The catharsis I felt from the post about the lady stealing from my tip jar made me want to do another one – What are your least favorite customer interactions that you experience on a regular basis? feat. meme I made inspired my one of mine lol
by gaywolf420
48 Comments
Ngl sometimes I do this to baristas unintentionally because I don’t expect them to talk to me 😅 I always say hi though
“Milk from the cow >:(“
I can’t stand it when people won’t interact with me other than to tell me their drink. Like if they are on their phone or looking at their phone or just act like they are too good to talk to me. These are the customers that I go above any beyond to be extra nice and chatty to make them talk to me. I eventually end up breaking them and making them be nice to me. I feel like I finally earn their respect, because they realize I’m a real person and not someone to bark their order to.
I once had someone spit on the bar because I wouldn’t give them a refund, then the manager wouldn’t kick them out and tried to get me to apologize because it was a rich customer. Didn’t love that, but also refused to apologize or serve him with no repercussions (wouldn’t have cared if there were).
On the flip, I have a pet peeve as a customer…when i’m in a customer service situation and the employee asks, “how are WE doing today?” A little switch inside me flips. We?! Are you with my party? Am I not alone roght now? Why are you speaking to me like I’m a lost child at an amusement park?
I usually reaspond, “I’m fine, how are YOU?” I cannot explain it. I am a generally rational human. I cannot cope normally with this line of questioning
Old lady said oh you’re out of banana bread? And I said yes it will be back tomorrow and she said that’s a little late now isn’t it sweetie. She comes in twice a week, I was just trying to be helpful
I had a lady rifle through our teabags I keep on top of the machine, I was like “what are you doing?” As I pulled it out of her hands, “NAPKINS?!” 💀 I directed them to the self serve station with napkins and I had to really pull the teabags out of her hands as I said it. She was resisting lmfao girl was about to use teabags as napkins 🤡
“Can I have your name for the order so we can call it out?” “No” “okay…” like just give me a fake name or something idc😭😭
“I’ll have a black coffee with room for oat milk and sugar!”
It’s always the mocha people too!!! Whyyyy???
Hahahaha! Your meme is my most annoying interaction by far. Another one is ‘oh I don’t know what I want just make me your favorite drink’. That never goes well and leads to me asking more questions than I would like.
There’s a subset of customer, usually old white guy, who really do not respect coffee as a job. They think it’s too easy, basically. But they also literally cannot figure out how to even order their coffee. They say “one regular coffee” and are already confused when you ask what size, roast, if they want cream or whatever. I have never once seen them put two and two together on this….
Me: and that will be hot, right?
Customer: **_fluoride stare_**
(I work at Starbucks and more people order iced drinks)
Me, who has closed this coffeeshop every single day for over two years: Hi, what can I get started for you?
Customer who has only ever come in the morning: Wow, you must be new!
Basically [this](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_4BpbtyLn6/?igsh=aW9kejNsN3EzaG44)
“Hello folks how are you to…”
“FIVE’
Any interaction that happens just before close. I’m pretty grumpy and wanna get the hell outta there after a full day!
People who are standing with their neck at a 90 degree angle, head completely inside their phones.
They’ll be next in line but won’t hear you yelling NEXT CUSTOMER for thirty seconds straight. They’ll be 2ft away from you but won’t hear you calling their name over and over again when their drink is ready, or stand right in front of the expo counter blocking people from picking up their drinks.
Let’s have a little situational awareness, please!
“is the mocha good?”
you are grown enough to know that. do you like chocolate, milk, and coffee?
also, do you really think I’m gonna say no, it’s bad? or that everyone thinks the same things are good?
“is this mine?”
who are you? did you order that???
honestly just most interactions in the last hour of the day if i’m closing. i don’t care how nice you are, i just am not in the mood for a customer 😂 not their fault, that’s just how it is
I said “good morning dude, how can I help you today” and he stormed out and called asked for my boss and demanded for me to get fired for calling him dude and that he had never been so disrespected in his life ( no I didn’t get fired )
we have this one [black] customer who wears shirts like “black women are beautiful” or “be nice today,” and when he makes conversations with the staff he makes everyone SO uncomfortable. one time he went up to my [black] coworker and went off on saying “it’s important to know your history! Did you know my name Smith (pseudo name for post) isn’t even a last name? It’s a slave masters first name! And becuase a slave master raped a slave and had children, Smith started to become a last name for black people!” and while he’s not wrong, that is NOT the conversation to have with a barista, especially the one barista who probably knows best about American history /. and when it’s all women on staff he makes a comment about how beautiful everyone working is, it’s just unpleasant for everyone
Some lady came over to my side of the counter and helped herself to my snack.
That broke me
i hate “what’s good here?” or “is the ____ good?” like… why would we sell something that’s not good? and then they order something off menu that’s not good. “can i get a peppermint hazelnut latte?”
https://preview.redd.it/labzj57zx5yd1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c90f036da8f263a169eee99a6097e7772af80313
It’s even worse when they’re mid conversation with their friend, turn to you and say ‘mocha’ and then turn back to their friend to continue their conversation. Great, what size would you like? Hot or iced? What milk? Chocolate sprinkles on top? How will you be paying? Can you stop your conversation for 30 seconds and complete your order ffs.
This is small, but anyone who says “give me” or anything like that instead of “can I have” or “i’ll have”
Me: Hi, how are you?
Them: *Holds up two fingers* table for two.
Would happen 50 times a day.
I no longer work in coffee.
Customer got upset with me because she wanted a croissant and the person in front of her bought 6 and we ran out. She wanted me to ask the customer to return one so she could buy it to be “fair.” I’ll never forget how upset she was about a single croissant
Literally talked to a lady the other day:
Me: Hi how are you?
Her: Tall iced white mocha
Me: For sure that’ll be $$$
No words
*pays*
Me: Alright that’ll be just one second
No words
*Finishes making drink*
Me: Alright here we go!
No words
Me: Have a nice day!
Nothing
It amazes me that people think that’s a normal human interaction. She didn’t look up from her phone one time.
When a customer shoves money in your direction whilst you’re placing up a coffee and ringing 8 different items through the till.
I have two customers/interactions with them that come to mind.
1st. Can I have an iced latte? But, with no ice? Confused, I asked for clarifications and ask if she just wanted cold unfrothed milk in a glass to which I would pour the espresso shot. She responds to me and just asks what do you mean? I’m just like well you asked for an iced latte with no ice.
2nd. Customers orders an iced hojicha latte. (Bare in mind, we do not have sweetened hojicha or matcha at the shop. We will gladly sweetened the drinks if requested.) I bring over her drink only for her to come to the counter space being like “Oh your hojicha isn’t sweet.” To which I reply, “Yea, our hojicha is unsweetened”. She then responds “Oh but last time I came, the person asked if I wanted it sweetened.” In hindsight, I did not ask if she would want it sweetened but if you asked for it sweetened before, wouldn’t you know to ask for that next time?
Not long after, I provide her simple syrup to sweeten her drink. She then grabs a spoon from a dedicated cup for CLEAN spoons to mix her drink. Guess what she does? She mixes her drink only for her to put back the spoon from where she grabbed it thus dirtying the cup and the contents.
I never questioned someone critical thinking so harshly until that moment.
I just thought of another interaction recently that will be forever ingrained in my mind.
Context: It’s a Saturday, the café is packed and the line to order is all the way to door with.
-man who was waiting in line to be helped, leaves the line and comes up to the myself and the other barista who are trying to makes orders-
Him: Hi, I would like 3 hot chocolates to go
Me: Sir, as you can see there’s a line. We will come help you when we have the chance.
Him: -walks away only for him to stand to the right of where he and other customers were waiting-
Me: Sir, the line is right there. You’ll have to wait like everyone else.
I finally serve him and I let him know that we’ll call out his order when it’s ready.
-finally gets to making his order and calls it out and no response-
At this point, his daughters join him as well.
I end up basically screaming at the top of my lungs their order while trying to make other drinks. It took me easily 2-3 minutes of screaming for them to finally come and pick up their order.
I worked for Caribou long ago, had a old lady two winters ago ask for a mocha with no coffee. I assumed she thought she was at Starbucks or something and said that’s just a hot chocolate and she repeated herself “NO I WANT A MOCHA WITH NO COFFEE” I literally had explain how mochas are made three fuxking times.
The other day a girl walked in, everyone said hi and she ignored them. I make eye contact with her and say hi with a smile. She just gives me a side eye and enters the bathroom.
People who request to pay but are not prepared for it.
Particularly older ladies who pay with change thats in their tiny wallet thats in a little bag thats in a hidden small zipped up pocket inside their handbag with several zippers.
Another one is people not prepared to order I met while serving tables.
There was this one lady, always with a large group, always during very busy lunch hours. I would go to their table once they had a bit of time to look through the menu and without fail, she would do anything but look at the menu until I got to her order at which point she would very slowly pick from the menu, wasting everyones time.
Mocha, anything drives me insane. We don’t do a traditional one. So I always have to ask if they want a latte with chocolate, spiced mocha, espresso, and chocolate.
One lady said espresso and chocolate after arguing with me. I gave it to her, and she’s mad. “It’s not a full drink. Add milk.” Which would be the latte she didn’t want and gets mad about it. I eventually just put milk in it without her seeing and told her to try it. “This is what I wanted the whole time. You’re just too stupid to work here.” OK lady. Next time, order a dark chocolate latte.
I work for a small handcrafted shop.
“Is your coffee any good?”
“Nah, I buy one from McDonald’s on the way to work”.
When I worked my first coffee shop job, I was freshly new, and I distinctly remember this Lady, whom I had never seen up to that point, Come up in the queue order her ‘usual’ and then get absolutely mad at me for asking what was her usual, you know because I’ve never seen her before just now. A coworker intervened, thank god. But yeah, strangers who get mad that I can’t remember their usuals or their names when I’ve seen them once, hate that!
Had a customer say they wanted a small iced vanilla latte with medium ice. Umm, sir… Explain?
Sadly, he’s a regular and orders the same thing every time. We just give him a normal iced latte and he doesn’t complain.
“How’s it go-”
“I need a minute”
Actual interaction from the other day which is my biggest pet peeve…
Customer: 2 cappuccinos and 2 croissants… please.
Me: For sure, is dairy okay?
Customer:
Me:
Customer:
Me: is whole milk okay?
Customer: oh, yes
Me: and for here or to go?
Customer: to go
Me: *puts drink order on bar for coworker, goes to get their croissants and put them in pastry bags, handing them out before they just STARE at me*
Me: um…
Customer: We want them on plates.
Me: What?
Customer: we want to have them on plates.
Me: you said to go?
Customer: yes, to go. Like , for later.
Then they made me take these beautiful piping hot croissants out of the pastry bags which barely fit them because they’re so fluffy and put them on plates… just to come up 5 minutes later asking for bags. Infuriating.
When I give them a full sentence and they just stand there expecting more.
“No. That tourist attraction no longer exists. I don’t care what google says. You cannot go there.”
“We’re out of…”
“It’s not ready yet.”
“Sorry, we had an issue with your order. It’s being made right now.”
I hate it when I bring drinks to their table and they can’t remember what they ordered. Or what order they ordered in.
Or when I bring their drinks 90s ahead of their meal and they ask me if the food is coming. Yes? You saw me in coffee the entire time does it look like I somehow manage the kitchen as well?
I had a guy legitimately wax poetic about what a gorgeous day outside it was, and how the sun was shining, and it was just a beautiful day to spend with his friends (he said all of this while holding a Diet Coke can, which we definitely don’t sell)
I *think* he was trying to flirt (??) and cajole a conversation out of me, but I’d had a friend’s funeral that morning and actually did *not* think it was the best day ever.
Not his fault, but like, I’m not paid enough to feign that much peppiness. Please just read the room and let me make your drink, dude.
My coffee shop is cashless and so many people get annoyed about it. It drives me insane when people try to tell me it’s illegal to not accept cash. There’s also a guy who comes in semi regularly and every time he comes in he tries to pay with cash and every time he gets mad when we tell him we’re cashless. He is a literal Neo Nazi (he has tattoos with Nazi imagery) though so we all engage with him as little as possible.
Rude customer: Can order a cake?
Me: Just give me one second and I’ll get to you.
Rude customer: *diregards my busyness* I just want to know which ones are the gluten free cakes.
I hate customers who demand your attention especially when there is a line of people already waiting.
I don’t know why it bugs me so much, but I hate it when they start tapping their card on the card reader while I’m still taking their order. You can’t pay until I finish ringing in.
But the big one goes like this: “Iced latte for Susan.” “I ordered a hot latte.” “Are you Susan?” “No, I’m Mike.”
In a supermarket chain cafe –
‘why dont you do takeaway everyone does takeaway’
‘I want a machiato’ no sir you want a latte, cappucino hybrid mess, an actual machiato would kill you
‘Can i get a half shot latte’ just order hot milk or decaf at this point.
When they are actively having a conversation via a phone call while I’m trying to take their order.
“There’s no price tag. It must be free.”
No. No it must not.
