by Brett Blumenthal
There are times when we are in a rush, didn’t get enough sleep or are just in a bad mood. And, these times may very well bring out the worst in us. Unfortunately, we can be so caught up in our own worlds, that we lose all sense of self-awareness and don’t even realize how we treat or come across to others. I’ve been there. I’m sure of it.
This past week, while traveling, I had the privilege of observing a person in this very mindset, and I came away thankful. Why? Because, I was reminded of how NOT to act towards others. Here’s the story:
It was lunch time in Las Vegas (Yes, I actually travel to Las Vegas quite often). I grabbed a salad from a restaurant and walked over to the Starbucks across the street for a noon-time Latte. The line was only a few people long, however, the line didn’t budge for a good five minutes. The woman in front of me was obviously irritated by this fact, as she regressed back to a childlike state: She looked at her watch, stomped her left foot, crossed her arms and swung her hips out to the right. After another minute, she looked at her watch, stomped her right foot, re-crossed her arms and swung her hips out to the left. She continued to do this at least ten times, every minute, gradually progressing to every 15 seconds, at which point I had recurring flashbacks of doing the Hokey Pokey. Finally, the line moved and Ms. Hokey Pokey (HP) got to the counter.
As the server greeted her, barely getting ‘Welcome to Starbucks’ off his lips, she quickly snapped “Give me the business card for the Manager of this Starbuck’s.” The server was a bit confused and obviously not quick enough. She snapped again “What is the store number of this Starbucks?” He quickly rattled off the number and she proceeded to order her latte. HP paid and then stomped over to the ‘Pick Your Drink Up’ counter. As the Barista made HP’s drink, HP continued with her Hokey Pokey ritual. Trying to be friendly, the Barista asked HP how she was doing that day, and HP snapped “I’m fine. However, I’m REALLY LATE.” The Barista gave HP her drink and HP swiped it from the counter and stomped out of Starbucks. Lovely…just lovely. As I went up to the counter, I felt myself give the server a sympathetic smile and proceeded to treat them with the respect they deserved. And deep down, I was glad I wasn’t ‘That’ person.
Again, I’m sure we all have these moments, but isn’t it nice when someone else acts this way so that we can subtly be reminded that even when you are stressed and in a bad mood, no one deserves to be treated badly as a result? Thank you “Especially Mean Woman from Howard Hughes Starbucks!” I owe you a Latte!
Have you ever witnessed this type of behavior?
Related Topics:
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Reasons to Smile
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Techniques to De-Stress your Life
6 responses so far ↓
1 Reed // Aug 14, 2008 at 7:57 pm
It would have been so awesome if the barista responded to her “REALLY LATE” thing with: “Yes, but here we pronounce it ‘Lah-tay’.”
Also, if HP was running so lah-tay, why on earth did she go into Starbucks in the first place?
2 mrose // Aug 15, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I witnessed almost the exact scene just yesterday, except with slight variations with the physical movements of the perpetrator. She was sitting down so she wasn’t able to swing her hips back and forth. I felt so sad as I watched her rudeness escalate until she finally left the restaurant in a huff. I was trying to feel compassion for her, as I suspect she was not a tremendously happy camper. But her face was so glaring and sour that it was difficult. The waitress was incredibly hospitable, kind, and gentle throughout the ordeal.. I was so impressed! After the customer left, I expressed my appreciation to the waitress for how kind she was; she said it took all she had to remain so. I understand — I tried working in the restaurant industry about 10 years ago and I lasted 2 weeks because I couldn’t handle the mean people expecting me to serve them even when they were nasty to me.
3 Katie // Aug 18, 2008 at 11:50 am
I just “witnessed” a ‘That’ person on another story (on this website). It was a story about personal trainers and someone made a comment about going through 5 different trainers and feeling so sore they couldn’t move and someone else made a comment about how fat they must be to go through 5 trainers etc etc….gotta love the anonymity of the internet. LOL
4 Brett // Aug 18, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Katie…you are so right. I am amazed at how MEAN people can be on the internet and on blogs. The only positive I guess I can see from it is that it sparks discussion. People get called out on that behavior and hopefully they read the responses. Unfortunately, people like that never really get it…do they?
5 Chelsea // Nov 19, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I’m a Starbucks barista and we get those people all the time, especially during the holidays which is when I work the most because I’m in college. I’m just trying to pay my way through school and give people their coffees as quick as I can while getting their super-customized order correct. I don’t need the extra stress of people treating me badly because of something I can’t help.
6 John // Nov 21, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Starbucks needs to figure out a way to train Baristas to remember the details because much of the appeal of the Starbucks experience is the customization. It builds brand loyalty.
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