The McMerge

READY8 “Courtesy is a small act but it packs a mighty wallop.” ~ Anonymous

AIM8 While on vacation this year, my husband and I encountered a familiar situation that some of us face on a daily basis. It made such an impact on us that we created a new word to describe our experience.

McMerge – the act of swarming the counter area at McDonalds while jockeying for an ordering position during a busy lunch hour (due to the absence of formal line queues)

Oh yes, you’ve McMerged too? There are many other venues where we are forced to McMerge, but I believe McDonalds is by far one of the most chaotic. Thankfully, there are folks who exist that exercise the act of being courteous. We’ll call them the Courteous Crew. However, there are also folks that exist who could care less about being courteous. We’ll call them the Crass Crew. Hopefully, you’ve met a member of the Courteous Crew during your last dining experience. She walks in the door, looks around herself, and lets the others who were present before her order first. Perhaps, while McMerging, you instead encountered a member of the Crass Crew. Oh sure, he recognized you were standing in the counter swarm before he arrived. It didn’t matter; he was in a hurry and chose to ignore you and just pushed forward and stepped right in front of you to order, totally disregarding your presence. McMerging really isn’t difficult and can be done in a friendly and orderly fashion. You must put on your nice hat and, whether you’re in a hurry or not, recognize and acknowledge the people who arrived before you. Smiling at the people around never hurts to help acknowledge your McMerge position in line too. Courtesy is a choice…just like deciding if “…you want fries with that?”

FIRE!8 Be a member of the Courteous Crew! The next time you are at the grocery store and you have a full cart of groceries, let the person behind you check out first. Chances are she will only have an armful of items and your courteous gesture will brighten her day.

Be Excellent!
Lori