Convenience is the name of the game. When we want it, we want it now and there is usually a convenient convenience store not too far away. Pre-packaged food is convenient, probably not the healthiest choice, but convenient none the less. Newspapers and packages delivered to our door are convenient too.
Then there is the drive-thru window. We can order items from pizza to medicine and have the convenience of simply driving up to a window to pick up our purchase. We can do our banking from the comfortable convenience of our vehicle without having to brave whatever the weather throws our way.
All these conveniences may cost us a bit more, but they save us valuable time and that's important because we are always in a hurry for some reason.
If grocery stores had drive-thru windows, that would actually save us money. There wouldn't be anything in the sack that you didn't want or didn't need and taking the kids shopping would be a less stressful experience.
Drive-thru windows at school would sure be convenient. Just think how easy it would be to drive up, pick up the kids, and drive off. No more trying to get to the school first to find a parking spot. Every parent and child could have an assigned number and things would go smoothly. Then again, getting home and finding out you have the wrong child might throw a wrench in the gears, kind of like getting home from the burger joint to discover they forgot to put the meat patty on the bun. In the case of the missing hamburger we can just call the restaurant and gripe, but if you have the wrong kid, it's probably a good idea to return them.
But in the over all scheme of things, most drive-thru windows work as planned and make our life more convenient.
Yesterday I used the drive-thru window at a pharmacy. It was raining and I was in a hurry, as were the five vehicles ahead of me.
I waited and waited, the lead car was still at the window. I began to get a bit snarky. Snarky happens to be the word of the day on my dictionary app. It means testy or irritable. I've had to use my dictionary app from the very first word on this blog. I never did get that "i" before "e" thing and you would think as many times as I have used the word 'convenient' I could spell it right....not so much.
Anyway, I'm feeling snarky because the line isn't moving. I can see the nice lady at the drive-thru window making several trips back and forth, but we are still not going anywhere. I thought about sticking my head out the window and yelling, "Hey! If you want to read the ingredients on the box, park the @#$% car and go inside!"
I decided that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do, so I kept my window rolled up. I could have easily turned out of the line, parked my own car and gone inside, but it was raining and I wanted the convenience of the drive-thru window.
Fifteen minutes later, I finally arrived at the window. I told the nice pharmacy lady what medicine I was picking up and watched her go to retrieve it. She searched the usual spot, and there was nothing there. She searched the top of the counter, still nothing. Then she headed to the back of the pharmacy.
It was at this time I had an enlightened moment. I leaned out my window and began to peck on the drive-thru window glass, trying to get her attention. She had just slipped out of sight, so now the other workers are looking at me like "Good grief lady, can't you wait?!?" I'm motioning for her to come back and finally one of the other workers came to the window.
She opened it and gave me an exasperated look. Sheepishly I told her to tell the other lady she could quit searching because I realized I had forgotten to call the order in. She smiled and said it was OK, they would go ahead and fill it, what did I need. Since it wasn't my medicine, I didn't have a clue. I hadn't taken the empty prescription bottles with me because for some reason I thought I had called the order in. By this time though, it's obvious I had only thought about calling the order in.
They all laughed, and I figured they needed to because the people who had waited as long as I had, could have been a bit snarky themselves. I said my good-byes, shrunk down in the seat and drove off thinking, "well, THAT was convenient."
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