Had to choose between a screaming toddler and a spilled milkshake yesterday

I was working the drive-thru window when a mom pulled up with her kid having a full meltdown. At the same time, a large chocolate shake tipped over on my counter, flooding the register area. I had about 3 seconds to decide: clean the sticky mess or get the screaming family their food and out of the line. I grabbed their bag, handed it over with a smile, and said "On the house, have a better afternoon." The mom looked so relieved. Then I spent the next 15 minutes cleaning dried shake off everything. Anyone else ever had to make a split-second 'lesser of two evils' call like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary37222d ago

Choosing people over messes makes the cleanup feel worth it later.

the_james22d ago

That moment where you pick the human problem over the messy one happens all the time. I see it at the grocery store when a cashier ignores a long line to help an old person count change. It is the basic choice to deal with the person, not the thing. Your free shake was not about the money, it was about stopping a bad moment for someone. We are all just out here trying to fix the small fires we can reach.

black.joel14d ago

Exactly, it's those small choices that add up. I once paid for the car behind me in a drive-thru just because they looked stressed. Fixing a tiny piece of someone's day costs so little but means everything.