The Alaskan Pipeline of Mistakes

Angie and John were shopping a couple of days before Christmas. Poor Angie had way too many things on her agenda. It all began with picking up John from the car dealership (his car needed some minor repairs), taking Meredith's cell phone to her at work (she forgot it at home), and then, off to do various shopping that she desperately needed to finish.

After picking up John, they decided they had a tiny window of opportunity to get some lunch. You see, John was supposed to be at work at 1:00 pm and it was noon. After dropping off Meredith's phone near the mall, they chose McAlister's Deli for lunch. Big mistake!

In McAlister's defense, it was noon...a few days before Christmas. Not exactly a down time for restaurants. But Angie was patient. Probably more patient than she should have been.

When Angie noticed people leaving with their orders...people who had ordered after Angie...she decided it was time to take action. As it turned out, they had already waited over 30 minutes for the order. When pressed for an estimated delivery time, the cashier didn't have an answer. So Angie asked for the manager. He apologized and quickly "found" their order. He earnestly tried to rescue the situation by comping the meal. Angie was satisfied with the gesture but was still behind the eight-ball on time. So, she and John grabbed their food and left.

She took John to work first. While sorting through the four (4) sandwiches, they noticed that none of the sandwiches were made correctly. Not even close. One sandwich, which was ordered "plain", had all the fixings. One ordered without mayo and tomato had an abundance of both items slathered into the mix. Zero for four...whiff...whiff...whiff...whiff!

So, the winner of the Wooden Spoon...drum roll...McAlister's Deli. The free sandwiches weren't enough to overcome the glaring incompetence. McAlister's brags that they have the "Alaskan Pipeline" of straws for their sweet teas. After this incident, I'd say the big sucking sound wasn't caused by the straw.

{I created the Wooden Spoon Awards for those who can't get it right. The idea came from the thought of whacking the offending party in the head with a wooden spoon. Fortunately, I realized that action would be illegal and unproductive. So, instead, I write and gripe about it. It's my right...I'm getting old!}