“Welcome to (fill in the blank), may I take your order?”

“Yeah, I need a (fill in the blank), and two large (fill in the blank) with extra (fill in the blank). Oh yeah… and ahhh… gimme (fill in the blank).”

I have never worked at a place with a drive thru. But for a short time in high school I worked at a Dairy Queen, catering to folks stopping in on their way to Lake Tahoe skiing trip. I stood at the counter with a half smile, pretending I wasn’t the guy that was making four dollars an hour to make them shakes and have them complain about them.

I think at some point every teenager, with the thought that they have an opinion that matters, should work in a fine fast food establishment. A fine food establishment where for hours upon hours you are treated like you are simply the lowest form of human on the planet. Where after three hours of being ordered around and treated like crap, then and only then, have you made enough money to purchase a movie ticket. Three more hours and you will have enough cash to pay for a date, assuming the grease from said establishment, in compliance with adolescence has completely disfigured your face and you are actually able to get a date.

And my favorite line? I heard this morning, from the woman behind me in the Starbucks drive through. With my window still down, sitting between the intercom and the window, I hear this.

“Yeah, I need a large mocha.”

“I need a…”. I hate that for some reason. It’s probably one of those things that just sticks out to me, but I cant stand it. Do you really “need a” anything from Starbucks? Do manners and common courtesy no longer matter when you are talking to someone, simply because they are are at a drive thru window, or a fast food counter? What happened to “Can I please get a…” or maybe even, “Yes, I’d like…”, but why, “I need a…”?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say something. If someone is asking you if they can take your order for something, especially food, you will never, ever, ever “need” anything from them. If someone is standing in front of you, willing to serve you eight hours a day, for the price of movie tickets, there is less “need” in your life than you think.

Just a thought.