McDonalds Employee Fired for Being Competent

Maria Spitz, a Stockton, California McDonalds cashier, was fired last week for getting orders right and handing back correct change.

"Normally we can overlook a competent employee," said Chuck Upham, the firing manager, "But Ms. Spitz continued being friendly, getting orders right and speaking unbroken English despite numerous warnings that she was disrupting our normal customer service."

The firing was met with mixed reactions.

"It was bad enough that she was openly friendly and courteous to our customers," said Maria's shift-leader who asked to remain anonymous, "But she also showed up to work on time, which constantly threw off our labor numbers."

"She was a total freakazoid," according to Sandie Birnbaum, one of Maria's co-workers. "She was always, like, smiling and cheerful. It was almost like she was happy to be here. She wouldn't even answer her cell phone while she was taking orders. What's up with that?"

"We tried everything possible prior to letting Ms. Spitz go", said Upham. "We placed her in the back making burgers. We stuck her on drive-thru. But everywhere we put her, she continued to not make mistakes. That kind of work ethic might be welcome elsewhere, but in the fast food business consistency matters. Customers expect us to maintain a certain level of service when they enter our restaurant, and Ms. Spitz did not deliver that.

"Something as simple as Ms. Spitz's habit of always thanking a custormer, can lead to confusion among our customers, and that's simply something we can't tolerate as a business," added Upham.

"It made me uncomfortable," said Wendy Taylor, a regular customer at the restaurant. "I mean, what are you supposed to do when someone behind the counter thanks you and acts like they really mean it? How do you respond to that? Am I supposed to say, you're welcome? It was just too weird."

"The real problem wasn't that she [Maria] was competent," according to Joann Pendergrass, a fictional spokesperson for the burger giant. "The problem was that her helpful and friendly attitude created customer confusion and disrupted the whole team."

Ms. Spitz was unavailable for comment.