12.26.2006

boxing (with customers) day

the only thing worse than activating a billion gift cards right before christmas is having every customer use them to purchase coffee the day after.

the cards are supposed to make the process easier for both the customer and the register partner, but often times the transaction takes longer. throughout the day our system will go offline which forces us to redial over and over, or the computers will show their age and take forever to process the cards.
but let's not forget the human component: those customers who have no idea how much is on their card will hold up the line while they look for spare change to cover the cost of their drink, as well as the customers who try and spend the entire amount of their card in one sitting and will add random items one after the other until the card is empty.

and of course there are the customers who demand we give them cash value for their unwanted gift cards. somehow they think that if they give us a big enough sob story, we'll break down and hand over the cash.

so not going to happen.

today i heard everything from "my car needs a new engine" to "i need money to get into rehab". but my personal favorite was this one: "i really need the cash - this isn't even my card. i stole it from my uncle".
a couple of customers even tried to toss their cards in our tip jar and take out the cash equivalent though, of course, none were successful.
it was nice, however, to hear customers lament that there was no way to tip us with their cards - and even nicer when they dug through their wallets to toss a dollar into our tip jar.

barista rant: yes, i know christmas is over. yes, i realize we still have a ton of christmas merchandise. yes, i know that even though it is all marked down there is still an abundance, but that doesn't mean you can demand i give you an extra 50% off. and trust me, phrases like "well, you should just give it to me for free since it's the day after christmas!" will only make me want to raise the price.

*barista rave*: thank you all for your comments to the last post! it was my favorite christmas gift by far.

10 comments:

SkippyMom said...

Sorry I missed you on Christmas - hope you had a splendiforous day! and, erm...sorry I gave bux cards as gifts :D...lol...seem to forget how many people would be out en masse today [but family was thankful]

I missed the post below - but the SkippyFamily is near Leesburg VA outside of DC.

Anonymous said...

Another clever title today!

I also liked the title a few entries back: "Call me, crazy"

Brilliant!

Melanie

Anonymous said...

i am sometimes appalled at the nerve of some people...trying to exchange the card for money out of your tip jar? wtf? i just don't get it.


i used to work in a cafe, long before starbucks had migrated out of seattle. (1980's). people did not have the same nerve at that time, i think because the corner gourmet coffee shop was not part of the communal schema yet.

i always tip $1 whe i buy myself a latte, and always say thank you when the baristas take time to listen to my special little needs.

you are awesome..caffeine fuels early morning commerce. without it we'd all be doing lines in the stockroom.

Anonymous said...

Regarding your tip jar, is there a way (or are you allowed) to seal it up so that there is just a slot on the top? At the coffeeshop (not the Bux) where I worked once, we used a large pickle jar with a slot cut in the lid. Nobody ever even thought about opening it up, even after seeing me use it to make change. Just a thought ...

Anonymous said...

Glad you made it through the day. Regarding the moron who wanted an additional 50% Off...I work in a furniture/home furnishings store, and when people ask for additional discounts, if there any discretionary things we can do for customers (free delivery, fabric protection, etc.), guess which customers DO NOT receive them? The more you ask for, the more we go out of our way to be sure you not only don't get what you wanted, but LESS than we could have given you, because YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE! And the sob stories never end, either...everyone has a "special" condition that necessitates additional work/effort on our part...SO not going to happen, Whiny Ass Customer! It seems like Starbucks could give the baristas a lot more leeway in dealing with people like the aforementioned moron, or the equally feeble-minded who don't understand that they're not going to be able to get cash for their gift cards...maybe they could be banned from that location for a month, or something? See how quickly their attitude improves!

Anonymous said...

Brat! How I've missed you!

I'm giving my brother a Bux card for Christmas next week. Don't hate. :-)

He's at that junior-year-high-schooler-frappucino-for-breakfast point in his caffeine career.

barista brat said...

skippymom - merry christmas and happy new year to the entire skippy family!

melanie - thanks!

witchery-woo - haha, that line about doing lines in the stockroom is priceless!

anonymous - unfortunately bux is very strict about the tip jar. it has to be a specific sized plexi cube with nothing covering the top and nothing written on it.

anonymous - i love the way you think!

benny - damn, what's it like living with one of those?

mellowlee said...

Free cause it's after Christmas *giggle snort* good one! I was thinking about you the other day when I bought my second ceramic red cup. I paid full price for the first one, and half price for the second one, but I gave my BF the cup to hold while I went to fix my coffee, and when I turned around I heard CRASH, and the sound of breaking glass. The paper bag had caught on a display (its really cramped, the line up was sandwiched in between two holiday displays) and my BF lost his handle on it. I almost CRIED! the barista looks so sorry for me, and said, "Dont worry just grab another one" I was so surprised. I thought I was out the money and a cup. What a sweeeetiepie! :) Anyways, that's my happy Bux storry for the end of 2006. Happy New Year Brat. Thanks for all the wonderful stories, and for commenting on my site. xo Mel

Anonymous said...

LOL A few days ago a bux barista tried to make my caramel frapuccino but the whipped cream kept "melting" as soon as she put it on the frapuccino. We were perplexed. so she kept trying diff canisters of whipped cream and remade my drinks like so many times. Finally she gets a guy to help her. Turns out someone used heavy cream instead of whipping cream in the canisters. They were sweet thru it all though. Kudos to the baristas who give great customer service and too barista brat who writes a super blog.
-brenda

Anonymous said...

I don't tip unless they are on a pole, or serving dinner. Your job does not require more education than that of a high school drop out, and able to use a computer. So STFU about the tip jar this, and tip jar that and give me my drink.