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Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind

Full History - 2020 - 08 - 29 - ID#iine2d
69
Everyone’s least favorite regular (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by maemac
This man is very difficult. He gets the pumpkin cold brew modified. He comes in to order, and while the barista rung him up, the POS automatically charges for extra pumpkin. Sorry that’s just how it’s rung up! He demands we don’t charge him. Like throws a huge fit over 60 cents. Now normally this man, when he is unhappy with our service (which is often!!!) he would take to texting our manager on his personal phone. Our manager didn’t actually care for him, but made it so he was allowed to do whatever he wants. We have a new manager, extremely by the books. Soooo he was told he had to pay the 60 cents, honestly we are all still kind of scared of the new manager so we are trying to do everything perfectly to standards. He asks to speak to a shift, who tells him the same thing. So instead of just paying the extra fucking 60 cents, he refuses, asks for all of our names as well as our dm and manager, FLIPS US OFF, and calls us FUCKING BITCHES on his way out the door!!!! So we report that incident immediately. We are hoping this is the straw that will get his ass banned. Well cut to later, I (shift in charge) am on my lunch when one of my baristas calls me to say he is in the drive through. I tell them to do the same, as I’m not into going against what my coworkers say. I know that’s why he came hours later, hoping it was a new crew. Well surprise surprise, he refuses to pay the 60 cents!!! I see him drive away angrily, on his phone. Here we go... 10 minutes later, I am on the phone with our dm! I give her the rundown. Of course she says “well this is the first I’ve heard of this customer” like yea...if I called the dm and told her about every single customer that gave us a hard time?!? So she says he is right and not to charge him. Sure that’s fine, but my problem lies with the fact that he completely disrespects us, called a bunch of women working fucking bitches, but you’re more concerned about making the moment right?!?! So I tell her “I don’t have a problem with the drink, but no one at this store feels comfortable serving him”. Like stop fucking dancing around the actual point! I want you to address that the way he speaks to us and treats us is NOT OKAY, and he can NOT get away with it. I want you to support US, your team, not this douchebag who sits at our drive thru window after hours leering at us because we won’t serve him!!!

I think I’m done with this company. Everyday it’s something else that makes me feel sick to my stomach. At this point, they don’t want to even pretend they care about us. A $5 drink sale is more important than your employees’ safety. Very interesting.
annoyinglyuseless 10 points 2y ago
We just had the new training and it definitely says that a customer can be banned for this kind of behavior. Especially since your manager saw, she should be the one that brings it up to your dm about how he treats you guys and how rude he was and how nobody feels safe to even serve him or take his order. If your dm does nothing, your manager (or you) is to go above your dm to your rm. and now you can threaten to call the cops due to his behavior, which sounds like constant harassment, honestly, as long as you point out the new “third place guidelines” you’re golden. That’s how our sm explained it to us and we’ve had to kick out a few customers and have been asked why, and haven’t had any issues as in backlash or someone scared for their job.
maemac [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Thank you for this, I will relay the message to my team! My manager actually wasn’t there, though she was informed immediately. And this is her first week at our store. It was our previous manager that was aware so unfortunately this is our new managers introduction to this particular customer
JCaligirl420 3 points 2y ago
I’m so sorry you guys have to deal with this. I’m at my breaking point and have been looking for a new job, I hope I can find something ASAP, all I ask for is health insurance lol, I can’t handle working for a company that values their customers more than their employees to where they will let us be placed in a difficult and possibly dangerous situation more often than not.

We have a customer that was banned about 3 years ago for being sexually inappropriate to one of our baristas, well he’s been coming back in and he’s still creepy af, they “can’t” find the original ban of him so he gets to come in every day, two out of us on the management team are male and they just bend over backwards for this dick, I get sick to my stomach, get so angry, and upset when he comes in, yet here he is!
[deleted] 2 points 2y ago
I really hate it when I'm told that dealing with this type of thing is just part of the job. If this happened to men they would 100% ban them.
JCaligirl420 1 points 2y ago
This would never happen to men as much as it does to women. One of the guys I woke with was like why does it happen when only women are here and I said because people think women are vulnerable and won’t pull this shit when a man is around.
maemac [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Yep, our store is majority women. When he is glaring at us through the window after hours, it’s usually me (a woman) and 2 much younger girls. We’ve also had multiple men at the window say to multiple girls “are you on your period or something?” Makes me super sick
Lilium816 -37 points 2y ago
Customer service at Starbucks is probably the easiest thing in the world.

Outside of refunding stuff, just give them whatever they're asking for. "I don't wanna pay the extra 60 cents" "I'm sorry sir but there's no way around it for me to ring up the drink the way you want it." "I don't care I don't wanna pay for it" "Sure thing, here ya go!"

I do stuff like this on a regular basis. I'm not nice because I'm a bootlicker or love every customer. I just do whatever it takes to get them out of my face the fastest.
cilantroprince 33 points 2y ago
from my experience that completely enables them. when a regular or semi-regular realizes that if the kick up a fuss to get what they want or that all it takes is a bit of arguing to get things cheaper or free they will use. that. believe me they will use that. put your foot down, and when a man wants to act like this one, all you can do is tell him no enough so that he gives up, or just keep filing incident reports until you can ban them. either way it’s better than having repeat offenders that can walk all over you
Lilium816 1 points 2y ago
I've had this happen several times, if a customer regularly starts to get ornary get your SM or DM involved. It's not your responsibility as a SSV or Barista to try and stand up to these people.
jackissosick 5 points 2y ago
I give people free shit all the time because I stopped caring a long time ago. But if a customer is rude for no real reason, I absolutely will mess up their drink on purpose and never give them any sort of discount on anything. I now have 0 patience for people who are rude for no reason
Lilium816 1 points 2y ago
Congratulations you are 0% better than that customer.
jackissosick 2 points 2y ago
I would never be rude to anyone for no reason but I'm not gonna let people get what they want just by making a scene
maemac [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Oh it’s not about the 60 cents. I don’t give a fuck, he can have the drink for free. But what you will not do as a customer is flip off my baristas and call us fucking bitches. This is the problem I had with the DM, completely glazed over the fact that he is abusive, to point out it’s no big deal to give him what he wants.
Lilium816 1 points 2y ago
Did he do that before or after you denied his request?
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