Types of Stupid Customers that Order!

Here is the list of silly types of customers when they order!

- the phone addict
this is the customer who refuses to put the phone down long enough to order - instead opting to make us (and all the customers behind them) wait until their conversation is over. sometimes, in-between sentences they'll whisper something unintelligible to us and then toss their money on the counter, as if "decaf mumble, mumble, mumble" translates into starbonics.

- the first-timer
the newbie customer who waits until we've asked them "what can i get for you today?" to actually LOOK at our menu board. and of course a five-minute explanation of each and every one of our beverages ensues while the line gets longer and longer and longer.

- the should-know-better
this is the customer that has been to bux a million times, knows exactly how the ordering process goes, and STILL hems and haws when we ask them what they want. they giggle and smile and say "gee! i should know what i want by now, huh?" and then re-reads the menu forty times before deciding on their usual. their friggen' USUAL!

- the bottlenecker
at bux we usually have what's called a 'floater' to call down the line so the register partners don't have to take extra time to mark cups. usually it's a very efficient process, although occasionally we'll come across a customer who will demand so much attention, and ask so many questions, that we cannot fulfill our floater duties. meanwhile the register partner has already started to ring up the bottlenecker and cannot help the next customer in line. of course that means everyone behind them has to wait even longer just to order.

and my personal favorite:
- mr./ms. ultra-complex
this is the person that won't tell you what they want to order unless you have out your sharpie and have cup in your hand. problem is - if you don't tell me the size of your damn drink, or whether it's hot or iced, it's USELESS for me to start writing! still mr./ms. ultra-complex will say "you need to write this down" and won't utter another word until i'm perfectly poised with cup and pen in hand. then they proceed to say rather slowly "nonfat.....decaf.....three shots.....no foam.....sugar-free hazelnut....why aren't you writing this down?"
"because i need to know the size and what kind of drink it is first." i inform them.
"i'm telling you!" mr./ms. ultra-complex will huff. "nonfat....decaf....three shots...."
of course the drink ends up being a venti when we've started writing on a grande cup, or they will inform us it's supposed to be iced after watching us write down their order on a hot cup. grrrrrrr!

partner rant: please don't bitch to me about a barista you're having problems with. if it's upsetting you so much, then talk to the manager if you can't work it out with your nemesis. talking to me will fix NOTHING, and it only makes me want to take the side of the person that hates you. seriously.

Simple Steps to Speeding up the line at the Coffee Shop!

One of the most frustrating things for me when i go to get a Coffee or Latte is the long slow lineup at the Coffee Shop. On Occasion it could be that a new employee is operation the register today or that a coffee shop who regularly has 4 employees working only has 3. But for the most part it is usually the idiot in front of you who cant decide between 3 and 4 pumps of Vanilla in his latte or that lady who wishes to pay with 25million pennies! UGH!

Below you will find 7 simple tips you can use to help make your Coffee shop lineup go faster!

1. KNOW YOUR ORDER! This means that by the time you arrive at the register you should know exactly what you wish to order... Know the type of drink you wish as well as the size and any customizations as well. If this is your first time at a specific coffee shop or just don't know exactly what you want, you can step to the side of the line to read the posted menus or go over in your head what you wish to do so. This allows the people who know exactly what they want to go ahead thus, speeds up the line up!

2. STEP AWAY FROM THE REGISTER AFTER ORDERING! This really aggravates me when people finish paying for there order and they stay around the register waiting for their order thus, blocking the area for the next customer to come up. Most Coffee shops/bars have a designated area for you to pick up your drinks. At Starbucks they have a bar at the other end of the store from the cash where the barista (drink maker) will put up your drinks. GO STAND OVER THERE AND NOT IN FRONT OF MY TILL!

3. HAVE YOUR EXACT ORDER READY! I hate it when people place an order for a hot mocha and after i have put the order into my till they change it to an iced mocha! FOR PETE'S SAKE! IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF U WANT HOT OR ICED THEN DON'T GET IN LINE TILL YOU ARE READY! Be sure you know 100000% what you want no changes!

4. HAVE YOUR PAYMENT READY! Many Coffee Chains like Tim Horton's, Starbucks, Esquires etc. carry RE LOADABLE GIFT/CASH CARDS! USE THEM!!!!!!!!!! It makes our lives easier when all we half to do is swipe your card and hand it back to you! If you are going to pay debit/visa or cash...HAVE YOUR CARD READY! don't get up to the till, place your order then fiddle around trying to find everything! Its where we waist the most time and by having your payment ready it can save loads of customer wait times!

5. PUT YOUR STUPID CELL PHONE AWAY! #1 WORST HABIT WHEN ORDERING IS TALKING ON YOUR CELL PHONE! IF YOU EVER DO THIS IN MY PRESENCE I WILL NOT SERVE YOU WHATSOEVER! IT IS EXTREMELY RUDE AND INSULTING! IT SAYS TO ME THAT THE TIME AND GOOD SERVICE I AM GIVING TO YOU DURING YOUR ORDER IS NOT EVEN WORTH IT! Turn it off before arriving at the till. It is not hard to tell a friend that you will call them back. If it is an important call then step to the side and finish the call before standing in line!

6. WITHIN CHAIN STORES... NOT ALL STAFF ARE TRAINED EQUALLY AT ALL LOCATIONS! Some stores for Starbucks and Tim Horton's don't always train there staff the same and some staff don't always get as good training as staff at other locations! So please try to be as patient and understanding as possible! Don't mumble or rush threw your order or you may half to repeat it again which can slow down the line!

7. BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR ORDER! If you want 2 creams and 1 sugar in your Tim Horton's Coffee or you want Nonfat milk in your Starbucks Latte SAY THAT! Don't just say large coffee with cream and sugar at Tim's or we will just make an angry face and ask you how many cream and how many sugar you want! At Starbucks if you do not specify what kind of milk you want we will assume you want whole milk (3%). So don't just say Grande Latte SAY... GRANDE NONFAT LATTE! Same goes for syrups, decaf variations, whip cream etc..