12.18.2006

same school, different attitude

i'm taking a well-deserved day off after a crazy weekend at bux.

on friday two local high schools had their last day of class before winter break, so they decided to inaugurate their freedom by running wild in bux. it was COLD outside but that didn't stop them from ordering their frappuccinos with extra syrup, extra caramel, and extra annoyance.

three of the teenagers are regular fixtures at our bux. they are always a little too loud and squeal a little too often, but for the most part the aren't much trouble. apparently they've rubbed some of their fellow students the wrong way because these girls have become targets.

well, at least their drinks are.

my bux was not designed to be a high volume store, so the area at the hand-off counter gets very crowded when there is more than two people waiting for their drinks. usually people have to wait a bit before they can even come get their drinks because the store gets so crowded. it seems a couple of teenagers have used this to their advantage and have taken drinks from the counter before the rightful owners can come claim them.

frappuccino bandits, we call them.

well, for the second time this month our three regular teenaged customers have been victims of the frappuccino bandits. since it was their last day of class, and since they are the least annoying of our teenaged "guests", i gave them each one of the morning pastries that had to be marked out. the girls were so thrilled they showered me with a chorus of "awwww, you're sooooooo nice!".

to my (and the other baristas') surprise, the girls took turns and stuffed money in our tip jar. they ended up tipping us a total of fourteen dollars.
fourteen dollars!
just because we made an attempt to make them feel better after the frappucccino bandits raided them. i tell you, that extra cash helped make them seem a lot less annoying.

barista rant: yes, it's the holiday season. yes, i know you want to purchase several gift cards. yes, i know you've received a few gift cards of your own as well. but did you know there was a solid line of people behind you? it was bad enough you wanted me to check the balance on all the cards you'd received. but then you wanted me to consolidate all your cards into one. and THEN you wanted me to take that card and use it to pay for the 20 gift cards you now wanted to purchase. are you kidding me?!? next time i'll just say the network is down and i can't do anything with gift cards.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't even think of consolidating old gift cards to a new one! What is wrong with these people?

Andrew said...

Sounds like a reasonable way to consolidate gift cards. ^_^ But very inconsiderate to make a line wait like that. Wait until there are less people, geez!

Unknown said...

Frankly, I feel the same way about the people I seem to always get stuck behind in line...the old people spending their SS checks on lotto tickets...let the line go in front of you...it's obvious most of us are on the way to work, and just stopping in for gas or coffee or something...why must you hold up the line in morning rush to make the cashier check your 30 lotto tickets to see if they're winners (why didn't YOU check), then wait for you to choose numbers for a new set of 30 tickets?

Moxie said...

Couldn't they do the gift card wrangling online? Or is that asking for too much?

I actually had to wait for a guy at In 'n' Out Burger to ring up $50 in gift cards before he could enter my order. He was so flustered and apologetic.

The loaded tip jar rocks! You go Brat!

Grumpy Housewife said...

Good Lord.

It's in the air, I tell you what. The idiots have come out in droves, and won't go back until Christmas is over, and even then, they'll line up the day after Christmas to argue with retail CSAs over returns.

Some people should just not be allowed to be in public. At all. Ever.

Citymouse said...

Teens arent all bad and a little kindness goes a long ay

Cup said...

frappuccinos with extra syrup, extra caramel, and extra annoyance
That's now I'm ordering my drinks from here on out.

Merry Christmas, Brat!

Anonymous said...

I always find people less annoying when they give me money. Problem is that it never happens.

Enjoy your day off!

Anonymous said...

T’was the week before Christmas when by ‘bux I did stop
To soothe my sore throat with Venti Cocoa that’s hot
The baristas were cheery, the service was quick
I was back on my way, lickety-split!
Merrily sipping, no more raw throat for me
Enjoying my cocoa, when what did I see?
My cup was not red, I saw with a pout
The week before Christmas, and my Starbux was out!
The red cups are festive, and merry, and fun!
And yes I am silly, but I wanted one!
It couldn’t be helped, I knew with a sigh
It’s a cup, after all… no reason to cry
So I sipped from my white cup, a tiny bit sad…
But at least it’s a tale to tell to the brat!

Merry Chirstmas, brat!

barista brat said...

meems - i have NO idea...

andrew - exactly! wait until there's no line!

tracy - i know exactly who you're talking about!

girl with moxie - some people hate to do anything online, and by now i think it's too late to get the cards in time for christmas. i would never think of getting someone in'n'out gift cards, haha!

grumpy housewife - thank you for reminding me not to venture to the malls on the day after!

citymouse - it's true. these girls can grate on the nerves but i was pleasantly surprised by their generosity.

beth - i think luke will kill you if you start ordering frappuccinos that way!

jpdc - haha! thanks!

unchosen - that was amazing! thanks so much for the poem!