For as long as I can remember, my order at Wendy's has been two Junior Cheeseburgers Deluxe. After yoga class this evening, I headed to Wendy's (A healthy post-gym dinner, no?), forwent the drive-thru (Saves gas, you know. Plus, there was a really long line.), and planned to order the usual. As I was standing in line, I noticed that the menu looked a little different from the last time I'd been there. In fact, my 99-cent Junior Cheeseburgers Deluxe seemed to be missing, replaced by 95-cent Junior Cheeseburgers.
Stubbornly deciding to pretend I didn't look at the menu (And why should I? I've been ordering two Junior Cheeseburgers Deluxe for decades!), I stepped up to the counter and ordered two Junior Cheeseburgers Deluxe. A young gentleman whose nametag introduced him as "Crew" (After the menu disturbance, I spent the rest of my time in line trying to decide if his name was actually Crew, or if he simply had not yet been issued a proper nametag.) politely informed me that Wendy's "don' ha' Deluxe no mo'."
Miffed, I ordered two Junior Cheeseburgers with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mayo, mustard, and ketchup. Poor Crew had to punch at least 16 buttons on his cash register, because after I listed all the requisite burger accessories and condiments, he looked up at me timidly and asked, "Wait, you wan' two?"
As I stood waiting for my order, I watched the lady who was assembling my burgers. She kept looking up at the screen, adding another ingredient, looking up at the screen, adding another ingredient, etc. I would bet two Junior Cheeseburgers Deluxe on the fact that if the screen had said "Deluxe," she would have known immediately which seven ingredients to add.
So, Wendy's, you're saving me 9 cents per visit (when you factor in the sales tax), but you're creating a heck of a lot more work for your own people with this Junior Cheeseburger business. I'll pay you 9 cents to give Crew his Deluxe button back... and for the undeniable grammatical pleasure of once again being able to say "Junior Cheeseburgers Deluxe" on a regular basis.
PS: She forgot the mayo.
Posted at 7:49 PM | Comments (1) Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I might be stepping on Wordpicnic's toes here (Or fingers? For typing?), but I couldn't help posting my mixed feelings about the fact that Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2007 contains, well, digits.
"w00t" crowned word of year by U.S. dictionary
Anyone who pays attention to the evolution of the English language will have noticed the recent proliferation of words invented to name and describe technological advancements or internet-related phenomena. Ten years ago, blogs, wikis and even Lulu would have been Star Wars characters. I love new words, especially silly ones. But is w00t really a word? Should English words be spelled with letters outside of the English alphabet or variations thereon (such as letters with accents)?
How far should the dictionaries go in an attempt to catalog every new candidate for worddom*? The thought of Merriam-Webster's adopting "w00t" in its original format causes a mild panic in this spelling-and-grammar pedant's heart. If it were up to me, I think I would provide "w00t" as an alternate spelling for "woot," since it was derived, after all, from an acronym for "we owned the other team." If zero is an acceptable substitute for the letter O, how long will it be before 8 becomes an acceptable substitute for "ate," as in, "I hope it's l8r rather than sooner."?
*Vote "worddom" in 200ate! :)
Labels: dictionary, internet, w00t, words
Posted at 1:59 PM | Comments (0) Monday, December 10, 2007
Now, I've never claimed to be a marketing genius, but it seems to me that there is something decidedly wrong with the slogan at the top of this page:
Clinique. Allergy Tested. 100% Fragrance Free.
That's exactly what I want to hear when I'm plunking down 50 bucks for a bottle of perfume. Fragrance free? Come on, people.
Labels: advertising, marketing, slogans
Posted at 9:19 PM | Comments (0) Friday, May 18, 2007
i work in england. most everybody drinks tea, and they generally agree on some sort of standard british preparation of tea. when served a cup that isn't quite up to snuff, they're none too pleased. (but most are too polite to mention it.)
imagine my surprise this morning, when, googling for various work-related ISO standards, i discovered ISO 3103 -- the standardized method for brewing tea as produced by ISO Technical Committee 34 (Food products), Sub-Committee 8 (Tea)! who knew? i'm curious about the demographic makeup of sub-committee 8. are they all brits?
Posted at 4:19 AM | Comments (0) Thursday, May 10, 2007
sickening, but kind of interesting...
i can't decide how i feel about this desecration of my second-favorite snack food. a little, twisted part of me wants to try one — in the way you can't stop yourself from looking at a car accident when you drive by it.
Posted at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)
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