I read an article about a year ago in a management magazine (I was bored in a Dr's office) about how difficult it was to get decent help in the world of fast food and other basic retail counter work. The general hassles the management had to deal with when it came to people not showing up for work, or being idiotic were painful to read about - but their excuse was simple - they were usually at the point of hiring ANY warm body because they didn't have the luxury of being choosy with applicants. Of course, ya have to think about the kind of people who would consider fast food as a great career choice - while many of us used it on the way to better things, there are more in that boat because its all they can do...and that they can't do it well is really sad.
Another experience I had the other day at a fast food restaurant - I had GREAT service from a guy who was wonderfully friendly and who even ended up bringing the meal to our table when things were a bit slow. I thought - wow...that was unusual and very pleasant...then realized that this guy was made for working a fast-food cashier station, and probably nothing else. As a manager - what the heck do you do with that knowledge - that moving this guy up would not be a benefit to your organization because he is great at what he is currently doing.
I'm so happy to not be in management.