Thursday, May 19, 2005

customer service bites

so i've been putting in major hours at the well (school coffee shop). during the school year i only work 2 shifts, so i've gotten a different perspective from being there every day. what perspective is that, you might wonder? basically, people are dumb.

okay, that's a bit harsh. let me explain further...
1) it surprises me in such a starbucks-saturated culture, that people don't know what a latte or a cappucino is. on one hand, their ignorance is comforting and shows me that we have not been fully brainwashed by coffee chains. on the other hand, i'm pretty tired of explaining what a cappucino is 80 times a day, or hearing people try to make a dumb joke about it.
2) people are passive aggressive. well some people are. other people will just make a complaint outright to me - like, "why is this so expensive?" and i will explain that our prices are such and such because our dealer makes them this certain way, or it's organic, or blablabla... however, if you choose to say to me, "at starbucks this is only $5." we cannot really have a discussion about this. i see that you are annoyed that you are paying more, however you do not leave me room to respond. so i will look at you blankly and then turn to the next person in line to take their order. and later, i will make fun of you. and your large steamed milk with caramel, with extra whip and extra caramel. seriously - i hope you enjoy adult-onset diabetes.
it makes me wonder though, about how we communicate. we've forgotten how to do so directly, and try to manipulate situations or shove our own agenda onto other people by cloaking what we really want with different words. how exhausting. and frustrating. i'm no angel in this type of situation, either. i guess i've been unlearning how to do this, and trying to be clear and honest with friends with my words and feelings. not to mention with the odd overworked barrista, or food service employee. be nice to those people - they have access to your food & beverages.

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