I was Bullied at Starbucks
I went in for a coffee to feel great, and came out feeling the worst ever about myself...
Here's what happened:
I pulled into my local Starbucks which I frequent often, and decided to park and walk in because my daughter loves to go inside, plus I wanted to make sure they understood my order so we wouldn't have any issues. As much as I appreciate those "Free Drink" coupons when they make mistakes, I would prefer to have my drink made right and not have to go through that hassle. Have you noticed they don't offer them up as freely anymore? At least that has been my experience. I've actually had to request a "replacement drink coupon". That's not my job.
We waited in line which wasn't too long, and I was set on trying an Iced Coffee, and knew that I wanted "room", which means space for milk/cream. However, being that it is Starbucks and most everyone that shops there knows what they want, I was no different and wanted exactly 1/4 cup of half n half. This shouldn't be a problem {I thought to myself}.
I get up to the counter, order my drink, and specify that I would like a Tall Iced Coffee with 1/4 Cup half n half. The girl stares at me. OK. Let me try again. I would like a Tall Iced Coffee, and you can put half n half in there, right? She says, "yes". OK. I would like 1/4 Cup of half n half. She tells me that they don't have measuring cups. OK. I start to tell her never mind, because I want exactly 1/4 Cup. I want to know exactly how much half n half is in my drink. I had a thought that this might be difficult for the average barista...{no capital, I didn't think that this particular employee was deserving of a capital "B for Barista"...}. She tells me that I can point out on the cup where I want her to fill it up with half n half, and I tell her that I don't know how much that would be, I want to be exact and precise. She says....
"Why? Are you on a DIET or something?"
...I heard a man behind me snicker and giggle, and can feel the burning stares of those around me. I felt embarrassed, singled
No, I'm not on a "diet", I just want to know what's going into my drink. I tell her never mind, I'll just get something else...somewhere else. I took my baby girl and we left, all the while she's{my daughter} asking me where my drink was, and why were we leaving.
Why do we pay for drinks at Starbucks when we don't even know if they're following their Safety & Sanitation procedures? How do we know they have a HACCP plan in place, and follow it? I've seen some greasy employees, and will walk out if they look like they're dropping sweaty grease droplets off of their face and hair into my cafecito. Bleh.
This employee ruined my Starbucks experience, but even more, she publicly humiliated and degraded me. She made me feel alone. She made me feel insignificant. She made me feel that my request was too much to ask for, in an establishment that makes and creates custom drinks. She bullied me.
Nevertheless, if this happened to me today, how many others are made to feel this way when they go to Starbucks? How many of you have had a similar experience? I hope not too many, but that's probably not the case. There are probably many of you who have been in this situation...and to you, I'm sorry. Not that it's my responsibility or "fault"...I'm sorry, because this shouldn't happen to anyone.
Starbucks on Plaza & Grove in National City, you're not my favorite place right now. Just because you work in National City, doesn't mean you have to be a...an uneducated nitwit.
FYI: I came home and decided to try The Pioneer Woman's {Ree Drummond} recipe for Iced Coffee. I'm cold-brewing mine right now. I'll update you on the results...and let me know if you've tried it already.
-Becky Charms
