Dear Customer,

I understand that you do not care.

I understand that when you walk into the store, you do not think to use the handle on the doors, because there is so much glass and why should you give it a thought in the first place? I understand that you do not realize you leave your fingerprints all over it and that they are actually very easy to see and look pretty disgusting. I understand that you do not recognize your part in it when you later blame me for the messy doors and windows in the store.

I understand that you do not like to wait for me to finish whatever I am doing to turn my attention to you, even if I am looking in the opposite direction and am obviously busy with something. I understand that you do not trust me to make reasonable choices when prioritizing. I understand that you know better, even if I am the one who deals with such situations all day long.

I understand that you never really have any idea what you want. I understand that you are used to Starbucks lingo, and thus expect me to be aware that “tall” means “small,” “grande” stands for “medium/regular,” and “venti” is “large.” I even understand that you could not be bothered to read the actual menu before ordering a “frappuccino,” while simultaneously practically mispronouncing it as “cappuccino,” only to later complain about getting the wrong drink, after you refused to listen to me repeat your order or check your receipt.

I understand that you want to unload all your change on me, even if it is $0.95 and in pennies. I understand that you do not want to wait for the confirmation that your credit/debit card has been authorized and that you somehow get ahead when you walk away before I can verify that you have actually paid for your order. I understand that the end of the bar is a much more comforting place than the front of the register. I also understand that you cannot afford to tip me, even though you did not even pay attention to how much your total really was prior to nonchalantly telling me to toss out the receipt.

I understand that you cannot keep track of the order of drinks I am making. I understand that you cannot even remember the person whose order I took just before yours, and I understand that you cannot possibly realize that I should probably make their drink first. I understand that you feel the need to watch as I make your drink and demand that I verbally confirm every single detail, even though you ordered a basic drink with no customizations. I also understand that taking a quick look around to store is too difficult, and that the 6-foot condiment bar right in the center of the biggest window, underneath the huge Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf sign is tiny, and that asking me to point it out is much more convenient.

I understand that your specific seating needs are more important than anything else, including (but not limited to) seating of other customers and reasonable room for both customers and us to walk around. I understand that this sometimes means that you have to take all of our chairs outside, arrange them around one table, and leave them there, covered in plates, silverware, cups, trash, and even cigarette butts. I understand how passing two trash bins on your way out of the store does not trigger a reflex to throw your trash out yourself. I understand that it is my job to do that for you, or perhaps the next customer’s.

I understand that you feel no need to put effort towards keeping the restrooms decent. I understand that toilet paper all over the floor fondly reminds you of your own home and that it contributes to you feeling like you are indeed at home. I understand that an overflowing trash can is a sign that you should throw away used paper towels around it, rather than using one in/outside the store and/or notifying me. I understand that splashing water all over the mirror is a necessity. I also understand that the toilet seat is often hard to miss, and that you are most certainly not the one who should be cleaning up that mess. I also understand that just covering it with toilet paper is an acceptable way of contributing to that task.

But I do not understand how you can not flush.

Sincerely,
Your Favorite Coffee Bean Barista

A few days ago I read an amusing (and sadly true) article about two phrases that are quite problematic. While I agree with the author that “the customer is always right” is a cause of many a distressed food service worker, I’d like to talk about how my current workplace doesn’t swing that way.

A few weeks ago, merely a month after I got this job, I was merrily walking towards my store to begin my shift. Being too lazy to change in the bathroom, I usually put on all my work clothes at home, so I proudly display my company’s colors during the short walk between my car and the store entrance. In front of the store we have a few tables with chairs, and amazingly enough they’re sometimes occupied by customers. On this particular sunny day, there was a tall African-American gentleman sitting at one of the tables, sipping on something inside one of our cups. As I walked by, he stopped me and inquired whether I was the manager. Funny way to ask that question - I’d expect something more along the lines of “who is the manager of this store?” After I informed him that I was not, he proceeded to complain about a certain blond girl working at the moment who was very rude to him. This struck me as odd, since in my short time there I haven’t met anyone who would ever be rude to a customer, and the guy claimed he didn’t do anything to provoke it, so…

I advised him to ask to speak with the manager on duty or someone in the district office, and went inside. In the back room I told my story to several people, and laughter ensued. It turned out the gentleman has generally been a rather difficult customer in the past, and that today he was displeased with not hearing “thank you,” so he proceeded to call one of the workers (temporary General Manager at the time, no less) a bitch. After that, the manager on duty told him to leave the store. So he sat outside and bitched at me when I walked by. Fascinating, isn’t it?

As much as I liked working at Coffee Bean up to that point, it was still relieving to see that the company policy protected the workers from such abuse. Granted, when we have somewhat difficult customers, we try to accommodate them with as little fuss as possible, but the line is drawn slightly closer than one might think. As the MOD told the guy to leave the store, she was effectively on her way to the back office to call the police if he refused to do so. She wasn’t going to let him mistreat an employee or compromise the enjoyment of other, perfectly courteous customers.

You might be shocked that she would dare defy a customer, but if that reaction is based on “the customer is always right,” please don’t tell me, or you’ll earn plenty of negative brownie points.

In this country of big words like “tolerance,” many groups of people are abused on an everyday basis based on fundamentally flawed principles. Yes, food service workers make mistakes. We do it all the time. We are also genuinely displeased with ourselves when you report such errors to us, and will try to make it up to you as much as possible. At Coffee Bean you’ll get your drink remade instantly, and if bigger issues arise you’ll often get a coupon or something. (In all honesty, if you had a conscience and a sense of morality, knowing that whoever served you the bad drink is genuinely beating him/herself over the head for it should really be plenty to make you feel like justice has been served, but people do like to be pampered…)

This, however, is quite drastically different from the situation at many other places. I’ve personally eaten at more than one restaurant where I noticed a customer verbally abusing a waitress (and it’s always a waitress that gets all the crap) far beyond what I’d think is reasonably tolerable. I’ve even been to places like McDonald’s and heard people order with an attitude like the cashier was a personal enemy.

Then again, politeness is an outdated thing, and being snappy is the new black…

…Even if you’re wrong (and you usually are).