A customer rudely interrupted me doing a task to take her order for the need of being in a rush. At Starbucks customers take priority so it was only a matter of a few seconds before I would have headed for the till to take their order. This wasn't adequate enough for this customer but the process of stopping what I was doing and going to the till to take the order still took the same amount of time whilst being unnecessarily lambasted during so.

It is now well drilled into me that customers under pressure (typically time pressure) and stress are generally rude and impatient. This is a human constant rather than specific personal traits. We train for service and craft. So we just focus on making the process as smooth as possible and the drink the best it can be, so these same people go away happy, and they almost always thank us. So it is very much part and parcel of working in a fast-moving retail environment.

The annoying part is the fact this customer isn't ready to order. We can even be patient to make the choice easier or we can advise to help narrow it down. She spoke endlessly about not being sure what to get. The initial first impressions of a dictator meant option 1 (giving the customer more time) was my go to. "It is okay if you need more time to look at the menu.." This was 3 minutes in. Queue forming and growing. I created a meaningless task on the tablet, as that normally prompts the customer away from nagging doubt into ordering believing that I'd be unavailable shortly. Nothing after 30 seconds, so I go for Option 2 (advise the customer of options) asking about the type of drink (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, refresha; hot, iced, blended) and preferences...

So now around 5 minutes in (not a record, but this is compared against the immediate need for service 5 minutes earlier) she receives a phone call chasing her up, about the delay. Unfortunately the second person in the queue wasn't in a rush and didn't seem phased by the delay, was 2 metres back and distracted on their mobile phone, so I couldn't serve another customer whilst this customer decided or had their brief 20 second phone call.
Finally orders two Iced Lattes - nothing remarkable and no modifications.

Waits until I pour milk in both cups before asking for Oat. So, rudely interrupted, lambasted, took 5 minutes to order, picked two simply drinks and then requested the milk change after drinks made... despite me running through different milk types previously (for the Iced Oat Shaken Espresso in case you wondered). Just another day working as a barista...