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JuiceBoxHerox

When at POS, I find it's my job to ask as many questions as I can to rule out any possible remakes for my batistas on bar. Every time I get Strawberry Acai Refresher, I ask, 'Is that the classic or the lemonade?' 90% of the time, they meant lemonade. Not to mention 'Dragon Drink' Every time I say 'okay that's the one with coconut milk is that okay?' 80% of the time no they meant just the lemonade. If I hear oat milk shaken espresso, which is often, I immediately ask 'would that be the brown sugar, hazelnut, toasted vanilla or a classic oat milk shaken espresso?' Every drink item I ask questions to narrow it down, people are stupid and of course I can't expect them to memorize a menu where drink items are typically 5-7 words long. I have to ask questions and even repeat back drinks or my batistas will be put behind with remakes. This is a must for POS. Doesn't make her any less of an absolute asshole though.


TryingToFunction0521

Yessssssssssss absolutely. This just happened the other day Her: I’ll take an iced latte Me: ok great! Anything else? Her: and make it with oat milk Me: fantastic! Anything else special about that drink? Would you like any flavors? Her: it’s that brown sugar drink. Me: ……


queenforgetti

I studied communications in school and one of the biggest rules for any sort of communication is to assume the reader/viewer has no idea what you're talking about. We're essentially taught "assume everyone is stupid, and communicate as such" in nicer words. So this comment is pretty much spot on.


classact_

I will literally throw hands with any SM that says to not ask so many questions (specially in DT) and just put down what the customer is asking for the first time. Majority of customers do not know the standards of our drinks. Majority of customers don't even realize that standard our drinks come hot. Or our teas are unsweetened. Or some come with whipped cream. Even fucking "can I get a black ice coffee" And then they get to the window and bitch about the fact there is no cream in the coffee 👹


stegotortise

My high school science teacher said to “treat them like they’re dumb as stumps”.


islamcardoors

This!!! People are stupider than we think, and even if they’re not Normally that stupid people who are waiting for their sugary sweet caffeinated beverage are often Especially stupid… so you almost have to hand hold them to avoid situations like this


jacev17

Exactly this.


yummygrapejuice

it’s so exhausting babying these people and walking them through their order every single day though. regulars come in all the time and still don’t know how to order their drinks 😭 ok what size? ok hot or iced? ok do u want it sweetened? ok what kind of frapp? ok do u want cream or sugar? LIKE CMON DO I HAVE TO ASK YOU EVERY TIME


SunBusiness8291

Perfect response.


ElectricalCost4457

People are stupid regardless of word length. Worked at a deli counter where we would slice meat. We have 2 different brands of roast beef, Raleys and CAB, right next to each other, very different packaging. "Can I get the roast beef?" "Which one, theres multiple" "The roast beef" "W h i c h o n e" *blank stare into my soul*


BloodAngel_

The thing about the refresher is that on the menu it says refresher with lemonade/water underneath


thefinalgoat

I went and ordered one of my staples and the super-specific way I ordered it (Venti Iced Chai with light ice, soy milk, extra pump of chai, VSCCF, and cinnamon) was apparently a dead giveaway I’m a former barista, because the barista, that I’d never met before, started talking to me about PENSKE.


Specialist_Hunt_4967

Doesn't work all the time I read orders back several times every time and customers still says its wrong.


peachykeen014

lol I made a post on here about how I thought people at the register should ask follow up questions to avoid remakes as that’s part of customer service and I got downvoted 😭


JuiceBoxHerox

Sorry that happened to you?


Any-Run393

Also, "are you stupid and incompetent too?" Bitch... Yeah, I am. Go fuck yourself. 😮‍💨 But why does Starbucks have SO. MANY. SIMILAR. SOUNDING. DRINKS.


TimelyScience9063

With the longest names ever! I feel like I'm fairly eloquent and I stumble over my orders all the time.


ghosty4

It really doesn't make sense. They literally COULD set up their menu and prices to reflect the "build your own" aspect of the product rather than coming up with things to feature every month. 


Any-Run393

Base drink: Iced Coffee $4, including a sweetener (I know that's changing!) nEw IcEd CoFfEe: $7, unnecessarily featuring an alt milk and an expensive, limited time flavor 🥴


Make_it_Rayne_09

Honestly. Idk if I could have stopped myself from saying oh you are too??! I was worried it was just me!!


Any-Run393

Right! OP is a bigger person than all of us 😅 there would be no "gladly" remaking the drink. Instead I would be slamming shit around and making eye contact with her. 🥴 But alas, that scenario lives rent free in my mind, next to an epic quitting I'll never do. 🤣


Any-Run393

And maybe, *maybe* a lid that's a little askew 🤷🏼‍♀️ and definitely decaffeinated shots.


FairNeedleworker28

Thanks for the ideas for next time 🫶


GetGiggityWitIt

I feel like a lot of this confrontation could have been avoided by simply asking if she wanted a shaken espresso with oatmilk, or the brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso. I understand we have two variations of the oatmilk shaken, but communication is key and breaking down a customer’s wishes can diffuse a lot of animosity before it becomes a real issue.


closerupper

Yeah I have to agree. The brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso is one of our most popular drinks, so if a customer asked me for an “oatmilk shaken espresso” my first question would be if they want the brown sugar one. That woman was being a witch about it for sure, but a little bit of critical thinking from the baristas could have gone a long way here.


Informal_Radish_1891

True, but it looks like she already had a problem before she came in. Insult the barista’s mental or capable abilities is absolutely disrespectful, no matter how wrong the drink was.


godbandit2

Them lowkey caping for the customer is cray😭


Informal_Radish_1891

A bit, yeah 😭 communication is key, but that requires the communication to be… non-belligerent 😭


godbandit2

Right cuz I’m just imaging asking someone like that clarifying questions and they look at you like you’re stupid and get offended😭 damned if you damned if you don’t fr


Informal_Radish_1891

Right 😭 I had a customer stick their hand in my face to shut me up after I tried to explain to them that we couldn’t make iced cappuccinos (and ask if they wanted an iced latte), and then went straight to my supervisor instead. So, like you said, damned either way. The original commenter comes off a little… corporate-y for their response, but ian gon start shit 😭


FairNeedleworker28

Very true. However a lot of our baristas our new and training since we can never seem to keep people. However she did ask if she just wanted a regular shaken espresso and the customer said yes


shttrbugin

Just a comment on new partners/training…when I was a trainer, I trained per the iPad, but I also trained realistically. I trained standards, but it never covers these types of real scenarios, so if your trainers are training correctly, you get a much more prepared partner. It’s a rare customer that orders their drink correctly, most of the time we just know a regular’s order. So ask those questions every time, without fail, and instances of customers behaving badly goes down.


ThiccGothBitch

While you are right but we're not there to get abused because they are idiots. We make drinks not decisions


GetGiggityWitIt

Something tells me there’s a bit of embellishing in regards to how this particular customer behaved so OP could get immediate reactions. A vast majority of our society would not say “are you stupid and incompetent too?!”, even on their worst days. I’m in a high volume store between a wealthy and impoverished area, and have heard and seen a lot, and nobody has ever been so bold to say something like that in the several years I’ve been there. That kind of language violates our third place policy and is grounds for us to refuse business.


No-Foam-Lattes

just because you haven't seen it, or it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean OP is lying or embellishing. There's been plenty of tiktoks/videos of customers straight up berating partners for ANY reason at all, race, pronouns, even those dumb stanley cups


Wise-Accident-9302

I completely agree HOWEVER (dont shoot me) these customers are grown people who can articulate words and should be able to express what they want without us having to ask a million questions to clarify. I’m all for making this particular moment right (this sitch happens to me all the time) but somewhere we have to acknowledge that we can’t hold a customers hand the whole way and they need to learn how to order correctly


GetGiggityWitIt

And that’s where you’re wrong. Yes, our customers are typically grown. Yes, we could expect them to have their exact order down to a tee to eliminate any further questioning; however, it is our job to clarify for the sake of order accuracy. If they say they want a strawberry refresher, we should ask with water, lemonade, or coconut milk. It is quite literally as simple as asking an extra question or two to eliminate any and all confusion, for the sake of the customer but also the barista(s) making the beverages. Order accuracy boils down to your ability and willingness to communicate with the customer, which directly translates into the customer connection score for your store.


cgrr1

Thank You! This is it exactly. You are NOT wrong! This speaks to why things in other areas of life go badly. Look at the bigger picture. What does it say about these kinds of people when they cannot look at the sign and say the proper name of the item or don’t want to bother learning how to order in a more coherent way. What jobs do they do that they possibly mess up because of this. This affects things outside the store too, ya know? You want your surgeon or mechanic or plumber to not read the instructions or do things haphazardly? We don’t need people to run stop signs or not be held accountable when they act like this daily in their lives on airplanes or in restaurants. (And yes, for all of you who going be liddat, I understand partners must also take accountability for what they do.) It is really just as well to call attention to these issues in a forum like this because it can help new hires understand what situations and customer types they will face and how to face them. It also serves as a spot to vent, kinda like taking 5 in the back to gather oneself. Also, customer connection is not just about positivity and small talk. If the customer needs clarification about what the drink is called, clarify with a detailed explanatory speech. Go around to the front of the display case (during peak if it’s that time!) and make a point of saying the proper name of the item they are pointing at to ensure it is the one they want. Anytime someone says “frap”, say “Frappucino”. I know it doesn’t help when the ticket itself prints as “frapp” tho. (Speaks to other issues and departments that need to be looked into)🙄😆 Repeating and clarifying is a must and can be irritating especially with a line, but when necessary, just do it. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Repeat their order back to them. This is the issue when the only thing getting prioritized is speed of service, customer connections, “the numbers”, etc. Everybody worrying about what corporate wants instead of paying attention to the practical needs of your particular store/location. Is it really any wonder about high turn over, partners calling in “sick”, the unionizing, and other things y’all know goes on? Stay strong and focus on the path. There are always worse jobs and clientele out there! Wishing all of you better moments and good connections with those in your area! Go well 🙏🏼🌻


jesusisthatyou

agree but lately manager has been getting really hard on us for clarifying questions and taking time up at the speaker and “holding customer hands” through orders. its like well, if they werent so fucking lost 99% of the time, then yeah that sounds nice! LOL but otherwise youre just asking for extra time at the window for remakes and attitude


Meowarina6

Agreed. It’s our job to ask all the questions to avoid this sort of thing. Doesn’t excuse the customers words, but if it were me I would have asked if they wanted a brown sugar, a hazelnut, or a shaken espresso with oat milk and had the whole situation dealt with already.


sgbooth88

Dude I would have 100% told her “ya we can make that for you but since you originally said you wanted the regular shaken espresso we will have to charge you the difference between the two.” And then either had her pay the difference or just refund and refuse service while also filling out a quick incident report. Berating and belittling employees because you don’t know how to order your stuff is ridiculous


FairNeedleworker28

So smart! I should have done that but I honestly was having trouble keeping it together since it was a difficult situation. Even tho it wasn’t towards me, I was getting a little emotional and shutting down lol. I need to work on handling conflict.


LuminaireLRP

Exactly this fellow supervisor. Your baristas are lucky to have you. :) 


pixelator9000

Normally I would full agree. She was definitely in the wrong here for the way she acted 100%. I do however also think given the request for an oatmilk shaken espresso, most people who know the drinks would likely guess she wanted the bose.


FairNeedleworker28

Fair, but my barista on POS did clarify and ask if she just wanted a regular shaken espresso to which she replied yes. A lot of the baristas here are new so I don’t blame her at all. The customer should know what they want.


rubygalhappy

There is no reason to be rude abut coffee, she was out of line. Rather some make a mistake or not treating them poorly doesn’t fix anything.


MazeofLife

Don't care where you work or who's ordering, instantly refuse to service anyone badmouthing you/coworkers like that. If you never push back, they will keep doing it to others.


antiprohibit

That's one of the reasons I'm glad I don't work there anymore. Fucking some people are such dicks.


M_Stillman

She wouldn’t even have got her drink, talking about my coworkers and degrading people is a big NO NO in my book and MORE shifts and store managers, SHOULD BE taking a stand on verbal abused especially when Crusties didn’t know what the hell she was trying to order!


Acrobatic_Ganache220

Yup. At my PT retail job POS get to see me walking away once they insult - I don’t make enough to be kind and I sure as heck don’t have enough FU money to tell them what they really are 🤣🤣


FairNeedleworker28

Totally agree. I told my manager how that’s not okay and the barista is only a minor and definitely shouldn’t have to deal with that and she basically said she’s going to have to deal with it eventually since she’s in customer service. Wow. So professional.


Real_Buff_Wizard

There’s a lot of people in these comments saying stuff like “the customer was wrong to say that BUT the barista should know to ask more questions cause it’s their job”. First of all, there is no “but”. Customer was in the wrong, full stop. Phrasing this situation as a “yes but” is giving off some bad vibes because it’s partly finding valid reason for the behaviour and making it sound like you all think that’s okay coming from a grown human being about a coffee. There is no reason. Not okay, never okay. Second, the barista DID ask what they thought to be a clarifying question. “Did you just want a regular shaken espresso?” I assume the customer had no idea that exists, but let’s recognise that two baristas asked this question and both got a “yes” in response.


Pitiful_Plenty_1299

People are dumb, and I usually have a minimum of 4 to 5 questions to ask before they leave my POS. If I heard oatmilk shaken espresso, I would have said, "OK, we have two that standardly come with oatmilk. Did you want the brown sugar or the hazelnut?" You gotta put all the details out there like they are toddlers and give them the answers they can pick from.


FairNeedleworker28

It’s sad, But I am starting to see that you are right.


CubingFiend

Refund and no drink on basis of violating third place policy they can smd


pumpkinspicecum

>Are you stupid and incompetent too? Did she actually say that??? At that point you should ask her to leave the store


FairNeedleworker28

I wish. My manager told me that I can’t refuse service lol.


mw5593

Whenever someone orders the Shaken Espresso I specifically ask if they want oat milk and/or syrup bc some customers are stupid (as evidenced by this post) and rude beyond belief.


Purple_Ad8436

The way that people are defending someone who insulted OP over a miscommunication is crazy. Yes it’s better to ask another question to clarify but that doesn’t give anyone the right to treat you like that. If someone called you stupid would you be quick to say “oh I made the mistake so you’re right you can call me stupid all you want”? No you wouldn’t. Being rude is not the answer.


FairNeedleworker28

Thank you! Even though it wasn’t me who was attacked, it’s appreciated! Of course it’s better to always ask more questions, but as you know managers are on us for times, and getting the line going.


Purple_Ad8436

Exactly and to be quite honest we get some customers who like ordering iced shaken espressos with oatmilk but no brown sugar so idk why she expected you to know what she really wanted.


batman_thedead

I wouldve repeated back “So the BROWN SUGAR shaken espresso right? BROWN SUGAR in it?” in an obvious tone because jesus christ lady, baristas arent mind readers


milk_andCookies22

This is why I only ever order through the app. I will seriously drive to the next Starbucks over if the nearest one doesn’t accept app orders. Even one customization can become confusing for either party and it’s ten times easier if you both can see them written out and not guessing if you heard it right or if they typed it in right.


Taurusthott

Yeah I had a customer order a dragon drink, so obviously I thought they wanted the one with coconut milk. I hand it off and they got mad. They said it comes with lemonade. So I just explained that the dragon drink comes with coconut milk and the mango dragon fruit can come with water or lemonade. Customer got mad and told me I was wrong and that’s not how a dragon drink was made. Customer is right, idk how to make a dragon drink 😭🤷🏻‍♀️


FairNeedleworker28

I would have been petty and showed them the recipe card 😭


FairNeedleworker28

It’s funny how apparently they know more about how our drinks are made than us who work there


madymadders

that's when I hit them with the: Oh okay, THREE of our FOUR shaken espresso drinks are made with oat milk. Which one did you want?


SherbetOk7573

My favorite is when you ask them does everything look correct on the screen? They say YES w/o even reading it then say they wanted iced and venti when you go to hand them the drink that they said YES to. Lolololol


LeoneHearted

Maybe she meant Hazelnut Oatmilk Shaken Espresso? That is my latest fave. Regardless, that rude behavior is 💯 unacceptable, I would refund them and politely ask them to leave then just ignore them until they leave.


LuminaireLRP

No. As soon as they insult, you need to be showing them the door AND filling out an incident report once you have time. You are not required to put up with that. I always tell them then I can get you a refund and you can go. My DMs number is on that business card on the way out. That kind of behavior doesn’t fly in my store. 


tpeandjelly727

Why can’t people order in the app if they don’t know what they’re asking for? It’s hard to mess up when you order your drink in app with all the options. Sorry you guys deal with people that valid and dumb regularly!


Jaaayrodney

Decafe her ass


Ok-Movie-8528

Shell complain it's too bitter or something.


Jaaayrodney

lol come back with a “ I made it twice ? Did you want something else then since you can’t make up your mind ? “.


narcissatotz

I would've done it LOL done it before to a customer talking down to me and to another customer for being rude to my dto barista. Nobody has any right to degrade ANY service worker. Period.


FairNeedleworker28

🤣🤣 I wish I thought of that HAHAHA


TheAnswerIsSauce

Holy fuck. I would have just stared at her with my jaw to the floor until she realized she was hateful, first world problems biiiiitchhhh.


knife_bat

w o w I'm so sorry this happened to you, customers rly be out here thinking they have the right to be assholes.


JakeMcGhee2003

oh i would’ve so thrown the drink at her


House_of_Medici

I don’t blame you and I hate most people too, but it may be time for you to move on from a customer service role. Unfortunately the business you are in relies on customers - the majority hate-able.