2.14.2007

deja who?

for the most part, there aren't many surprises when it comes to a bux workday.
i'm sure i could show up half unconscious and still be able to make lattes and frappuccinos - it's the repetitious nature of the business.

even though i can do my job on auto-pilot, i'm still very good about being personable and welcoming to customers. apparently so much so that i forget entire conversations.

for the past couple weeks a girl has been coming in to the store ordering iced venti soy three-pump chai lattes. each time she says, "thanks to you this is my new favorite drink! i'm so glad you suggested it!" which is strange because for the life of me i cannot remember ever having had a conversation with her. in fact, i am not a fan of chai lattes and highly doubt that i ever would tell a customer to order one - but she is insistent that i was the one who recommended it.

and there's the man who seems to remember me from my old bux, yet i cannot place him in my memory at all. he brings up specific events, but i still have no clue as to who he is.
and the high school student who read a tolstoy novel on my suggestion, though i can't remember ever talking about literature with any of our teenaged customers.
and the bux partner from another store who claims to have worked with me my first week on the job, but i swear i've never seen her before.

either i've been breathing in too many fumes from our cleaning products or i'm losing my, uh....um....what was i writing about?

barista rant: i'm sure it seemed like a hilarious joke at the time, but pretending like you're going to use our tips to pay for your drink is not a smart thing to do. especially when we've just recently had our tip jar stolen. please don't get pissy with us when we tell you to put the money back in the jar. don't accuse us of having no sense of humor, or of taking life "too seriously". how about saving the "jokes" for someone who'll find them funny - if they exist.

20 comments:

Calitri said...

Maybe there's a barista brat impersonator out there having all kinds of in depth conversations with costumers - talking about life issues and politics, giving advice on coffees, literature, dating and formal wear.

At least your double is doing things that make you look good. It's much better than having an evil twin.

Anonymous said...

just curious... on an average day, how much in tips would you say your store receives?? I only ask because the bux's in my next of the woods always seem to have close to empty tip jars... certainly not anything worth being stolen.

Anonymous said...

Oh no, what's wrong with chai lattes? I love them--and they're the only thing I order at *$s, because I don't like coffee :)

Anonymous said...

i absolutely LOVE the title!
deja who?

it's the story of my life as well.
there have been many moments when customers will ask me follow up questions to things i must've told them about - but have no recollection of doing so...

however, you may also be losing your mind. :)

Anonymous said...

anyone who has ever worked for tips would know why thats not funny.

Coffeypot said...

Not being able to remember conversations is not unusual. You see hundreds of people per day, plus you are working, no matter if it is on auto-pilot or in earnest. Each of them is just one person who sees you. It is easy for them to remember converstaions with you. Let them deal with a hundred barasters a day and see how much they remember.

Or maybe you are just getting old like me. I'm thinking of getting a tatoo of my name and phone number on it in case I forget.

freaksgeeks said...

I work in fast food, I get people that come in and say "Hey, I remember you! You told me to get the sandwhich combo!", and I'm just like who are you??
I don't have a good memory when it comes to customers. But outside of work I'm great with matching people with names... go figure.

Andrew said...

That happened a lot to my friend when she got her wisdom teeth pulled. She was on Vicodin, and couldn't remember a single thing that she said.
I'm pretty good with faces, okay with names. I rule at remembering Birthdays, though! :-D

Anonymous said...

hahaha. i sometimes get customers 'remembering' me as well. i feel rather bad after that for not remembering them tho, it feels like i didnt do the job properly.

OldSchoolD15 said...

This doesn't have to do with the post but tell your superiors that the marble mocha machiatto should be available year-round, period.

Anonymous said...

Normally, I think the comic strip "Pearls Before Swine" is funny. Today, it's even funnier given all the stories I've read on this site.

http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20070216.html

SkippyMom said...

I would suspect with the turnover in employees and the number of people you serve it wouldn't be too hard to forget a few, but BRAVO for making a great impression [although, who is surprised? you rock girlie!]

So no early Alzheimer's for you..hee!

...and the tip jar? I keep telling you, but I would've "accidently" spilled some of that lukewarm hot cocoa on the jerk. That just is NOT funny.

Hugs!

Butterfly Kissed said...

Hey Brat. I stumbled onto your blog yesterday and just finished reading the entire thing. (What? I was bored.) I have to say, it was a very good read, and I almost couldn't put it down. It was funny and touching, and, unfortunately, at times, disgusting. I work at a movie theatre, so I have to deal with the public, the crappy co-workers and the annoying managers too. However, it's never been as bad as anything you've described and I don't work with food or cleaning. (On the flip-side, I don't think it's been as good either.) Maybe one day I'll find myself in your Bux. Until then, I look forward to your next update.

Anonymous said...

Ordered a raspberry mocha grande today and thought of you. Remember when you told me how great they are? Just wanted to share that.

Sling said...

Thanx for the stock market tip B.Brat!....Sweeeet!

Dayngr said...

I just wanted to stop by and thank you again for introducing me to that hunk of a man! You're just super.

mellowlee said...

that's kind of funny how so many people you have obviously made quite an impression on and they don't 'ring a bell' I thought that was hilarious heee!

barista brat said...

calitri - yeah, it would suck if my double was actually a clueless newbie!

anonymous - on a BAD day we average over 100 dollars in tips.

p - haha, i don't hate chai lattes! there's nothing wrong with them, i'm just more inclined to suggest the regular chai tea, rather than the latte.

barockstar - haha, yeah, i'm afraid of that!

starlet - hear, hear!

coffeypot - haha, but where would the tattoo be located?

freaksgeeks - too funny.

andrew - if only i had vicodin as an excuse!

emmanuelle - yeah, i'm glad they're not coming back and saying "that drink you suggested tasted like ass!"

oldschool36 - your local bux should still make this drink, even if it's not on the menu. it's made with white mocha and regular mocha - both of which we carry year round.

anonymous - omg! i soooo want to do that to a customer! and how funny because that comic totally fits with today's post!

skippymom - yeah, i wish evil on any unauthorized fingers in the tip jar!

butterfly kissed - thanks for stopping by!

evangaline - as usual, you crack me up!

sling - haha, but don't forget my finder's fee!

dayngr - don't forget to invite me to the wedding, haha!

mellowlee - yeah, in a way i feel a little bad. but glad it made you smile!

Anonymous said...

dopplegangers.

Acctually, you'd be surprised at how many people look enough like you that people think they are you.

A co-worker of mine hated me upon sight because a girl in a car he thought was me was a bitch to him (However I'd been out of the country for the year previous the job and I don't go to bars)

Another woman was SO HAPPY TO SEE ME because she noticed I quit my last job at this other retail store but I'd never worked there in my life.

I acctually met one of these girls and it did creep me out how much we looked alike.

Not Perfect said...

Don't think too much about it, it's those unforms that you have to wear; they make all the baristas look the same. The hat hides your hair and the apron hides your build.