What would you call it?

[Tank_girl]

oh my god. Are we still effin talking about this, Seriously.

[Matt]

Evidently we are, but I'm not sure why it came up again.

-m

[Yukikaze]

I'd point at it and say "Dat 'un."

My friends expect this of me.

Really, though, you're getting unlimited soda for $1, unlimited soda for $1.50, and unlimited soda for $2.

[Nevrmore]

I'd drive my car through the window and then piss on the counter for not clearly labeling their different sizes.

Seriously guys I am totally hardcore I swear.

[Metcarfre]

No grande option?

For shame.

[Elomin Sha]

I'd drive my car through the window and then piss on the counter for not clearly labeling their different sizes.

Seriously guys I am totally hardcore I swear.

A man who knows what he wants and how to make it known.

[Lyinginbedmon]

Generally I avoid places like Starbucks, instead favouring a trio of cups I have here at home that are pretty big in my estimation.

However, when I'm at the cinema ordering a drink for the feature flick I'll usually judge there and then which to get based on how thirsty I already am, how much popcorn I'm having (Usually a static "Large" portion in this equation), and how long the film is.

[Annchan]

are we talking about starbucks? I didn't think so but I would like some clarification

[tamaness]

I thought the first post was worded in such a way that it could have been, but was not explicitly stated as being, Starbucks.

[Master Gunner]

From empath's first post, I'm guessing it has to do with frustration towards his own workplace, and from previous threads, I believe he works at a place that sells salads.

I could be totally wrong though, so don't mind me.

[Elomin Sha]

I'm still peeved a woman took valuable seconds out of my life today in a queue (Where all the top Brits hang out) wondering if she should have ice or not in her drink. Come on it's not hard.

[Unclever title]

What with the question asking about "size containers" my mind immediately went to tupper-ware/generic leftovers containers and I did not make the cognitive transition to fast food (at first anyway.)

So this question, and it's really my own fault here, confused me as I was imagining a grocery store where this situation would be very strange as it would make the most sense to just pick up the size you want.

I guess when it comes down to it I don't consider drinks to be sold in "containers" but in "cups" and in my mind fries come in "cartons" and salad comes in "bowls" so while the generic term container is completely valid I simply could not make the cognitive bridge to fast food until (oddly enough) right before I read the second post.

Anyway, if they were on display and I already had decided what size I wanted I'd point, it's faster. Unless of course I had to specify a drink (as in not self serve) then of course I'd specify the size as an adjective describing the drink since I'm ordering it verbally anyway.

Edit: In situation 2 I'd call it medium.

[Morgan]

TANK GIRL WINS THREAD OVER

[AwesomeAndrew]

Oh, I'd point. Just not with my fingers.


I'd use a cane.

[Jillers]

The option of "ask for a medium but in a way to avoid confusion that ends up confusing people more and just give up and point at it or agree with whatever the barista/cashier/server/whatever said" wasn't there, so I chose "point to it".
I also mime it's height.

[Evil Jim]

I would say "Second smallest, please." Why don't you have that option in the list when you used it to describe the situation?

[tak197]

I'd say "what is your smallest size?" then ask for the second smallest.

[Lyinginbedmon]

I'd say "what is your smallest size?" then ask for the second smallest.

I'm going to burn for this, but:

That's what she said.

[TheRocket]

I'd say "what is your smallest size?" then ask for the second smallest.

I'm going to burn for this, but:

That's what she said.

HAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHA. I think this is the thread winner. *bows to Lyinginbed*

[Annchan]

I still want to know if we are talking about starbucks here

[tamaness]

as far as I know, no, we are not talking about starbucks.

(on a related note, their London Fog is tasty. Had one today, at my boss's expense).

OP mentioned that he was talking mostly about where he works.

[Annchan]

empath needs to post and clarify

[Timelady]

I'd really like to think I'd do something sensible like point or pick it up, but I know myself too well. I'd probably end up gesturing wildly while saying something like "the thingy! You know, the thingy! Right there!"

My spaciness can be detrimental sometimes.

[empath]

Okay, guys...I think I've let you guys stew about this long enough.

(Honestly, I lost power for most of Wednesday with the big storm, and since then forgot to check back sooner; sorry Annchan. )

Firstly, Matt wins two internets for his sensible ideas on this (WTG, dude - ASKING "what do you have?"?!? seriously! )

Second, Master Gunner is pretty close; I'm gonna lay it all on the table now:

I work in the deli department of a Sobeys brand supermarket. We have a big salad case where people will frequently pick up some coleslaw or potato salad to go with their dinner.

Now, we've got four sizes of 'tubs' that we can spoon them into for you, and NO, there's no signage indicating what's what; they're just four¹ stacks of trapezoidal prismatic boxes sitting on the top of the salad display case, next to the pricing scale.

(trademark empath tangent: someone mentioned the problems of pointing; there's a similar issue with us, since the top of the case is a flat piece of stainless steel, and rather opaque. There's the big curved glass window to display the case to the customers in 'front' and the back is a nearly-vertical set of glass doors to get at the salads for dishing them up. I find it interesting when people point at the salad without saying what it is, since the top blocks my view of their hand so "I'll have a medium of that one" is patently useless to me...besides, there are SIGNS sticking up from the salad bowls; if you're illiterate in today's society, you have a tiny amount of pity from me, but FAR more likely, if you're just too damn lazy to read and say the salad name, you'd better hope my deepest desires don't get fulfilled, else your afterlife is gonna SUCK! )

Now we usually refer to these four sizes as 'small', 'medium', 'large' and 'extra-large'. Their quantities are (since they're made in the US) 8oz, 12oz, 16oz, and 32oz...yet since they're knowingly being made for a Canadian market, they've got their capacities in millilitres embossed on the bottom along with the brand marks.²

I find that most people go with the 's/m/l/xl' sizing, but I really don't care what a customer wants to refer to them; I'm game for anything as long as we eventually come to a consensus on it - call it a 'snazzoid' size, if you WANT!

And yes, a LOT of customers look them over and will either point to the one they want (often saying the size they consider it to be - sorry for omitting that, MadAlric ), or pick the container up and hand it to me.³

When I am confronted with this situation (series of containers, no labels or signs), I'll go with the majority (here at least; in my store it tends to be more like two-fifths) and point to the one I want, probably while expressing what I think it's called.

The situation that arises, is when someone asks for "a large vegetable potato" or "a large coleslaw", so I grab the 16oz container and start filling it while they're talking with someone else or rummaging through their shopping cart, or Praying to their Cellular God , only to barely hear them through the glass (since the upper half of my body is inside the case reaching for the salad they want) blurt "Oh! Is that a large?"

>sigh<

I don't care about the now-wasted plastic container (yeah, if Al Gore's desires come true, my afterlife's gonna suck ), and even though the time 'wasted' by this misunderstanding is trivial by nearly any perspective, I still clench my jaw at the thought of it...thus the reason I started all this off.

ANYWAYS, it's been interesting to see how people respond to this, and I'm impressed with the perceptiveness and ability to communicate unambiguously of this froup!

EDIT:

@Timelady: you know - your behaviour would make me enjoy you as a customer. I never get flustered by that sort of thing, and I'd find this exchange interesting.

footnotes:
1. Well, usually four - sometimes we end up running out of stock in the 'small' or 'medium' and thus we'll only have three stacks. I'm so anal that I'll make a noticeable gap where the missing stack would sit, so as to hint the implication to the customers, but sometimes this will provoke people to point at a 16oz 'large' tub and say "I'll have a medium", which is understandable, since it's become the second smallest size there...but that's a different story.

2. Another sidenote of possible interest: the manufacturer's product ID numbers for these hinged-lid containers are in a series:(in order) 1024B, 1024M, 1024P and 1024G. I made a comparison to A&W's 'burger family' by referring to them as 'baby', 'momma', 'papa' and 'grampa' when someone had to go back into the stockroom to get some and didn't know which was which.

3. And in my last tangent, I have to admit that I dislike people picking the container up themselves, for no concievable reason I can come up with! I mean, once I fill it up and slap a price tag on it, I'm going to give it to them to carry off to the checkout, so why in heavens' name does this bug me?!?

(okay, THIS is the last tangent: IIRC, someone loved my use of footnoting in forum posts; if (s)he is so inclined, the superscripted numbers can be inserted anywhere by using 'Alt Codes' - hold down the ALT key, then type the three- or four-digit number out on the numeric keypad. When you release, the ALT key, the symbol is appended to your text. How it is displayed depends on the setup of the viewer/reader's computer.

¹ - 0185 (yes, you need the leading zero; SOME alt-codes only have three digits, but these DO.)
² - 0178
³ - 0179

Dunno what 'to the fourth power' is, since 0180 is an angled single quote/accent symbol, and 0177 is a "plus-minus" symbol...

[Metcarfre]

IIRC, someone loved my use of footnoting in forum posts.

Yayyyyyyyyyy!