The other day, I stopped by Sonic for a little breakfast and a Diet Coke. It was pretty early and there were very few cars there. As I pulled up, I saw a young woman that works most mornings walk past on her way back to the door after delivering an order.
She asked if I wanted my regular order, which consists of a grilled chicken sandwich and a Route 44 Diet Coke. I nodded my head and told her thank you. A minute later, the amount due appeared at the bottom of the little screen, and I paid with a credit card. My morning was going well so far.
Then it hit me: She did not offer me an “extra” as required by Sonic law, which meant that I was entitled to a coupon worth $2 off my next visit. I am not really a fan of being asked if I want something else every time I order, but I understand why they do it. It doesn’t cost them anything, and any additional sale that comes from the question is all bonus. My irritation as a result of being offered tator tots with my order is not to such a degree that I want to go somewhere else. Plus, Sonic is right on the way to my office.
As I pondered my good fortune, I began to wonder who exactly had to pay the $2. Would the girl that remembered me and my order have to pay? Does the specific Sonic location have to pay the $2, or is the loss passed on to the location where the coupon is used? Maybe the Sonic corporation foots the bill. If the worker has to pay, is that fair since a large number of those coupons surely end up not being used? I found the issue to be a bit perplexing at 6:30 a.m.
After a minute or two, the obvious answer seemed to be the right one. I would simply forego my right to a $2 coupon in recognition of the good service that I had received. There was no reason to risk causing this young woman any harm because she went out of her way to serve me. When she delivered the order, I smiled and tipped her a dollar for her work. Little did she know, she might have actually gone from losing $2 to gaining $1. That is a $3 swing for those of you keeping score.
As I noted above, Sonic still serves Diet Coke. I said in last week’s column that it didn’t really matter to me whether a restaurant served Diet Coke or Pepsi. That being said, if Sonic served Pepsi, I would not go there. A Route 44 Diet Pepsi does nothing for me. I also learned last week that IHOP only serves Pepsi. I have no immediate plans to return to that establishment. Upon further reflection, I want to announce that my position is now that I will drink Pepsi if I have to, but I do not like it and would be satisfied if I never had to drink it again.
Back to the point. There are many times in life that we have the right or opportunity to do things that might not be wrong, but they are not really right. The above is a simple example of just one of those situations. Many times, life presents us with much more serious situations in which we can benefit ourselves at the expense of others. Life is full of winners and losers, and sometimes you have to take care of yourself first. On the other hand, ignoring the rights and the well being of others for no other reason than you can is rarely the right thing to do. That is true for everyone, especially those of us in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a criminal defense lawyer and co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway, and Fayetteville. He may be reached at Bill@JamesFirm.com.