PSA from a Starbucks barista:

[WindRavenX]

I moonlight occasionally as a green apron Starbucks barista.

The other day, I had an incident that just about blew my highly caffeinated brain out.

A woman came in and ordered--and I'd like to take a moment to say this is *exactly* what she ordered*--

12 pumps white mocha.

12 pumps regular mocha.

4 pumps caramel.

4 pumps almond.

20 shots of espresso.

After announcing this, she handed me (since I was working bar) her 7-11 Mega Huge Gulp cup.

Her total was something like 25 dollars. And she handed us a free beverage coupon, the type we give out when either we feel we didn't provide awesome service or the drink wasn't to their liking. We had to honor it, but I think it was a really shitty thing to do even though you had to honor the damn coupon.

So, I started pulling the shots--took like 12 minutes to do mind you--and I was thinking that I was making a drink that might very well kill someone.

So...wtf? 20 shots of espresso with probably close to 2,400 calories of chocolate syrup? :puke:

So, here's a friendly PSA:

Don't be a douche bag and order a 20 dollar drink just because you can. Because I will hate you.

[fizzgig]

1. my heart just exploded

that's a pretty asshole thing to do

i bet she didn't tip, either

[WindRavenX]

2. nope

I actually told her that if she has high BP, high heart rate or any other cardiovascular conditions she should probably not drink this.

She told me to mind my own business.

AND OF COURSE THIS HAPPENED DURING A RUSH so I pissed a BUNCH of other customers off because I had one machine dedicated for 12.5 minutes to pulling shots JUST for this crazy woman.

I also had a woman order 20 hot chocolates (hoorah mormons!)--I made them all in like 3 minutes with PERFECT whipped cream on top and the woman didn't even toss a penny my way.

I hate these people.

But on the plus side, I had someone tip me 2 dollars for making a fantastic dry cappuccino...so that made me feel a little better :)

[fizzgig]

3. dry cappucino?

i'm not familiar with that

i almost never get anything more than a cup of coffee when i go to a coffee shop (can't drink espresso), but i usually toss a buck in the jar.

[WindRavenX]

5. it's much more foam than milk

it's about 50/50 steam milk and foam for a regular cappuccino, 1/3 steamed milk 2/3 foam for a "dry" cappuccino. A good dry cappuccino *must* have really thick foam that is steamed properly so that it doesn't get stale or melt back into the milk--in other words, it takes some skillage, skillage that is usually well rewarded if you make it just the way a customer likes it.

A wet cappuccino is more steamed milk than foam--it's closer to a latte, but still has more foam than a latte.

Why can't you drink espresso? A cup of brew has more total caffeine than the espresso shots...

<3 to you tippers! You make our day :)

[fizzgig]

13. espresso triggers panic attacks for me

and yet i can still drink four or five cups of coffee with no problem :silly:

i've worked food service before, but never for tips, and i always try to tip. i know how much crap you guys have to put up with

[Mrs.Matcom]

34. Since when did Utah get a Starbucks???

Dear me all the MO's are going straight to HELL...BWHAHAHAHAAAA!

[MrScorpio]

4. With that coupon

I would have gotten a vanilla frap and a bunch of food.

Her drink sounds like something King Kong would drink

[WindRavenX]

6. try a vanilla bean frap with a shot poured *over* the drink

It's freakin' great :9

[ghostsofgiants]

7. How many ounces is a shot of espresso?

That shit is like 64mg of caffeine per fluid ounce.

[WindRavenX]

8. I believe 1.4 oz.

Same as a shot glass--I think.

[ghostsofgiants]

9. Jesus christ, that makes 20 shots 28 ounces, which is almost 2,000mg of caffeine at 64mg per ounce.

Insane.

[WindRavenX]

10. Yeah, it's like something 20 cups of coffee

We were all a little concerned that we'd read the papers saying a woman's heart exploded and our store would get sued lol.

EDIT: a shot glass is 1.5 ounces, not 1.4.

[ghostsofgiants]

11. That is ridiculous, haha.

[catmandu57]

14. Do you know

I've whacked my monitor in an attempt to kill that damn bug.

[ghostsofgiants]

16. Most people do.

:evilgrin:

[ContraBass Black]

40. I did, the first time I saw it.

Now I try to nail it with a nerf gun.

[ghostsofgiants]

41. I wish I had a nerf gun.

I used to have this sweet Nerf gatler. So badass.

[ContraBass Black]

43. The Rapid-Fire 20? I have one of those.

I also have a Maverick, a Firefly, a Magstrike, and two Airtech 3000's.


That bug is dead 66 times over before I reload.

[ghostsofgiants]

45. I completely forget.

I was only a wee lad.

[ContraBass Black]

50. Probably not, then.

These are all recent models.

[grasswire]

46. actually, it's less caffeine than regular coffee

You can look it up.

[ghostsofgiants]

48. An ounce of espresso is 64mg.

8oz. of regular brewed coffee is approximately 90mg. 8oz. of espresso would be 512mg.

So in normal servings, with just one shot of espresso, you'd be right. In this case, not so much.

[Shakespeare]

12. Rude and cheap.

She probably took that home and diluted it with milk or regular coffee so she could have 12 mochas for the (free) price of one. What a miserable human being.

[WindRavenX]

17. but that would taste like ASS

:puke:

[Shakespeare]

23. d00d, she had you mix it in a freakin' Big Gulp cup.

And she's tacky as all hell--I doubt taste is a big issue in her life.

[gmoney]

37. I'm sure the coupon is only good for YOUR largest size cup, no?

I mean, could I bring in a 5 gallon bucket? A 55-gallon drum?

I'm all for sticking it to the man, but opportunists suck.

[DS1]

15. I have one of those cards, because they'd forgotten about my venti latte

With the card, I will get a venti latte. It might occur to me to try a different drink, on the house, but that's just ludicrous.

Oh well, the bitch is dead now, so it all worked out in the end.

[WindRavenX]

18. just ask to try a new drink--if you don't like it, 99.9% of baristas will make your regular drink

...for free.

Happens all the time. A woman wanted to try a pumpkin spice latte (which are divine, fwiw) and I suggested a pumpkin spice soy chai latte because it tastes *exactly* like pumpkin pie. She didn't want to coz she wasn't sure she'd like it...but I said if she didn't like it, I'd make her whatever she wanted for free :)

She loved it. No one has rejected my suggestions. Ha!

[Critters2]

25. LOL!! nt

[SacredCow]

19. Jeebus on a pogo stick....

That's one hell of a drink- I'm surprised it didn't cost more than that. I'm sure she took it home and used it as a Mocha concentrate- just add hot milk, and voila... But yeah- that's just being a petty biotch.

I ALWAYS tip the baristas- unless the service is just really bad because they're obviously slacking off. If they're doing their jobs to the bare minimum, they're going to get at least an extra buck from me. I've been in that customer service life, and I know how it sucketh!!!

[SPKrazy]

20. barf

did she really drink it?

or just an obnoxious patron?

:shrug:

[WindRavenX]

21. I think she was obnoxious AND ignorant

No one in the right state of mind or with any knowledge of coffee would order what she ordered. I think she thought that she could drink it all and not suffer the consequences of 2,000 mg of caffeine.

And I think she wanted to order an outrageous drink just because she could. Lots of customers do this--order complex drinks to sound impressive, you know?

Doesn't impress the baristas one bit. We might even give them decaf espresso :evilgrin:

[SOteric]

22. Yeah, that's pretty low class.

But the case of the jitters she's working on now will be it's own revenge.

[Chimpy McCokespoon]

24. You should not have honored the free drink ticket.

She did use a 7-11 Big Gulp cup. You should have told her you would make her a comparable drink in the largest size Starbucks cup.

[WindRavenX]

26. Starbucks has a "just say yes" approach to customers

Which, on the one hand, is nice because if a customer is really being a bitch, you can just sigh and do what they want, if only to get rid of that obnoxious customer.

Obnoxious customers always seem to happen when there's a rush--never when it's dead quiet and you can actually work something out/tell them off.

[Dr. Strange]

38. Really?

I have a coupon for one free date with the Starbucks barista of my choice. So ... where are you taking me?

[xchrom]

27. retail -- baristas -- bartenders -- if everyone could see themselves

from our eyes....

[WindRavenX]

28. it's my personal belief *everyone* should at least work 1 job in customer service/retail/food

Once you experience the cruelty/stupidity of the general public and you can't tell them to fuck off, you'll appreciate everyone who's made a drink/meal or has been your server.

Both my fiance and I, because of our experiences in these fields, are extremely generous with tips and service people in the food business. We know how much it sucks sometimes.

[kath]

39. I'm with you -having the experience makes you treat serving people better.

Everyone should do it at least once - a good growth experience.
My first job as a teen was working as a waitress at a Manners' Big Boy, later moved up to a nicer restaurant summer after freshman year of college. Hubby and I always leave a decent tip, unless the waitperson is doing something blatantly lazy like reading a magazine or chatting with friends while ignoring our attempts to flag him/her down. And I try to be extra friendly and nice (and tip well) when we're part of a big group, like when my daughter's softball team descends on a restaurant. One team did this 5 or 10 minutes before closing time at a Mexican restaurant once - I was *mortified* that we were doing this to the waitstaff.
Waiting on big groups SUCKS, and the tips are never proportional to the amount of work expended in this situation.

[Mr. Blonde]

29. My dad likes to get 4 shots of espresso

I always thought that was a lot. I guess not.

Of course most of the time he is met with a "wow I've never put that many in one cup before."

[WindRavenX]

30. I like a quad Americano

Espresso and hot water. Delicious :9

But that lasts me all day.

[Mr. Blonde]

33. He can go through several in a day

but he is a pretty big guy. But it is best not to be around him before the first cup believe it or not.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. i would have told her she can only get what a standard starbuck cup can accomodate

fucking jackass person/

[Left Is Write]

32. That is a gross abuse of the coupon, and I think you were justified in hating her.

I have been given those coupons before, and I usually use them to order the same size and type of drink that got messed up that caused me to get a coupon in the first place. I'll admit that once in a while I've gotten a venti, which I don't usually order.

Perhaps Starbucks ought to put a price limit on the coupon - enjoy a drink on us, up to $X in value.

[ellisonz]

35. That's fucking crazy.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

36. Don't most of those coupons have a price limit?

That is just shitty.
I wish I were your general Manager. I would have banned her from my store forever.
Duckie

[Starbucks Anarchist]

42. Was she about to run up Mount Everest?

:wow:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

49. good one!

[SoxFan]

44. What happened next

[Mojambo]

47. I can't believe you had to honor that

I've heard Starbucks is incredibly accommodating on customer service, but that's ridiculous!

If it didn't kill her I hope it at least gave her some legendary diarrhea.

[rakeeb]

51. The last "barista" I tipped was the guy

walking up and down the stands at a Raiders game with a big Starbucks tank and stack of cups strapped to his back.
Normally I don't even go to Starbucks other than at airports but this was such a great idea I tipped 5 bucks.
And then for a few minutes I entertained the fantasy of going through my normal workday with a guy with a big tank of coffee following me around.:donut: