I hate European customers « I Hate Starbucks

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I hate European customers

(53 posts) (21 voices)

Started 4 years ago by
Latest reply from thanxalatte

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Anonymous

Unregistered
Internets:15

I mean no offense to any Europeans, I'm European myself, but I hate it when straight up Europeans come in and order drinks. They have absolutely no clue what it is that they're getting, they look at you like they're lost and that you just woke them up out of a coma and brought them to the store, and the thick accents just make it a hell of a lot worse.

Earlier this week, I had a lady and her husband come in. Real European, wide pointing outward ears, big nose. They stared at the menu for about 2 minutes while I was busy washing some pitchers, so I knew this was going to be trouble. I turn around and the guy goes first.

Him - Yeah uh... Let me get a ... Mocha... Mocha... Mocha... *Inaudible* Chino.
Me - A mocha CAPPuccino?
Him - Uh... Yes.
Me - Okay, what size?
Him - Uh, largest.

I felt something was off, but I rang it up. Hell, I got a confirmation that it was indeed a cappuccino. I even enunciated "CAPPuccino." Then his wife orders. She's a low talker by the way.

Her - A latte. *Mumbles something.*
Me - A regular latte?
Her - Caramel latte? No, just latte.
Me - What? Okay. So just a latte. What kind of milk?
Her - Can I have no milk?

At this point I just stared in disbelief. No milk? What the **** kind of latte would that be? I thought she was joking at first, but when I looked up she had a super serious face.

Me - No. We have 2%, skim, whole, and soy. Soy is extra.
Her - Uh... what is regular?
Me - 2% is the default.

And then a long awkward silence, with her just staring at me for like 10 seconds. In my head I was like 'Do you know where you are?'

Her - ...Okay, yah.

Then I go about making the drink, of course giving them decaf shots. So I present the drinks, and take the next customer. While I make their drinks, the guy comes back and says he wanted a Mocha FRAPPuccino, this time heavily annunciating. You couldn't have done that before ****? So I told him.

Me - I asked you before if it was a Cappuccino and you said yes.
Him - No no no, it was Frappuccino.

SO, I remade the damn drink. This literally happens 2 - 3 times a day at my store.

Posted 4 years ago #

Admin
CoffeeAsswipe

Member
Internets:206

****....they're everywhere, and breeding daily!

Posted 4 years ago #
theoneyoulovetohatexo

Member
Internets:490

idk. just because they were having trouble with english and understanding, doesn't mean they are ****. you could have asked them if they wanted it hot/cold/ blended ice.. shown them an example. have to work WITH people sometimes, not against. they were confused.

Posted 4 years ago #
blender

Member
Internets:27

theoneyoulovetohatexo, i agree. ohfuckavivanno, you were the **** in this situation. And there is no way you are European.

Posted 4 years ago #
DARKROAST

Member
Internets:1,442

Uuuh, yeah....there's a difference between helping lets say, an illegal immigrant, decide what to drink, and helping a TOURIST determine what they'd like. You simply could have done as theoneyoulovetohate and blender suggested by asking detailed questions to determine their preferences. Ohfuckavivanno, you say you going through this a few times a day, didn't you learn anything by now? My store is by a hotel, and we receive our share of tourists, too. We're here to help our customers, in case it may have slipped your memory.

Posted 4 years ago #
Anonymous

Unregistered
Internets:15

I probably should have asked whether it's a blended drink, but come on. I have to interrogate every other person like some sort of police investigator? If you can't enunciate, and are completely quiet when you give an order to the point where I can only make out a few syllables, it's your fault and not mine.

It's the same thing if you went into say, A McDonalds and ordered like "Oh yeah I want a uhm... *covers mouth with hand* Burger and a large *mumble* soda. If they screw your order up and give you a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger, are you really going to hunt down the cashier because you weren't able to be clear and concise when ordering? The customers act like I just pulled them aside and told them to order a random thing off the menu. You're here to order for YOU, not for me to guess what the hell you're trying to say. When I go to a food service place, I always say things to the best of my ability, and I am almost NEVER ever served something other than what I ordered.

Posted 4 years ago #
taichilatte

Member
Internets:461

I've said it before about this: Try going to another country where you dont speak the language and see how it feels. It's already a somewhat complex ordering system to people who speak native English. The fact that you are an American born European does not count, if that is what you mean. If you knew the people weren't English speakers you should have tried harder to figure it out. We have several Asian and Spanish customers who come in every day where I have to figure out this exact situation and its never THAT hard to find out.

Posted 4 years ago #
blender

Member
Internets:27

"I always say things to the best of my ability, and I am almost NEVER ever served something other than what I ordered"

You mug, thats because you speak English in an English speaking country.

Posted 4 years ago #
Anonymous

Unregistered
Internets:15

Also, they clearly don't know what they're ordering to begin with. As I said, the woman wanted a latte with no milk. As if thick accents weren't bad enough, but being completely clueless as to what you're getting just compounds to the problem.

I forgot to mention, the woman gave me some attitude. After I had asked her if it was a regular latte, she gave me that "Are you stupid?" look. And then right after she mentioned the no milk thing. So I really lost sympathy for them right after that, and didn't care if I messed up the drinks.

Posted 4 years ago #
taichilatte

Member
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"Real European, wide pointing outward ears, big nose."

um...do you know how many ethnic groups this describes??

Posted 4 years ago #
Anonymous

Unregistered
Internets:15

Lol, I assume they were Polish. You know what I'm talking about, Polish people have flat heads and their ears stick right out to the sides of their heads. Very distinct actually.

Posted 4 years ago #
theoneyoulovetohatexo

Member
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i'm polish and russian/american. my mom's side is all polish/polish-american.. not mixed with other nationalities. anyways.. no one in my family has a flat head, big ears or a big nose.

so, no.. i don't know what you are talking about.

Posted 4 years ago #
soycupcake

Member
Internets:32

i guess i'm confused as to why you asked what kind of milk in the first place. unless they specifically say otherwise, it's 2%. that alone could have eliminated half of that conversation...

Posted 4 years ago #
mr_mastrena

Member
Internets:11

legendary service - fail :(

Posted 4 years ago #
bellaragazza

Member
Internets:323

ohfuckavivanno....get over it, and do your job! Not to be a ****, but foreigners already feel uncomfortable because of the language barrier. They are not trying to be ****, but by you asking what type of milk - and even having the slightest inclination that they want a frapp instead of a capp and not simply asking more questions- is just you being difficult. Default is 2%, and we never ask. Yes it can be frustrating, but it is even more so when you end up making them a drink twice. Be patient; we are all human.

Posted 4 years ago #
STAROBOT

Member
Internets:21

I have plenty of European ans Asian customers who order "coffee" and after making, remaking, then some more remaking, and then 15 minutes later, you finally make them what they wanted in the first place: a strawberries and cream frappuccino. I understand the frustrations to both sides of the story, add the cultural differences on top of that (such as what's considered polite or not) and you get a mess. At some point, you just have to be the bigger person to make it easier for everyone else.

Posted 4 years ago #
Anonymous

Unregistered
Internets:15

The reason I asked what kind of milk is because she mumbled something after the Latte part, and I thought it might've been skim milk that she said. I don't normally ask what kind of milk, of course I use 2% as I mentioned being the default. Listen, the whole conversation was a disaster. I know I should've asked if it was a Frappuccino, but I was 90% sure the guy wanted a CAPPuccino, and I even repeated Capppuccino and he nodded. Point is, I hate foreigners that come in and order. And don't get me started with the Asians.

Posted 4 years ago #
mistercoffee

Member
Internets:9

ohfuckavivanno, you need to seek new employment. You are not happy and it is affecting your work.

Posted 4 years ago #
Anonymous

Unregistered
Internets:15

Nah I like my job, I just don't like the people. :]

Posted 4 years ago #
DARKROAST

Member
Internets:1,442

I'm going to agree with mister coffee for now because after looking at my hours and our coverage for this week, I've realized that we can't afford to lose anymore customers---which will be inevitable with partners like ohfuckavivanno!

Posted 4 years ago #
theoneyoulovetohatexo

Member
Internets:490

hopefully one day you go to a foreign country and get treated like **** because you don't understand their language/process of doing things.. or refuse to work with you when ordering in broken*insert language here*.

just as much as it frustrates you, it does the same to them.

Posted 4 years ago #
CoffeeAsswipe

Member
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You guys are right; the tourist should get a pass. I jumped the gun, I guess. Good point about the natives who can't figure out the difficult menu and they speaka the language already.

Posted 4 years ago #
taichilatte

Member
Internets:461

I'm just saying, I'm sure I've frustrated many a worker in my travels. Even the Asians and European customers can be worked with if you just ask the right questions. Hell most of the Europeans get doppios! If the person seems to not speak English well I try to ask certain questions like, "Hot or Iced" "Iced or blended?" That usually helps, but sometimes not. It's frustrating to serve yeah, but its just as frustrating and somewhat humiliating to not be able to say what you want.

fuckvivanno, I think its kind of snobby for you to say you hate foreigners who come in and order..How many languages have you mastered again? Being European and all I'm sure you have a diverse customer base..

Posted 4 years ago #
blender

Member
Internets:27

i keep telling you lot, he's not european.

Posted 4 years ago #
taichilatte

Member
Internets:461

blender, I was being sarcastic.

Posted 4 years ago #
tom

Member
Internets:11

I totally get the distinction between immigrant customers and tourist customers. living in CA i get a lot of people who speak only spanish, which could lead to some ordering difficulties except for the fact that if they can say nothing else in English they can always order the drink that they want. For some odd reason, Sacramento seems to attract an insane amount of Eastern Euro/Russian tourists who simply cannot wrap their mind around the fact that the guy in the coffee shop doesn't speak fluent Bulgarian. add to this the fact that they always seemed to be dressed like they're going dancing even if its 9am, their cell phones go off every 3 seconds with some obnoxious eurotrash techno ringtone, their accents sound like their chewing their own tongue and they try to smoke cigars inside the store.

Posted 4 years ago #
Perfectionist

Member
Internets:794

If a customer has trouble saying what they want I usually go frappuccino by default ;) Never been wrong before. Sometimes I hear the person on the register say "so you want a.. caramal cappuccino???" and I just yell "frappuccino!".

Yesterday some foreign guy came in and ordered while I was making drinks. I heard him and it sounded like he wanted a venti iced coffee and a triple espresso. That's what the person on register thought as well. I made the triple and handed it to him and he was like "no, that was supposed to go in there (points at the venti cup) that was the whole idea!" So after a minute we get that he wanted a triple over ice in the venti cup. So I poured the triple over ice in the venti cup~ and he says "now the foam is gone" talking about the crema that was left on the inside of the short cup. He was getting **** and I wanted him to go away by this point, so I offered to put another shot in it. I did, but while I was pouring it I heard him say "you should redo the whole thing", which I pretended I didn't hear. Then - here's the kicker - he asked me for the empty short cup so that he could scrape the foam off the inside of it. Then of course he went to the condi bar and filled the venti cup all the way up with milk.

Posted 4 years ago #
Just_Say_No

Member
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But filling it up with cold milk would surely **** up the crema.. what an idiot.

Posted 4 years ago #
Lamericana

Member
Internets:215

Yeah, and pouring it over ice just **** up the whole shot!
But really, ohfuckavivanno should go to another country and try to order something! I've traveled around Europe, and only the french were rude **** about the language barrier. So way to go ohfuckavivanno! You just acted like a snobby frenchman! And considering how racist you are, you probably hate them too! Did it ever occur to you that Starbucks doesn't at all resemble a traditional european cafe? And that the drinks we call cappuccino and macchiato are extremely different? Apparantly not!

Posted 4 years ago #
theoneyoulovetohatexo

Member
Internets:490

when i was in france, the french were some of the sweetest people to me and my friend! it was actually the best country i've been to [with the least amount of rude people].. and we didn't know any of the language! we apologized that we didn't know the language and everyone spoke english to us. even got asked out by 3 different cute boys! lol.

Posted 4 years ago #

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