Quick background 'graph because I'm new:
I work at a Bullsh*t Starbucks. This means we are not owned/operated by Starbucks (and therefore don't accept their gift cards or use their stupid "tall/grande/venti" language) but we do serve Starbucks coffee/espresso. Think of the B.S. Starbucks you see in a Barnes and Noble, for example. Now, I know you're mostly coffee gourmets here, so please be nice - I'm just an hourly-wage barista, and I'm NOT here to defend Starbucks' product, techniques, morality, etc. I'm mostly here to discuss the customer service side of the business. The coffee/product side of things at my store is static, for better or worse. I can't take pride in having the greatest beans or a french press, but I do keep the equipment clean, the customers happy and make drinks to the best of my ability. I'm proud of the way I treat people, and how I'm able to squeeze the most quality out of my limited inventory of supplies and product.
We are an unbranded, unnamed cafeteria run by an enormous, international food services company that was contracted by building management and the tech company in the building (they make an operating system you've heard of) to run a little cafeteria on the ground floor. There are about 6 employees, and I run the coffee counter, which is a separate area.
Anyway, I have a few customers with weird hang-ups about sanitation and expiring products, etc. The worst is a lady we call Dr. Science. She complained that we only carried Aquafina for bottled water. Aquafina is tap water than has been filtered. There is nothing wrong with it. It tastes like water. I drink it all day, everyday (I try not to drink too many calories) and I'm still living.
Dr. Science gave me (a lowly barista) a condescending, attitude-laced lecture about how she can't believe we don't carry spring water. "Nature is the best filter!" she reminded me, probably quoting the National Geographic article I would have read, if only I were literate.
But whatever, no harm in having some spring water too, right? I ordered a case of Evian to appease her, and to see if it would sell. It is a slightly smaller bottle than the 20oz Aquafina, but we decided to sell it at the same price ($1.40) because it is "premium." I guess it might taste slightly better than the Aquafina... I guess I'm just not a water snob.
Dr. Science was thrilled, although she complained briefly about the price disparity. She happily bought the water for a few months. I was happy, because I pleased a difficult customer who'd been giving all of us grief. Other customers sometimes buy the Evian if they notice it before the Aquafina, but I don't think they perceive any difference between the two products.
This summer, Dr. Science started obsessively looking at the expiration date of every single Evian bottle. I guess that the first box we got in March listed its expiration date as 11/09. The second box expires much later, in 10/10. As the bottles started to run out in the airscreen this summer, I rotated in the second batch behind the first like a good employee, ensuring we will sell the first box before they expire.
Intent on being unhappy in all situations, Dr. Science started knocking all the bottles over every day to get to the ones that expire later in the back. I asked her, politely, if there is a problem with the water and if I could help her with anything. "Oh no," she said. "These ones are just fresher." No apology for the dozen bottles lying on their side, ruining my perfectly fronted display.
I didn't realize water declined in quality before its EXP date. In fact, I'm pretty sure it would be safe to drink for years after the expiration date.
Now, I'm starting to notice Dr. Science's other strange habits. She picks through the fresh-baked cookies (which we make every day and seal in small, transparent bags) and sniffs each one for freshness. She throws out the coffee lid I briefly touched when I snapped it on the cup and replaces it with a fresh one from the counter, careful not to touch the part with the drinking hole.
Other customers are similarly hyper-sensitive. One woman yelled at me in broken English, "why this open? No sanitation!" when I took the top off the half and half container and placed it ON A NAPKIN (which, in turn, was on the recently and frequently sanitized counter) so I could refill it.
For the record, our cafe is completely brand new, and it is utterly immaculate. Professional cleaners are there 24/7 for the floors and tables, and we keep our work areas extremely clean as well. I am always wiping down the counters, the steam wand on the espresso machine NEVER has milk dried on it, spills are wicked away before they hit the ground, etc. We are 100% by the books and beyond when it comes to coffee and food prep. We are constantly inspected by our corporate overlords for health code stuff. Everything is clearly labeled and dated, everything is handled with gloves. We just don't take shortcuts. It is by far the most sanitary place I have ever worked, and that includes some of the nicest, 5-star, $300/head restaurants in Boston.
What has our society done to these people? Are they crazy? Or I am being a judgmental jerkwad?
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