Illogical Business Practices

Call me weird but....(Well you would not be the first) but I seem to always notice when businesses do things in a weird way or at least somewhat illogical. I have three examples. Let's start with Jason's Deli. I have often wondered what the secret code was. I would like to know when I order my food, if I was going to have to stand at the end of the food line waiting for them to call out my order, indicating it was ready for me to pickup OR if they are going to give me a numbered placard so I can go sit down so they could bring me my order when it was ready. It seems like they just randomly decide that some people get lucky and get the numbered placard. It’s like winning the lottery as opposed to standing in the crowd of people waiting for the tray monitor/tray filler guy to look up at the mob of people and call your order.
OK, enough of that let’s move on to La Madeleine. I bet you are thinking I am going to harp on the wildly fake, French accents. You would be La Wrong! I have noticed the same thing at every La Madeleine to which I would like to know who thought up how to organize a serving line for them. I mean most people can usually figure out that one person follows another and as you pass through the serving line you get the things you would like to purchase and then you pay at the end (unless you happen to be at an all you can eat place where you COULD pay in the beginning). BUT NO! At La Madeleine you line up and proceed until such time that you actually get to the food counter. Once you get to this general area, the organization of the line becomes a menagerie of meandering people speaking to the chaotic conclave of college kids who randomly (as in no particular order or organization) are either dishing up something, ringing up something on a register, directing people to go to the left or right (one of these directions is turning the line into a traffic jam by turning it back on itself) or picking someone from the back of the crowd to ask if they could help them. I have never understood why their line does not go from point A to point B and then serve in an orderly, progressive fashion. The serving line should not go pastries, trays, eating utensils cash register salads, drinks, sandwiches, more drinks, soups, cash register, drinks, bread butter and jelly ahhhhhhh!! what sense does this make?!?
Now lastly, I have to mention only the most recent of illogical business practices witnessed/experienced by me, carried out as S.O.P.(Standard Operating Procedure) by Frye’s Electronics. Yes I have several stories about these people and their ideas of service and/or inventory control. I was at the checkout counter this week paying for one item. I paid with my American Express. Just as I was signing the Amex Slip for my purchase I remembered I had intended to also buy a gift card as well. I grabbed one from the display at the check-out stand and told the clerk I needed to pay for this card as well. This seemed to go well, except, once she was finished the second transaction, she asked me if I minded if she took my card to the back in order to make a photo copy of it. I said “No” and asked why would she need to do that? She told me that since She was making a second transaction with the same card that this photo copy would supposedly prove that she did not just write the card number down and fraudulently use it. Somehow by PHOTO copying the card, this would prove that she did not write the number down....HUH?!? I had a ridiculously hard time getting my card back from her because I did not want her to make the photo copy of it. I still cannot figure out how that protected her let alone me from fraud. It seems like it would increase the likelihood of it happening. In the words of Spock from Star Trek “That’s Illogical”

SushiYaa, Sushi Noo, SushiMaybe

Where is all the service going these days? I'm not hard to please. I don't demand a lot. BUT I do notice when I am paying for a service and do not get it. I could recite several stories each day of some place I have gone where the service was much less than what I was expecting if it even existed at all. I want to tell you of the most recent ocurrance. I just spent 12 hours at work. Not wanting to go home and prepare dinner I thought I would reward myself with a little sushi. I went to this little buffet called SushiYaa. It is not great but fair to above par. One thing I like about this place is in addition to the sushi they have a nice selection of Tempura _________(fill in the blank) as well a a selection of other asian niceties and the price is relatively low. Tonight I was greatly disappointed in the level of service. There were only 3 other tables with customers. On duty was one waiter and 2 waitresses. Once I entered I was seated and asked what I would like to drink. I immediately got up and went to the buffet. When I returned to my table my ice tea was waiting for me. I ate my entire plate of food, drank my entire glass of tea and then ate the ice. I then went back for 2 or 3 additional pieces of sushi. I only saw the waiter and waitresses as they passed me by. I really would have liked some more tea or water or something to drink. I finally decided it was time to go. So I waited...............and...............waited. After several minutes of me staring at the wait staff and failing to gain their attention, the waiter finally stopped and asked, "Do you need anything else?" I replied, " I would like my check, please." He walked off and I continued my wait. This wait went on a rediculously long time. I felt like I could have easily walked out and no one would have noticed. I finally got up turned my chair around 180 degrees to face the waiter station where they were all gathered gossipping about who knows what. There I sat, arms crossed stairing at them. No one noticed. I got up, moved my chair a foot or so closer. Sat back down assuming the same meditative position. Still, no one seemed to notice. I repeated the moving the chair and waiting in disgusted pose about 5 more times until I found myself about half way across the floor almost to the waitress station. Finally one of the waitresses turns around and is startled into a nervous squeek as she nearly ran over me on her way to .........( I do not know where - It certainly was not to tend to her tables). Quite startled she asked if she could help me. By now, the other waitress and waiter are standing there. I simply said "I STILL would like my check please." I was quite surprised at how rapidly they got my check and got me out of there...........I tipped accordingly.