Bait, Switch, Bait, Switch - At Checkers
Just a short one today. So, I see a TV ad for Checkers advertising their new fried chicken wings and an enticing - get 3 free wings - (giveaway date I believe was last Wednesday) on a selected day. So, being a lover of wings and thinking that this might be a good brand extension for Checkers - I make a mental note to check it out with my daughter.
So, on selected day - we travel into the main Woodstock Ga. fast food strip to Checkers about 4:30 PM — and indeed - see on the reader board for the unit — FREE WINGS today. So, excitedly we get in the `inside line’ - the one where the passenger (me) will be dealing with the food. No one is even at Checkers in either line.
We immediately see on the orderboard that there are varieties of wings - and are again - excited. And, then - we wait. And wait. And wait. Even while no car is in line that we can see (they could have been waitng on a car in the other lane at the window). Indeed, as we wait, another car has now pulled into the `other’ outside lane. And we hear their orderspeaker go off - followed moments later - by ours saying “you will need to get into the other line”.
So, bummed out - having been there at least 3 minutes - we back up and maneuver (first bait and switch) into the other lane — to be quickly pinned in from behind by another car. Yikes. But, about a minute later, we pull up and are greeted with `do you want to try our wings today’ - yes, we call out. We explain that we have two folks in the car and can we get 6 FREE wings.
To that, we are told - “to get FREE wings you have to make a purchase” and also that for 6 wings we would need to purchase TWO items - and that - oh yeah, only 1 of the 5 varieties was available for FREE.
Now, we were really trapped - the car that had pulled ahead was still waiting for food and looking into the rear I could see the other car behind us. BUT, the car behind us, evidently, heard our conversation (about having to make purchases for the free samples) and was beginning to back up and out of the parking lot- even before we decided what to do.
Now having a choice to leave made our decision easy - so, we said - with anger — `forget it - that is not free’ - and backed out of the unit ourselves.
I doubt we will return for wings.
(This reminds me of Quizno’s screwed up giveaway only months ago.)
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