Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Is this fireable? Venti rant included (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by omgtee
So I had the worst customer ever today. I’ve been working at sbux for a few months (302xxxx) and have dealt with angry customers before but no one has ever made Em want to cry and left me physically shaken like the one today.
Basically the customer ordered one of those doppios in a venti with foam, etc etc. I was told to fill up those kind of drinks to the third line, so We did. I hand the drink to the customer and they freak out saying that that’s not what they ordered, proceed to tell me their actual order (the exact drink the baristas made) and then started yelling about how they will get me fired and asked for my name and whatnot.
At this point I was on the verge of tears, I was shaking. It had already been a stressful day. So I shut the window and asked for help. Then proceeded to leave the floor to calm myself down. After about five minutes I got back into the floor and finished my shift while shaking and trying not to cry the whole time.
Could I get fired for slamming the window on the customer? And for leaving the floor? What happens if I get a complaint?
Basically the customer ordered one of those doppios in a venti with foam, etc etc. I was told to fill up those kind of drinks to the third line, so We did. I hand the drink to the customer and they freak out saying that that’s not what they ordered, proceed to tell me their actual order (the exact drink the baristas made) and then started yelling about how they will get me fired and asked for my name and whatnot.
At this point I was on the verge of tears, I was shaking. It had already been a stressful day. So I shut the window and asked for help. Then proceeded to leave the floor to calm myself down. After about five minutes I got back into the floor and finished my shift while shaking and trying not to cry the whole time.
Could I get fired for slamming the window on the customer? And for leaving the floor? What happens if I get a complaint?
rio8envy7 90 points 1y ago
Nah. Sounds like the customer was just being pissy. If it were me I would maybe talk to a shift or SM about the situation after it happened so I beat the customer to the punch and maybe get some feedback about a better way to handle the situation better if it happens again. Next time if they’re giving you a hard time you get your shift or SM and let them handle it. You’re not going to get fired for closing the window on someone. You’d have to be really bad to a customer to get fired without coaching or a warning.
omgtee [OP] 15 points 1y ago
Thank you, I feel a lot better now. And I’ll definitely take that advice
rio8envy7 15 points 1y ago
Of course. We had a lady come through our DT 2 or 3 times and ripped the barista a new one. Cursed her out, yelled so loudly I could hear it in the back, and scared this girl she was shaking. You should never be verbally abused by a customer and I’m sure your shift would understand needing some time to calm down. It’s going to be ok. :)
francescugh 22 points 1y ago
i hate how tiktok has tried promoting the “latte hacks” for cheaper. we’re not supposed to add more than a certain amount of any milk (is it 4oz? i forgot :P) before it becomes a latte. she shouldve ordered an iced latte and called it a day. if ur broke, starbucks isnt the coffee stop for u.
Meggilli91 13 points 1y ago
Nah you did the right thing walking away to relax and have someone else deal with it. None of us get paid enough to be verbally abused. Don’t sweat it
nioyakult 11 points 1y ago
no. i’m sure your shift calmed them down and remade their drink. you didn’t even physically make the drink and even if you did, mistakes happen. you’re human. sometimes it’s best to just leave the situation altogether and let your shift handle it. all you can do in those situations is apologize and offer to remake their drink. you’ll be ok:-)
mrbubblegxm 9 points 1y ago
omg no i’ve done that 3 dif times and i was fine
Decent_Macaron3444 6 points 1y ago
ive done this before (in cafe tho, i dont work at s dt) n i was fine
-beam-me-up- 6 points 1y ago
Omg nooo don't worry about it, you did fine, that customer just needs to know their place (which is nowhere on this planet lol). I'd ask for the shift or manager next time so they can deal with that. We don't get paid enough for their shit.
spensyr 4 points 1y ago
I’ve shut the window on several rude customers’ before. One even called me an asshole and I shrugged and shut the window in her face. My supervisors just laughed. You’ll be fine.
here_forthefun 4 points 1y ago
Definitely not a fireable offense. You did the right thing by doing what’s best for you, calming yourself down and asking for help knowing you needed it to deescalate the situation
Animuthrowawayplz 3 points 1y ago
Just want to add along with telling your shift or sm, which is the best thing to do. And that you won't get fired for this sort of thing. Things that will get you fired and cursing at a customer or causing physical harm or stealing. I've had co workers get argumentative with customers and they not even get written up, but that's just my store. Obviously don't do that.
darling2 3 points 1y ago
Disengaging is honestly a pretty good move for everyone involved so I’d say you actually did the right thing. Def not close to fireable. ❤️ Feel better, you deserve better. Hugs from another 302xxxx
omgtee [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Update: customer dropped my name in a public face book post :) it was on a neighborhood page (the neighborhood where my work is located) so now I’m afraid to go to work
darling2 2 points 1y ago
Holy shit. What a fucking psycho. Over COFFEE. I’m trying to put myself in your shoes and imagine what I would do… I’d *really* want to say something back on Facebook but I think I’d just bite my tongue and request to my SM that we deny them service if they ever return. The naming you on Facebook is the game changer for me. They went WAY, WAY too far.
honey-green-tea 3 points 1y ago
I always always ALWAYS will tell my beans that if you feel uncomfortable, you can step away and shut the window. Customer connection scores are less important than your mental stability.
Kayp22296 2 points 1y ago
Probably not. As a shift myself, I am usually pretty quick to stand by my partners when it comes to awful customers. Unless my partner does something awful back, I usually talk it out with my store manager and all is well. I usually write incident reports too. Sometimes, all those types of customers need is an apology (even if it’s not warranted) and a remake or recovery card. I usually tell them that’s the best I can do for them and leave it there.
omgtee [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Update: customer posted about me and dropped my name on a public FB page (a page for the neighborhood which the sbux I work at is in) so now I’m afraid to go to work
dontlook4tme 3 points 1y ago
definitely tell your manager about this so they know you feel unsafe and if your name is on your apron see if you can cover it/ use a different name
ayrihanae 2 points 1y ago
Ask your manager if it’s okay to wear a different name on your name tag for a while. That may make it feel safer at work.
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