i have this customer at my store that has come in a few times over the year with the worst attitude ever. she's somewhat racist, rude, and judgmental and when any of our workers try to help her or explain to her the situation, she tries to cut the conversation short when she realizes she's in the wrong and makes people feel like ****.
i remember the first day i met her. everyday we have the same group of men come in everyday at the buck to hang out, the usuals. she cracked some dumb joke about how she can ask any of them for a ride (because she assumed at all of them where taxi cab drivers) and started to laugh like a mad woman. so i told her that most of them actually work as engineers for this one major company near the area and that they come in everyday after work to hang out. i said it with a smile and i think she's hated me ever since. was i in the wrong to tell her that?
then i don't see her for months until the day i come back from vacation. she tells me, "i think you need a pen for my drink?" so i'm like okay, i'll grab a pen but my sm has worked for the buck for almost ten years and is amazing at memorizing 20 drink orders. but i'll be happy to write it down for you. and she then she repeats, "you need a pen". and then orders a "single tall, 2 pump Caramel, 1 pump Vanilla, 1 inch of Nonfat, No Foam, Americano. and make sure that's single!" and i say okay, you're all set and give the drink to my sm. and then i charge her for a short americano with caramel syrup and she gets made at me for charging her for caramel syrup! at least i wasn't an **** and charged her for the vanilla syrup like some others would! so then i tell her that this time i won't charge her for the caramel syrup but if she needs any clarification about the way her drink is supposed to be rung up that she can ask my manager and i tried to get her the hell out of the store asap. i say my thank yous and have a good thursday because it's tomorrow is payday friday and she just gives me a dirty look and walks away.
and then she comes in the next day and orders the same thing iced. i don't know about other stores but our store only leaves out half and half at the condiment bar after like 2 or 3 pm because we end up wasting so much of the other milk. i had just hopped on my shift and i gave her a nonfat carafe. i guess someone earlier had actually filled up the carafe with half and half instead of nonfat and then she goes into this tirade about how it's not acceptable and that she needs a new drink NOW!!!!! all of us tell her our sorries and that it was a mistake but yet again, she never wants to listen!
and then she disappears for a few hours and then comes back and orders her drink from the day before and starts bitching at me about how someone yelled at her about parking in this spot. so i told her that i will take care of it in moment and to let my shift know about the situation and she tells me i need to take care of it now... now when i have a long line of drinks at the bar, customers in line, a shift from a different store on the floor trying to figure things out with tills and whatnot, and another worker trying to move everyone through the register. so i tell her i will take care of it in a moment, so i run outside real quick to see what's going on and i find out that the guy that told her she couldn't park there is one of our regulars that has a mental disability (that makes it seem like he's an **** but he's really not) and the store next to us is actually closing down and that he was going to put this large crate there to haul the junk into there so i tell him along with one of my other workers that he made this lady upset about the way he talked to him and he said he was sorry he didn't make is clear to her walked away.
so i go back into the store and she's all on my jock about how i didn't move the garbage and how the garbage outside is starbucks garbage and rants at me before i can even put a word in about the situation. so i tell her that i talked to the guy about it and that the garbage is actually not our garbage it's the building's garbage and that starbucks doesn't own the whole strip or facility and try to calm her down and tell her that we will take care of everything and to not worry...
does she care ... no! she leaves to go to her car i think, and COMES BACK IN! to use the bathroom. and then me and my other partner try to explain to her again to make her feel better but she just goes the whole time "yeah uh huh, right" and says something about the guy not having any manners. and walks away.
dear lady,
if you happen to stumble on this page because you start to hate starbucks because i didn't bend over and take it in the ****, you know what, i really tried the best i can to handle it, i've left a note for my sm to tell the building manager about it. i've apologized a thousand times for every mistake i've made. i've been really nice to you. i never once raised my voice at you. if you had a problem with it, why didn't you go up to the guy and demand what was going on or ask the manager of the store next to us. do you think that starbucks owns the whole building because, i'm sorry, we dont! we rent it out like every other store! why do you always come in putting everyone else down? does it make you feel better to yell at me? if you demand respect why don't you start showing some respect? just because the guy that yelled at you does it mean that you have to yell at me? why do you always come in with an attitude that you are better than everyone else because you have christian dior sunglasses and dress like the models in instyle or lucky magazine? if you are so high class, why do you drive a beat up car but put down people that don't drive a mercedes and rag on everyone else about their style or personality. i admit you are a pretty lady but your ugly personality overshadows your beauty. what did i do to you? do you hate me for not going along with your racist jokes or jokes about the people who go into those loan shark places?
honestly i feel sorry for you. you must have insecurities about yourself. to think that flaunting your 'i'm rich and i demand respect' attitude will grant you everything in life is stupid. try smiling once in a lifetime, try understanding the people that you make fun of. maybe you had a bad day, we all do, we're human, but your behavior lately is unacceptable. i've tolerated you for awhile but if you come in again with the same attitude, abusing the workers because you believe that you are superior, please .. do us a favor and just leave if we don't make you happy enough. i know that we aren't the cookie cutter starbucks zombies that you want us to be. i'll give you the address of the near by starbucks and maybe they can help you find that "third place" you've been looking for all your life.
have a great life and i hope one day you will understand the stress and pain you've cause in other people and that maybe, just maybe, you'll start owning up to your mistakes. i tried to take care of your situation without creating an audience with lots of drama, if that is what you wanted ... if you wanted everyone to know that we suck and wanted an audience to see how powerful you are then maybe you should go into acting. if you have any questions, come in anytime and we can talk about this like adults and not like little children. i hope that one day you'll learn to be patient, we aren't mcdonalds and we are trying to had out your drink as fast as we can and as best as we can.
sincerly,
your favorite barista
what a long day. i don't get mad that often at all, usually i'll just brush off people like her but she's one of the worst disgustomers i've had so far. i really hope she doesn't come in today because i'm trying to have a good day. i had a great day yesterday until the time she came in.
ughh, I KNOW THIS IS LONG BUT THANKS FOR LISTENING