My conversation with a fast food employee.....

[jediknight36]

Unless they do the research, they will never know. Print out a flyer, hand them one and smile. Thats all I would say to those people.

[jetfuel]

...make your flyer with some of this info..

Shop at asmartcar.com

jetfuel

[CruzinSusan]

Empathizing:

Drive up to DQ in Lincoln City...

(at menu with microphone

"Ymphq?"

"Chicken sandwich and milk, please."

"Thwwa?"

"Small milk."

($4.60 flashes onto screen.)

(Creep mode to window.)

"$4.60here'syourmilkyouwannastraw?"

"Here you go, and yes, please."

"Weird car."

"I like it."

"It's not safe. I wouldn't even ride in it."

"It is a 5 star rated - pretty safe."

"No, it isn't. Ugly too."

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have one, then."

(hands me sack)

"Butt-ugly."

"More napkins, please, and I'd appreciate you not insulting me anymore."

"Just sayin'. It's really ugly."

"You're so kind. Thank you."

(drive around to front door, park, get out, and go in. Asking for the manager, catch Bubba's eye - I grin wide.)

Related my extreme displeasure at being insulted by a snot-nosed kid who was taking my money. Received coupon for $10 and profuse apology.

Oh, and the following week, bright, cheery gal at the window...

[smartHHO]

nice one Suize

[sunnyokanagan]

1st visit to certain filling station...
Lady cashier says, I hear they get great mileage but they are REALLY ugly.
Me: Yep, $8 got me here from Kelowna (250 miles).

2nd visit to same station, three weeks later...
Cashier: Those DO get great mileage but they are REALLY ugly.
Me: Now be nice. I never said anything about your hair, did I.

[H1 HOWITZER]

Originally Posted by blackbeagle

I had lunch at a local White Castle (fast food burger joint for those that live outside the Midwest) in St. Paul this afternoon. I was at the drive through when she initiated the conversation. She was a heavier set girl.

Girl: I've seen these cars before, are they safe?
Me: See this black thing on the outside? It's a roll cage. Not many cars have it. So yeah...it's pretty safe for a small car
Girl: I don't know if I'd feel safe in something that small
Me: What do you drive?
Girl: Saturn
Me: Oh...OK. (looking to my right I see her blue mid 90s Saturn coupe in the employee parking area.
Girl: What kind of mileage does this get?
Me: In the winter time it's been getting mid 30s.
Girl: That's it? Wow, I thought they would get 50-60mpg. My Saturn almost gets 30 mpg
Me (at this point, getting annoyed that it's getting cold and my window's down so I can have this boring conversation): Can I get some extra ketchup with that?
Girl: Yeah...it's in the bag.
Me: Thanks. Have a good one. Enjoy the Saturn (as I drove away).

I probably shouldn't have said the last comment. I know she was just making conversation but I just couldn't help myself

Funny

[SmartBob]

A good response to the "Ugly" comment. They ARE in the Museum of Modern Art.

[smartYsmileS]

~ The first and ONLY time that I ran into someone that knew about Smart cars was when I went through a McDonalds drive thru. The asked " OMG, is that a Smart car? Those cars are really safe ". He then leaned back inside and shouted " You guys come here, there is a Smart car outside! ".

I will give credit to that guy, he has been the only one to date

Perhaps seeing cool cars is the highlight of their day??

[BigWarpGuy]

Originally Posted by smartYsmileS

~ The first and ONLY time that I ran into someone that knew about Smart cars was when I went through a McDonalds drive thru. The asked " OMG, is that a Smart car? Those cars are really safe ". He then leaned back inside and shouted " You guys come here, there is a Smart car outside! ".

I will give credit to that guy, he has been the only one to date

Perhaps seeing cool cars is the highlight of their day??

Perhaps seeing a line of Smarts going through the drive through would have sent him into shock?

[NCC1701]

I've had mostly positive comments in the drive throughs, although most were the typically uninformed questions ... haven't had any negative or rude comments yet.

A few encounters stand out in my memory though.

1. Parking to go for walk in service at a Burger King, a female employee from the next-door McDonald's came running excitedly into her competitor's parking lot to query me about my car. Very friendly, enthusiastic, and honestly curious.

2. At another Burger King, while attempting to communicate with the order taker over that awful speaker ... the guy from the car behind me in line sticks his head in my window, inches from my face and asks me about the car's mpg, actually interrupting my ordering process!!! I just looked at him like the idiot he was and told him, "zero at the moment" ... he left me to complete my order.

Oh, just last evening, the manager at a Po' Folks restaurant followed me outside and we had a nice chat about cars & stuff. Seems he's had a number of small sports cars, including a Lotus. But, I think I failed to convey to him the safety features in the smart, as opposed to 30 year old sports cars ... even though I tried to.