I witnessed something interesting last week when I purchased my lunch at a Subway restaurant near my home. I was in line behind a group of young girls, I would estimate their age somewhere between 15 – 18. The restaurant was really busy, as Subway tends to be in the middle of the day. To make matters worse the poor girls behind the counter were horribly understaffed, as two girls were making sandwiches for a line of people that wrapped nearly all the way to the back of the store. Two of the girls just in front of me ordered their subs, I didn’t notice what the first girl ordered but the second ordered something with turkey on it. I know because she asked to have it toasted, which meant she ended up in line just behind me. The line at the register had really backed up, and the people at the counter were making sandwiches for those about 10 steps away from the cash register. When the cashier asked the girl in front of me what she ordered she answered, “a veggie sub.” I didn’t think anything of it. I paid for my meal and was putting the change in my wallet, when I heard the cashier ask what the girl behind me ordered. The second girl said, “a veggie sub.”
Could the girl have forgotten what she ordered? Is it possible that she usually orders a veggie sub, but today ordered a turkey sub and forgot? Or could the girl have realized that the line was long, the cashier was busy, and thus opted to tell the cashier she was purchasing the veggie because it was cheaper? It’s difficult to know whether this was a legitimate mistake or a blatant lie. I’m hoping it was a mistake, after all what kind of world do we live in when a consumer won’t tell the truth about the type of sub she ordered?