked
>if Pepsi is okay when I order coke, or if Coke is okay when I order Pepsi.
>(Of course, whatever I happen to say is always out of phase with what the
>place sells, so this kind of thing happens to me a lot.) I realize that
>there are minor, teensy-weensy differences in taste between the brands, and
>I'll even confess to a slight preference for Pepsi. But c'mon, their all
>close enough as to be practically identical to all but the terminally
>anal-retentive.
>
>Geoff
i don't consider myself anal-retentive, but i can tell a difference
between the two. to me, and several of my friends, Pepsi has a sweeter
taste. some prefer one, others prefer the other. i dislike both of them.
i like diet coke. i can tell a difference between it and diet pepsi.
diet pepsi is also sweeter tasting. i do drink diet pepsi if i'm really
thirsty and i can't readily get diet coke, though.
in any case, what happened to personal preference? i guess Mr. Miller
doesn't get pissed off when people spell his name "Jeff". after all, "Geoff"
and "Jeff" are close enough as to be practially identical to all but the
terminally anal retentive, right to Mr. Miller?
daniel
-----
Daniel Carr
"I'm from North Carolina and I DON'T support Sen. Jesse Helms" --on a bumper
dan...@cc.ncsu.edu d...@ccvr1.ncsu.edu dan...@ncsuvm.BITNET
Geoff Miller
In article <1990Oct19....@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> d...@ccvr1.ncsu.edu (Daniel
Carr) writes:
>i don't consider myself anal-retentive, but i can tell a difference
>between the two. to me, and several of my friends, Pepsi has a sweeter
>taste. some prefer one, others prefer the other. i dislike both of them.
>i like diet coke. i can tell a difference between it and diet pepsi.
>diet pepsi is also sweeter tasting. i do drink diet pepsi if i'm really
>thirsty and i can't readily get diet coke, though.
I submit that there's a much greater difference in flavor between Diet Coke
and Diet Pepsi than there is between regular Coke and regular Pepsi. And
they're *both* nasty!
-----
>in any case, what happened to personal preference?
Nothing. We're all still entitled to it, last I heard. But that doesn't
mean that it's somehow taboo as a topic of discussion.
>i guess Mr. Miller doesn't get pissed off when people spell his name "Jeff".
>after all, "Geoff" and "Jeff" are close enough as to be practially identical
>to all but the terminally anal retentive, right to Mr. Miller?
Actually, you're quite right, Danyell. People have been using the more
conventional spelling for my name all my life, and I reached the point long
ago where I hardly notice. (When I was in the first grade, I even got yelled
at by my parents for insisting on spelling my name "Jeff" like a normal
Earth person! :)
Anyway, what does the spelling of one person's name have to do with the
taste of popular cola drinks? It would seem that you're stretching a bit
to make a dubious point there, Danyell. People are completely justified in
having a strong preference in the way their name is spelled, since it's a
much more personal matter than how similar Coke and Pepsi are.
So in a nutshell, your analogy sucks.
Deaddog
drastically between individuals and, hence, everyone in this discussion is
correct, anal-retentive or not. Flames about soft drink preferences ...
much more inventive than sig. or spelling flames.
Ed Hew
>|Similarly, nobody ever says "tissue" when they're talking
>|about a snotrag -- they say "kleenex."
>
>know or have known say tissue.
If I walk into a store here and ask for tissue the result would
likely be evenly divided between those who would show me the
"toilet tissue" and 50% blank stares. When I ask for kleenex,
they ask me "what brand would you like?".
I personally photo-copy things, but I know lots of people who
"xerox" using their Canon or Toshiba photocopier.
--
Ed. A. Hew <ed...@xenitec.on.ca>, XeniTec Consulting Services
or if you're really stuck: ..!{watmath|lsuc}!xenitec!eah
Alan Taylor
; I personally photo-copy things, but I know lots of people who
; "xerox" using their Canon or Toshiba photocopier.
A classmate of mine was co-oping at IBM Boca-Raton
a few years back and not, shall we say, fitting
in to the IBM way of life. One day, he unintentionally
said he was going to "xerox" something down the hall.
Several people apparently jumped like he had poked them
with a sharp stick and say "PHOTOCOPY!" at roughly
the same time. After this, he made a POINT to
"XEROX" something about once every 2 weeks or so....:)
No, he does not work with IBM now..he's going to go to
graduate school...
However, I think he DOES enjoy dragging his fingernails
on chalkboards once in a while...I'll have to verify
that.....:)))
Have a Nice Day (tm) (R) (pat. pend.)
Starrett
> If I walk into a store here and ask for tissue the result would
> likely be evenly divided between those who would show me the
> "toilet tissue" and 50% blank stares. When I ask for kleenex,
> they ask me "what brand would you like?".
>
> I personally photo-copy things, but I know lots of people who
> "xerox" using their Canon or Toshiba photocopier.
I buy Q-tips, but whatever brand is on sale.
I also try to keep Cokes on hand for guests and I buy several different
brands so there's variety.
--
"It says little, does less, means nothing."