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I know that when I first started working retail about ten or so years ago I would get upset and take everything personally. If a customer got annoyed or something was wrong I'd feel like it was my fault and my responsibility. I'm not sure what shifted, but I sort of improved my anxiety as I got older and now I just... Don't care. It's just coffee. If anything I'm amused and puzzled by people who get upset about something like a frappucino, and if they're late for something because we're lined up out the parking lot then that's on them for not accommodating the risk. I just can't imagine what going through life is like for these people who berate servers and retail workers and I don't know why they all seem to come to Starbucks, but it's a strange combination of anger and entitlement that I honestly don't have time to care about. I just make the coffee, and they can raise as much hell about it as they want. It's not my fault and my job isn't on the line.

I'll make them a new drink if they raise a fuss, but other than that I tell them to take it to corporate and I have a funny story to tell my coworkers and friends later. It helps to have a good team and managers that have your back, but at the end of the day it's kind of a matter of not giving a fuck. A lot of things deserve your emotional investment in life. Rude customers aren't one of those things, nor are most jobs.

Anyway, the true advice from me is to be objective and polite, even if you're telling them something they don't want to hear. Also, don't feed them with repeated apologies. Just a "Sorry about the mix up! Have a nice day!" is fine. Don't explain why their drink was wrong or offer any more information. Angry people just want to get a rise out of whomever they're accosting to justify their annoyance at petty things, and if you stay cool and collected then they might realize that they're being an ass. Just because a customer is getting emotional about a drink doesn't mean that you have to match that energy. Conserve it for yourself.

You can also just give them decaf espresso.

The only way I’ve found for dealing with it is going to therapy and trying to figure out how to not get so worked up over how customers and other partners treat me.

I just keep telling myself "I never have to do this day ever again." They not to give a Karen the ability to ruin *your* day. Sometimes, people are just going to be mad and there's nothing you can do about it but smile.

Honestly I just duck my head down, zone out, and power through. Sometimes people are real dicks, but I reserve the right to not serve them if they overstep their bounds. Someone on here once said that if the worst thing to happen to a person in their day is that their coffee isn’t exactly how they want it, they’re doing just fine so I try to keep that in mind and not let it bother me. That said all these assholes have finally caught up to me and I just put in my two weeks lol