I'm not loving it.

Two extreme views of customer service today. First - a trip to the bank. I use National City usually get good customer service when I stop by the local branch. Today, I headed over there at about 10 til noon - and I expected a bit of a crowd. Instead, they had 3 tellers on hand and one was open as I walked in. I went right up to the counter and was greeted with a smile. The transaction was swift and efficient and friendly. I was on my way in a matter of moments.

Then I went to McDonald's for lunch. Not having gone to McU, I can only guess at the staffing procedures, but over the years I have decided that if you go at a peak time, you'll have to fight a crowd, but you'll get better service. If you go at an off peak time, no crowds, but less efficient service since they have inexperienced people on at those times.

Today, however, blew that theory totally out of the water. I got there at 5 minutes to noon and they had two registers open. One was staffed with a trainee and had a huge line. The other was staffed with a person I've seen before - who has worked at nearly every fast food restaurant in the area. I know her to be inefficient, short tempered, and she mumbles. I picked that line, reasoning that at least she would know how to run the register. Once I finally get up to the front, I start my order.

Two hamburgers, lettuce only.

And then I repeat it at her request. She then begins the process of entering that into the register - an expression on her face as though she's trying to remember a complicated trig formula. After a few moments it looks like she's closing in on a solution, so I continue with my order.

Medium fries.

Instead of punching that in - she holds up her index finger to silence me. She's still working on that pesky hamburger problem. Finally, she looks up at and asks what else I want. I tell her Medium Fries - thinking that she may not have gotten that. But, lo, she did get that - and she starts to roll her eyes in impatience at my foolishness. I proceed with the last phase of my order.

Medium coke.

To which she responds by slamming an empty medium sized cup on the counter. Apparently, I am expected to get my own drink. She then mumbles the total - and go with what I see on the display as it's not even close to what I think I heard her say. $4.08

I hand her a $5 and dig in my pocket for a dime. This combination throws her for a moment and she needs to ring it up so that the computer and do the math for her. She hands me my change and rudely instructs me to wait over to my left. I move into position and begin the waiting.

She bellows incoherently to get someone to come over to her line after inadvertently sending them all away - then waits on the next customer to place their order. Meanwhile, I can see my burgers being made and watch as they are tossed in a bin. The person that waited on me is now ignoring me and that notion that my food is ready - instead, she's filling the order of the customer behind me. Which includes 6 small milkshakes.

I'm doomed.

After waiting for a few minutes, someone takes pity on me and fills my order, shoving the empty cup in my direction as though to further emphasis that I'll be expected to get my own damn drink, thank you very much.

Which I proceeded to do and got out of there thankful that I still had my life and most of my wits about me still. Incidentally, no one thanked me to choosing that restaurant or suggested that I have a nice day. I would have doubted their sincerity anyway.

To their credit - my sandwiches were prepared correctly and any scaring will be emotional and therefore not visible to the naked eye.

It used to be good food fast. Then it was mediocre food fast. Then bad food fast. And now it appears to be mediocre food slowly.

And that wraps it up for me. I hadn't been in this McDonald's since it opened - and I don't think I'll be going back. No catchy jingles or slogans will win me over either - they have fallen too far to be redeemed.

Thus endeth the story and so I do now again return to the task at hand...