Stories filed under Social Commentary.
One of the patterns you notice working in a customer-facing role is how some human behaviour is designed to slowly chisel away at you. This is an example of a rather insignificant interaction which just becomes too much when done en mass by members of the public, that don't know each other and haven't conspired together against you, but often feels like a group attack.
Read article →Someone coming in and asking if we do cashback.
Read article →I just served a couple their coffees who were absolutely dumbfounded to witness an old guy rob a bacon roll from the fridge. 'Did he just take.. ?'
Read article →"I'll grab a Americano, Black, Leave space for the cream"
Read article →Don't speak unless the barista is facing you and greeting you, except to make them aware of your presence. The amount of times people seemingly have a conversation with or make an order to the empty front counter is outstanding.
Read article →There is snobbery in the coffee world about Mocha not being a "grown-up" drink. I am a fan of a mocha, a proper mocha, although rarely is the espresso and chocolate elements a compatible match which pairs well.
Read article →One of the annoyances of working as a barista at Starbucks is the simple misunderstanding customers have with drinks, and even with a drink as simple as an Americano, some people complain "where is the milk?" An Americano is a black coffee.
Read article →For some reason despite the above, some customers approach thinking a lack of customers in a queue means the coffee shop is shut. Some days, upwards of 12 people will ask that simple question. The urge to say "No, Sorry" is in the back of the mind after the seventh interaction, although desperate for human interaction and to make someone a drink the answer is always "yes".
Read article →Being a global American brand founded in Seattle in 1971, with the most coffee shops on the planet, it is probably no surprise that Americans visiting or having relocated to the UK would visit Starbucks in the same way as other familiar American global giants such as McDonalds.
Read article →Decaf flat white and a caff flat white
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