But sometimes I snarl back, why is that so wrong? When I am incredibly polite, and they are rude and demeaning, I am not mean enough to risk my job. But what the **** is up with the stupid mentality in this country that a cs rep can just be abused at all, and should be castigated if they push back?
I always smile, even if I feel like ****, I mask my emotions, I wish people a good day, I make eye contact and I try to be legendary and make sure everyone likes their drinks, and make the regulars stuff ahead of time.
But when a customer acts like you are stupid because their isn't something in their drink that you know they didn't order, because they don't want to suffer embarrassment for forgetting to order it, and this happens multiple times a day, it would wear on anyone's patience.
I know some people would tell me it is wrong to push back a little, tell me why? Aside from fear of losing my job (and my job at sbux is not worth doing that to myself, not at my pay rate) why should I just sit their and take it like a **** when they try to bully me just because they forgot to order something and don't want to be embarassed? I am not a robot, I have feelings too and am sick and tired of people trying to make me look bad and feel bad so that they don't, it's just sick and pathetic.
So I have a new strategy, it goes very simply like this:
Customer: Is that nonfat?
Me: No, you didn't order nonfat.
Customer: It was supposed to be nonfat.
Me: You didn't order that, but I can remake it for you, okay?
Customer: Okay.
Mind you, I do not use a confrontational tone, in fact I use my sweetest fake polite Starbucks voice and smile and act accommodating. But where I will NOT be accommodating anymore, is when they try to make me their scapegoat so they aren't embarrassed for forgetting to order something, I am a being with feelings just as acute as theirs, so for god sakes stop treating me like an animal.
And I know their are many who think I should simply take it like a **** and let them use me and make me feel bad, and I say that is EXACTLY what is wrong with customers in this country, and the customer service mentality in this country.
In Europe, those customers would simply be told to eff off.