Photo by Kristen Eisenhauer
I've been working as a Starbucks barista on my campus for over a year now. Don't get me wrong -- I love my job. There are few things that make me happier when someone asks for a suggestion and then ends up loving it, or comes back to thank me because their drink came out great.
With that being said, though, there are a handful of things Starbucks customers do that really grind my gears, and I'm sharing this article with the hopes that you can spare your barista the grief and avoid doing them as well.
1. Not saying what size
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I get it, you're at Starbucks because you need your daily fix of caffeine, and if you're anything like me, you're like a zombie before you get it. With that being said, though, more people than you would think don't say what size drink they want -- probably about a third of all customers don't.
Even if you don't know the Starbucks lingo, you can ask for a "large" and we'll know what it means, but, please, don't give us some really complicated order without saying what size so we can actually mark the cup as you say it. It just gets really repetitive having to ask customer after customer what size drink they want while trying to remember their orders.
2. Ordering while on your phone
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Also with ordering, please have the courtesy to get off of your phone for two seconds to communicate your order. Not only is it incredibly rude to be on the phone or glued to your text when trying to order, but chances are we won't be able to understand you and you won't be paying attention to us if we ask you a question. So please, hang up with mom before getting in line.
3. Dumping coffee into the trash
Photo by Kristen Eisenhauer
When we ask you if you want room for cream in your coffee, it is so that there is space in the cup to put milk in if you wish. That's not such a hard concept, is it? If not, then why do people ask for no room but then go over and dump half a cup of hot coffee into the trash to add milk? Please stop doing this. The trash bags are already disgusting when we get around to changing them, and dumping liquid in them just makes it worse.
4. "I wanted that iced"
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We all make mistakes, but if I had a penny for every for every time I heard this one, I could afford all the Starbucks my heart desires. Unless you specify, all of our espresso beverages are made hot. I don't care if it's the middle of summer; you need to let us know if you want something iced. We're happy to remake it for you but it messes up our flow and slows us down, and this could all be avoided by specifying when you order.
This also applies to, "I wanted that with soy," or, "I didn't want whip on that." We are baristas, not psychics.
5. "Frappé"
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A "frappé" is a drink at McDonald's. Starbucks does not have "frappés." If you order a "frappé" instead of a Frappuccino, you will sound stupid and your barista will judge you, no questions asked.
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