I have always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. Okay, they were a horrible, awful human being that looked down at me... Maybe their cat just died. Maybe some drunk driver ran into their car last night and they had to take a bus ride to get here where the person that sat next to them smelled like old diapers. I don't know, whatever it is, I always try to reason with myself, with their mood and say "Maybe they are just having a horrible day."
But then I stand there and begin to wonder, Does this person know what we are going to say about them as soon as their gone?
I know that some people "just don't care what others think." But do you want to be the person that someone complains about for the rest of the day.
Man, my day was great, but that woman... What a horrible person.
So, what if the barista is already having a bad day? It's a hot, sweaty Saturday during summer vacation. The cafe is packed with tourists, people that don't speak english, teenagers that are hard to please, and grumpy people from standing in such a long line. Now, I understand, waiting for 10 minutes to order coffee sucks, but how do you think the barista feels?
The entire time you are standing in line, they stare at the line, wondering if it will ever stop. Wondering if they have time to go to the bathroom so they won't get another UTI from waiting as long as they did last time. Yes, it happens. Because people lack patience. And I'm guilty of it too. I stand there with my arms cross, looking annoyed. Sighing whenever the person behind the counter messes something up and it takes me longer to get a drink.
But here's the deal: Most of the time, it's not the barista's fault. "Oh, I told them Decaf" No, you didn't. You forgot - why? Probably because you drink decaf coffee. Maybe you should have the caffiene to wake up a little bit.
"I said no whip cream." Well, I'm sorry, that's not what your cup says. But I remain nice, I ask politely if I could just scoop it off the top. "No, remake." Because, well, this person probably only speaks coffee english and nothing else.
So, bad day, long lines, suffering from probably what will become a bladder infection, and this woman comes up to the counter. I'm making drinks and I can hear her being very specific. It's a green tea frappicino, probably the most annoying drink to make at Starbucks. In a tall: first line of whole milk, 2 scoops matcha powder, tall ice, 2 pumps of creme frappicino, 2 pumps of classic. The longest list of ingredients we have, and thus, the longest to make.
So this woman is waiting, getting more visably annoyed as I work on about 5 drinks at once. I put the drink down with whipped cream on top. She says she doesn't want the whip, I ask to take it off, she says no, it's gross, she doesn't want any of it. It's not my fault - maybe not even her fault - but she treats me like an idiot. Her cup said "WC" whipped cream. So, that's what I did. "Also," she adds, "Can I have some extra ice?"
Great. So I go, remake it, extra ice. She gets it, drinks a little and gives me a sour look. I make a few more drinks. She puts the cup down, "There's not enough ice in this."
"Okay, could I re-blend it with more ice then?"
"No, remake it, please." She spits out the please as if she has a rotten taste in her mouth.
Okay, this woman probably just had a really horrible day, right? She is probably just frustrated and wants her green tea frappicino perfect. So I pour another one down the drain. I start to remake it again, adding a ton of extra ice. She stops me, "Excuse me - ma'am -" Now, I'm not a ma'am. I'm a miss. I've never been married, I'm only 23, there is nothing that says it's okay for someone older than me to call me ma'am, as if talking to someone their parent's age.
"Can you add four more ice cubes." I grind my teeth.
The benefit of the doubt, at this point, is off. She pushed too far and too much at this point. I had a line out the door, ten or so drinks that needed to be made, but because she chose to complain, I had to spend my energy on her. Meanwhile, everyone else is getting just as annoyed at her, at me, at the whole staff. I turn around, ready to tell her exactly what I think about her, and my supervisor tells me to go grab a drink of water.
Now that my blood pressure is way too high, I agree with him. Suddenly, water and a bathroom break seem like heaven.
We all have breaking points, things that piss us off. And I just don't see why you would want to take it out on someone that could spit in your drink.
Why don't we get the benefit of the doubt?
Reasons you shouldn't blame your barista:
1. Another member of the team could have heard your drink order incorrectly.
2. We always ask if you want whip cream, if you say yes, it's your own fault.
3. You should watch the sale as it's being rung in. You see "frappicino" and don't question it when you wants a latte over ice - it's your fault.
4. Frappicino and Cappicino sound VERY similar - you try working with tons of tourists with accents that you are unfamiliar with and never get those two mixed up.
5. We try. We don't go to work saying "MWAHAHAH, I'm going to make ALL THEIR DRINKS WRONG! WRONG, I SAY, WRONG!" We go to work, get paid almost minimun wage, almost never get tipped, and you want us to be happy? We will try to get your order right, we will try to make you believe that we are happy - but trust me, earning 200 dollars a week is not something that anyone wants to "be happy" about.
6. Almost no one tips baristas. If you did, we'd be much happier to see you.
7. Becoming a nice regular customer is a good thing. We'll talk to you, treat you nicely, ask about your day. We can be great friends if you let us be - mostly people just want their 10oz. of fuel for the day, but hey, we have lives too.
My suggestion if you are a barista: Try to get a job as a hostess or somewhere in the restuarant business. I made just as much in one weekend hostessing as I did in a week of being a barista. Also, becoming a server, especially in a large city, can make loads of cash.
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