Yesterday was my last day home alone. It was also Wednesday which means if was Whopper Wednesday at Burger King. That means you could buy a Whopper for $1. I decided that was a good reason to treat myself for finishing the mowing before the storms rolled in. One of the best things to happen in tech for me is that almost every place has an app now that allows you to order ahead. I rarely ever order in person anymore. I ordered my food and chose the option to pick up in the store assuming the drive thru would be packed considering the time and the deal.
I was correct. The drive thru line was almost out of the parking lot. This is not really that unusual anymore. I drive past the Chik Fil A all the time and see lines circling the building. I always glance at the Starbucks drive thru line when I dive past and it is almost always wrapped around the building. No one wants to get out of their car. I don’t get it. If I get Starbucks, I order ahead for in store pickup. It takes no time at all to park, walk in, and get my drink. Why wait in a very long, slow drive thru line? Even when I’ve made the mistake of choosing drive thru when ordering ahead only to discover the line is huge I’ve parked and gone in to ask if I can pick up my order inside instead of waiting in the line. I just don’t understand why people are willing to spend so much time in a line just to avoid parking and walking in a place. I also don’t understand why more people don’t order ahead with the apps. It’s faster and in most cases you earn points towards free stuff.
So, I walked in the place to wait for my order to be ready. While I was waiting, one guy ordered and while he was waiting watched videos on his phone. I know he watched videos on hos phone because I could hear them. I could hear them because he watched the videos with no ear buds in and the volume turned all the way up. People actually do this?
So, I had this guy behind me at full volume. Then, another guy ordered and stood by the counter waiting for his food while on a phone call with the phone on speaker. This one doesn’t really surprise me. When I worked at the library we always had people who would make phone calls in the middle of the library without adjusting their volume or the volume of the phone, It was fun trying to listen for my name to be called with full volume phones surrounding me.
On the way home I dealt with the common problem of people not knowing how to negotiate a four way stop. I’ve been almost hit so many times in this shopping center because people have no clue who goes when at one of these.
Maybe I should go back to never leaving the house.
The World's Common Tater 
I never enjoyed The Public on a good day, before COVID. I am delaying my return to Public interactions as long as I possibly can. I absolutely love the apps and curbside pickup, they are so much more convenient.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was already using the apps to order ahead before Covid. No reason to stop now.
LikeLike
So it’s back to normal in this context. Oh, joy! It’s a good thing I don’t go out much, other than to go to the grocery store or, now, eat in a restaurant. I think I’ll continue to avoid fast-food restaurants, as I have for years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You made me crave a Whopper. Our Burger King closed down a few years ago. It was a block from my husband’s office and often we’d go there for lunch. Then I moved to a town that doesn’t have one either…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I rarely get it for myself. My daughter loves their chicken nuggets and asks for them when we are out sometimes but I never go otherwise. It was a nice treat
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are so near everything. My husband craves whoppers and sometimes I give in for dinner. We try to order out once a week as a treat and pick up. In our area of Tampa, we have no shortage of anything. Middle Easters, Thai, Ethiopian, I guess I would miss it if we moved. I get out and always wonder at the long lines around Starbucks.
LikeLiked by 2 people
We are near everything as well but we rarely eat out these days
LikeLiked by 1 person
We order and take it home. The heat is horrendous. I think we are going to have a heavy hurricane season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice, variety of eats near me in The Lehigh Valley of Pa. Unlike you and Tater, I haven’t eaten any chain fast food in decades.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love the croissant sandwich. Sometimes I treat myself to that a cup of coffee, ice for the morning, like once every two months.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing wrong with treating yourself now and again. My wife and I do that with the local ice cream parlors.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sorry, Middle Eastern….and we are in the middle of a booming economy as more move here. It is the traffic, so my husband is teaching me the back routes.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I like people, but that’s the sort of behaviour which is making me become steadily more introverted day to day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t have any restaurant apps on my phone. I’m one of those that waits in lines. Ha ha! That said, I will NOT get in a line that goes around a block. No thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the convenience of the apps so I don’r have to worry about lines or interacting with people
LikeLiked by 1 person