Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Trenta vent stuffed aggressively into a grande cup (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by voxinx
I am absolutely going to lose my mind. Like actually balls to the wall lose it with the type of customers we’ve had lately.
Today was a long, busy and frustrating day, callouts, running out of product, etc.
I come in at 5:30am and at 2pm, I’m exhausted and just ready to clock out but I stayed a little to help the shift get stocked and ready.
A gentleman is talking to the partner we have on register, asking for a frapp “without coffee.” I politely say, the cream version is the same except we don’t have any coffee at all added to the frapp so you don’t even taste it if you don’t like it and I go on to explain the difference between a decaffeinated frapp and a cream base frapp. My first mistake was talking with my hands.
I talk with my hands alot, usually at waist level to explain things. I was using my one hand to gesture to one “option” and it’s differences between the second “option”. He gets visibly angry and I thought it was because he didn’t understand.
He then picks up his hand, and closes it like the Italian hand gesture (the only way I know how to describe it) and starts throwing it around in my face telling me I’m “being distracting with my hand gestures and that he can’t focus.”
....
........
............
I’ve heard a lot of stupid things, I’ve worked at McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin, etc.
I just apologize and he makes a shit eating grin and says, “Just make the cream one since it sounds like it’s so easy for you.”
Retelling this, I feel like I’m smoking crack.
I just excuse myself and apologize, make his frapp and then hear from my fellow partner that he demanded to talk to management because he thinks I was trying to “intimidate him and rush him with my hands, and that he hates that”.
I’m 5’5 and a very meek guy. I’m literally in shock at how ridiculous this all sounds. I laugh it off but the more I think about it, the more I’m just bamboozled by this thought process and audacity. Making the moment right by apologizing for....using my hands to talk is the best customer connection I’ve had!
TL;DR: A customer thought I was trying to intimidate him through the Italian hand gestures while talking about a frapp.
Today was a long, busy and frustrating day, callouts, running out of product, etc.
I come in at 5:30am and at 2pm, I’m exhausted and just ready to clock out but I stayed a little to help the shift get stocked and ready.
A gentleman is talking to the partner we have on register, asking for a frapp “without coffee.” I politely say, the cream version is the same except we don’t have any coffee at all added to the frapp so you don’t even taste it if you don’t like it and I go on to explain the difference between a decaffeinated frapp and a cream base frapp. My first mistake was talking with my hands.
I talk with my hands alot, usually at waist level to explain things. I was using my one hand to gesture to one “option” and it’s differences between the second “option”. He gets visibly angry and I thought it was because he didn’t understand.
He then picks up his hand, and closes it like the Italian hand gesture (the only way I know how to describe it) and starts throwing it around in my face telling me I’m “being distracting with my hand gestures and that he can’t focus.”
....
........
............
I’ve heard a lot of stupid things, I’ve worked at McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin, etc.
I just apologize and he makes a shit eating grin and says, “Just make the cream one since it sounds like it’s so easy for you.”
Retelling this, I feel like I’m smoking crack.
I just excuse myself and apologize, make his frapp and then hear from my fellow partner that he demanded to talk to management because he thinks I was trying to “intimidate him and rush him with my hands, and that he hates that”.
I’m 5’5 and a very meek guy. I’m literally in shock at how ridiculous this all sounds. I laugh it off but the more I think about it, the more I’m just bamboozled by this thought process and audacity. Making the moment right by apologizing for....using my hands to talk is the best customer connection I’ve had!
TL;DR: A customer thought I was trying to intimidate him through the Italian hand gestures while talking about a frapp.
Michigoose99 21 points 3y ago
This wasn't about a drink or even about your hand gestures. This was about him making himself feel bigger and more important by publicly degrading you when he was in a position of relative power and you couldn't do anything to properly retaliate.
People have problems. 🙄 I hope that after he spoke to management - your manager or SSV reassured you that this was him, not you. ♥️
People have problems. 🙄 I hope that after he spoke to management - your manager or SSV reassured you that this was him, not you. ♥️
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