Drive-thru or park?
Here’s a debate for you to think about; parking your vehicle or using the drive-thru. Drive-thru’s were designed to keep the busy person moving along. To a lot of people, taking the drive-thru means we save time from getting out of our vehicle. But really, does it save us that much time?
We have so many drive-thru’s in our society now that it almost seems unreal. I’ve seen drive-thru’s for coffee, for fast food restaurants, for beer stores, banks and even one at a variety store! Come on now, does it really save us much at all? I rarely use a drive-thru. I’ve done it for coffee if there isn’t anyone in front of me. I can’t see waiting in line for a long period of time. It also wastes fuel while sitting there.
So many times I see the drive-thru lane so full, that after I’ve parked, gone inside to make my purchase and walk out, those same drivers are still in the drive-thru lane. What time have they saved? As far as I’m concerned, they’ve wasted a lot of time and fuel. My advice is this; if you want to use the drive-thru, ensure your order isn’t too much. Remember, the people inside that establishment still have to prepare your order. The bigger the order, the longer the wait. Going inside can not only save some time, but also save some fuel.
What are your reasons for using the drive-thru? Is it because you think it’s quicker? Is it because you’d rather not get out of our vehicle? Or, is it because you’re wearing funny slippers and you don’t want other people to see them? Wait, that could just be my reason!
I’ve had students who have asked me if they could go through the drive-thru to see if they can do it successfully. Since I didn’t want to confuse anyone at Tim Horton’s, I decided to use the drive-thru at the bank. We didn’t need to speak with anyone, so all was good. The tricky part is getting close enough to the machine without hitting the concrete posts.
Going through the drive-thru is all about spatial awareness. You need to know where your bumpers and tires are. We teach our students at Young Drivers of Canada a unique exercise to help them understand this. Once they do, their confidence soars! They can do these tight maneuvers with ease. I think that all drivers need to have this skill.
I’ve watched many drivers hit the posts outside of drive-thru’s and at gas stations. If you have a difficult time judging small spaces and your vehicle, avoid driving in small spaces. It’s that simple. It’s either that, or learn to judge your vehicle better. Maybe this is a god time to park the vehicle and avoid the drive-thru lanes altogether.
Just yesterday I was with my kids in the car and I said that we were going to stop at the bank so I could make a deposit. I told them that it wouldn’t take long, because the branch has a drive-thru.
The 3 year-old turned to the 7 year-old and informed him:
“Yeah, and they also have a ‘go-in’ too.”
See….you need to listen to your kids!
Another great article Scott. When the line has more than 3 cars in it, I definitely park and go in to order. There are a few combination locations (Tim’s and Wendy’s) where it is simply nuts to go through the line.
And who cares if your slippers are fuzzy!! It makes you interesting and so self assured that you’d be comfortable in a coffee shop or whatever ordering in comfy footwear.
Keep up the interesting articles. I’ll keep RT’ing you on twitter.
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