Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Silent customer during peak (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Starlett_Hudson
I was on bar today and my coworker was taking this mans order. She was on cafe bar, and he ordered a pour over during our busiest hours. The man was on a phone call and wouldn’t order verbally at us, and would instead mouth his order and wouldn’t confirm each time we asked if it was correct. This went on for almost ten minutes before my coworker just proceeded to make the pour over, and I go back to drive through bar.
I decided to hand the customer his drink to let my coworker take a breather, and the man wanted cream on the side. He mouthed this to me six times, getting angrier each time, before yelling at me. He then held up a twenty, and said that my coworker hadn’t taken his payment. I went to ring him up, all while trying to handle all the people with mobile orders in the drive through, and he threw his change and stormed out.
All of this while still being on the phone
I decided to hand the customer his drink to let my coworker take a breather, and the man wanted cream on the side. He mouthed this to me six times, getting angrier each time, before yelling at me. He then held up a twenty, and said that my coworker hadn’t taken his payment. I went to ring him up, all while trying to handle all the people with mobile orders in the drive through, and he threw his change and stormed out.
All of this while still being on the phone
NervosaNervous 131 points 2y ago
“I’m sorry, sir. We cannot read minds, so you’ll have to tell us what your order is next time. The person on the phone can wait.”
Starlett_Hudson [OP] 68 points 2y ago
Sorry sir that wasn’t covered in my training
casprinjuniper 92 points 2y ago
Y'all are so much nicer than I would have been.
I'm okay with a mouthed thank you, I still think it's rude to be in the phone, but I'm okay with that. Ordering and mouthing your order? Fuck. No.
I would have pulled out my passive aggressive sweet self and acted like I couldn't figure it out.
I'm okay with a mouthed thank you, I still think it's rude to be in the phone, but I'm okay with that. Ordering and mouthing your order? Fuck. No.
I would have pulled out my passive aggressive sweet self and acted like I couldn't figure it out.
Starlett_Hudson [OP] 28 points 2y ago
I feel like I should have done that :/
casprinjuniper 36 points 2y ago
Don't feel bad. I have a true gift with being passive aggressive, I was never taught to communicate in a healthy manner. 😆
My very favorite story was a woman that got upset with me for not separating her payment and her loading her card. It was done before she asked me to do it separate and she was rude AF about it. I explained very clearly she was getting her points, etc. She's like, "WELL THEY DON'T DO IT LIKE THAT AT MY STORE." Mind you this is during the peak of Covid, she's in our drive thru and she CRAWLS OUT HER TRUCK WINDOW. I'm not fucking kidding. Half her body was outside her fucking truck window, I have no idea how she braced herself out like that. 😆 My SM is off the floor in the middle of a meeting but had a headset on to monitor if we need help. SM sees this and starts hissing in my earpiece telling me to tell this woman to get out of our faces and I ended up having to call my SM over to deal with her. Smiled so sweetly when I handed her drinks out and was just disgustingly sweet to her.
A week later she came back. I recognized her right away and did the reload just like I did last time. She started a sentence about seperating the order payment and reload but I was faster and already had it done. I cut her off mid sentence (super sweet voice of course) and was like, "Oh. So sorry! But ma'am, my manager spoke to you last week about this issue." Acted all confused like I hadn't remembered her at first.
Fuck man. That still gives me a high. I'm going to hell. 🤣🤣🤣✌️
TBF she was extremely rude. I will bend over backwards if a customer is polite, but not with people like this.
My very favorite story was a woman that got upset with me for not separating her payment and her loading her card. It was done before she asked me to do it separate and she was rude AF about it. I explained very clearly she was getting her points, etc. She's like, "WELL THEY DON'T DO IT LIKE THAT AT MY STORE." Mind you this is during the peak of Covid, she's in our drive thru and she CRAWLS OUT HER TRUCK WINDOW. I'm not fucking kidding. Half her body was outside her fucking truck window, I have no idea how she braced herself out like that. 😆 My SM is off the floor in the middle of a meeting but had a headset on to monitor if we need help. SM sees this and starts hissing in my earpiece telling me to tell this woman to get out of our faces and I ended up having to call my SM over to deal with her. Smiled so sweetly when I handed her drinks out and was just disgustingly sweet to her.
A week later she came back. I recognized her right away and did the reload just like I did last time. She started a sentence about seperating the order payment and reload but I was faster and already had it done. I cut her off mid sentence (super sweet voice of course) and was like, "Oh. So sorry! But ma'am, my manager spoke to you last week about this issue." Acted all confused like I hadn't remembered her at first.
Fuck man. That still gives me a high. I'm going to hell. 🤣🤣🤣✌️
TBF she was extremely rude. I will bend over backwards if a customer is polite, but not with people like this.
Starlett_Hudson [OP] 3 points 2y ago
I need to know what makes Starbucks employees in particular act like this
casprinjuniper 12 points 2y ago
Honestly. I think a big factor is that we can't stick up for ourselves. That "the customer is always right," even when they aren't and even when they are terribly rude. It's super not cool.
I mean. I love my store, my SM backs us when it's important (especially for our safety) but. It is still really stressful and with people that are purposely difficult...I like to give back some deserved karma without getting in trouble for ACTUALLY being rude or inappropriate.
I mean. I love my store, my SM backs us when it's important (especially for our safety) but. It is still really stressful and with people that are purposely difficult...I like to give back some deserved karma without getting in trouble for ACTUALLY being rude or inappropriate.
P_2_P 15 points 2y ago
I started asking them, “do you need a minute?” Then make it seems like I’m gonna start the person behind thems order.
mrhammerant 8 points 2y ago
Playing dumb is so delightfully effective.
fuxkyachickenstrips 6 points 2y ago
No kidding lmao or i would have just skipped him and let him stand there until he came to the counter and been like why hasn’t anyone taken my order? I would have apologized and said oh soooo sorry, I couldn’t understand you and didn’t want to interrupt your phone call. Our SM swears our customer connection only goes down when I’m there lmfao but I can’t handle that shit anymore.
DeadDear 2 points 2y ago
I’m super patient with customers but some of my coworkers are ruthless lol
lily-amber 1 points 2y ago
Yeah I’d have just walked away until he was done with his call. I want eye contact and respect when i’m taking your order. We aren’t just employees, we’re people.
ChemicalBarnacle 21 points 2y ago
I think personally it’s very rude for people to be taking an order while on the phone.
kIose 11 points 2y ago
I would just tell him I can't hear him. That behavior is not acceptable and you and your friend should not have to put up with that demeaning treatment.
Educational_Love7618 9 points 2y ago
I would mouth “fuck off”
Starlett_Hudson [OP] 8 points 2y ago
My SM would not have cared
bryceofswadia 9 points 2y ago
Mourning your order? Im gonna say “Sir, you’re going to have to verbally say your order or write it down because I can’t read lips.”
OMGitsJewelz 7 points 2y ago
I would have just talked so loud the person on the other side could hear you "IM SORRY SIR, BUT IF YOU COULD JUST PUT THE CALL ON HOLD OR STEP TO THE SIDE AND ORDER WHEN YOURE DONE, THANKS"
Starlett_Hudson [OP] 4 points 2y ago
I sent your reply to my coworker. She said she wishes I had done that. Would have been way more efficient.
greyplains 7 points 2y ago
I would have just handled him the braille menu...
elrobolobo 7 points 2y ago
Shoulda mouthed "WHAT?" back at him
Starlett_Hudson [OP] 3 points 2y ago
That would’ve worked I think
Swordxxxx 6 points 2y ago
I would’ve handed him the large print / Braille menu and told him if he doesn’t want to say his order at least show me on there what he wanted
Creepy-Classroom-974 5 points 2y ago
Would’ve taken the coins and chucked em at the back of his head. Fuck that.
hailvy 3 points 2y ago
At dtr today I had someone tell me “I’m on the phone” when I asked if they needed their receipt and straws for their drinks, and someone else just straight up say “don’t talk to me”
XMyshelX 3 points 2y ago
What’s crazy is most people wouldn’t believe this if they’ve never worked food service….. I have sooo many crazy stories after almost 20 yrs in the industry (almost 10 of that at the bux)
krym32zamoon 3 points 2y ago
I love interrupting people's phone calls. You're here for a service since you clearly don't care to connect. Let me do the bare minimum and at least make sure I'm getting your order correct. I'll take it down, read it back to them, ask if it's correct, do they want to use points, need a receipt, thank you and have a nice day the order will be ready at the end in a few minutes bye 👋🏻. All while they're looking at me annoyed that I'm trying to talk to them while they're on the phone call 😇
HappilyGia 3 points 2y ago
Ten minutes?! That is ridiculous :(
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