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We chatted with local baristas andposed questionsto baristas on theStarbucks subredditto find out about customer habits we might think are polite, but are actually rude and even annoying. Most of the baristas' answers were quite simple, but they’re also good reminders for all of us to slow down a bit, treat baristas like humans and recognize that service jobs—especially high-volume jobs like those at Starbucks—are frequently high pressure and stressful. Here are some things that might be well-intentioned, but are actually rude.
1. Bringing Your Own (Dirty) Mug from Home
2. Using Pictures or Videos to Order Trendy Drinks
Many baristas say they like experimenting with making new and interesting drinks, and especially when one of their regulars has a fun concoction to try. It’s part of that relationship-building that’s so important when you’re working in the service industry. But if you just saw an influencer show off their favorite off-the-menu drink on TikTok or Instagram, it’s best to know exactly what you are ordering instead of showing the barista photos or a 30-second video. Make these orders through the app, if possible, or at the very least wait until the shop is slow. If the shop is slammed, you can always make your ownStarbucks copycat recipesat home instead!
3. Busing Your Dishes and Trash to the Handoff Plane or Glass Display Case
But be sure you bring your waste to the actual trash cans instead of dropping it off at the handoff plane (the same place you picked up your drink). And do not put any of your trash or dishes up on the glass display case where it could fall and make a big mess.
While it’s nice to clean up your table, if you leave your trash and dishes where employees are taking orders, making drinks or food or handing out drinks, you are slowing them down. They now have to clean (and hopefully sanitize) the area where you left your rubbish.
4. Asking for Waters When You Pick Up Your Order
A cup of water is absolutely free, and your local Starbucks employees would be perfectly happy to grab you as much as you need, but make the request when you place your order, not when you pick it up. “When I see a ticket for a cup of water, I’m happy, because I can work that into my rhythm, my whole plan for how I’m going to tackle all these drinks,” explains Reddit userthisisallterriblesir. “But 99% of the time, customers will literally watch me charge up and down the bar for ten minutes making their huge order with eight thousand modifications, plus doing the same for the mobile orders, plus doing the same for the delivery orders, and wait until I’ve handed them their very, very, utterly last drink and start to dart back into the million other drinks I need to make to say, ‘Can we get a couple of waters?’ … I won’t let you dehydrate. I promise. Just please, please, please ask at the register.”
One complication for free water is when you’re making a mobile order. As of publication, there is no way to order a cup of ice water through the mobile app. You could try leaving the request for water when entering your name, but that may not work. If you have to ask for water when picking up your mobile order, simply wait until you can catch an employee’s attention and politely ask for a cup of water. Being polite yet to the point is a common request among baristas.
5. Making Too Much Small Talk
6. Rushing Your Order at the Drive-Thru
You may want to hurry through the drive-thru to be conscious of your fellow customers waiting in line, but just be sure the cashier is ready for your order. Starbucks' employees are on tight time frames, and they may even have to meet specific order time metrics on drive-thru—in other words, they might have targets for how much time it takes for a customer to order and receive their drinks and food. So just as it’s best not to slow them down with too much small talk, it’s also important to wait until they are actually ready to take your order. When you pull up to the drive-thru, don’t start placing your order until an employee greets you and asks what you’d like. There’s typically only one person working the drive-thru speaker and window, and they’ll ask for your order as soon as they can. It’s always a good idea to know exactly what you want to order, especially at the drive-thru, but just be sure the cashier is ready for it.
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