Starbucks

[Jim Kyle]

I wouldn't call the professor exactly "grown up" myself. What scares me is the thought of such an insecure individual in such a role-model position with authority over impressionable young people!

[PennyQuilts]

I wouldn't call the professor exactly "grown up" myself. What scares me is the thought of such an insecure individual in such a role-model position with authority over impressionable young people!

I feel the same way. She lost her mind and her dignity in a power play over a bagel.

I could understand going to fist city if they refused to include cream cheese, but come on. A plain multigrain bagel? No wonder Starbucks kept asking questions. That is just wrong.

[Prunepicker]

Maybe the barista is stupid with control issues. I mean it. The customer
wanted a plain bagel. Why the need to try to control the customer? Is
it part of the job description? Had the servant spent her time serving, i.e.
just do her job, the customer wouldn't have behaved the way she did.

[Questor]

Actively, no. They do train them to ask those scripted questions. Its a numbers game to management. For every one lady throwing fit about being asked if she wants butter or cheese there are thousands complaining about not getting their butter or cheese.

Bingo.

[Just the facts]

They should do their best to accommodate the "special" customer, but I'm not going to give her any kudos for her "expert" knowledge of linguistics. Its not proper English to not respond to a question or keep what you want a secret. The default bagel listed on their menu comes with either butter or cheese that is included in the price. Apparently saying plain is to simple of a concept or is considered bad English for some reason that only lurks in her mind.

Is she right as customer? yes
Is she a rational human being?no

You get partial credit. She wasn't right as a customer either. Butter or cheese is included with the item. When asked is she wanted butter or cheese she should have responded with "neither". If you go to Burger King, as used in the story, and order a Whooper you better darn well tell them you don't want tomatoes, because it is coming on it if you don't say something. And she would blow a gasket if she was asked by a Sonic employee is she wanted mayo or ketchup on her burger. If it was me and she copped this kind of attitude I would have gone to the back and got an uncooked one or one out of trash because she didn't specify she wanted a cooked one or one that hadn't been in the trash.

[Of Sound Mind]

You get partial credit. She wasn't right as a customer either. Butter or cheese is included with the item. When asked is she wanted butter or cheese she should have responded with "neither". If you go to Burger King, as used in the story, and order a Whooper you better darn well tell them you don't want tomatoes, because it is coming on it if you don't say something. And she would blow a gasket if she was asked by a Sonic employee is she wanted mayo or ketchup on her burger. If it was me and she copped this kind of attitude I would have gone to the back and got an uncooked one or one out of trash because she didn't specify she wanted a cooked one or one that hadn't been in the trash.

+100

[Just the facts]

+100

Or the employee could have just licked one and then asked if she would like one without saliva. I'll bet this customer would be more than willing to answer that question.

[jn1780]

You get partial credit. She wasn't right as a customer either. Butter or cheese is included with the item. When asked is she wanted butter or cheese she should have responded with "neither". If you go to Burger King, as used in the story, and order a Whooper you better darn well tell them you don't want tomatoes, because it is coming on it if you don't say something. And she would blow a gasket if she was asked by a Sonic employee is she wanted mayo or ketchup on her burger. If it was me and she copped this kind of attitude I would have gone to the back and got an uncooked one or one out of trash because she didn't specify she wanted a cooked one or one that hadn't been in the trash.

Well, we don't have video footage of how exactly everything went down. From a business point of view, if the opportunity was there to diffuse the situation and preserve the sale it should have been taken. But again, we don't know the tone of voice or body language when she answered the answer question with: "I want a multigrain bagel!". She very well may have seemed mentally ill and the Batista didn't realized she was receiving a lesson in linguistics.

I can tell you management isn't going to lose any sleep over this one isolated incident which happen over a year ago. LoL

[HewenttoJared]

You get partial credit. She wasn't right as a customer either. Butter or cheese is included with the item. When asked is she wanted butter or cheese she should have responded with "neither". If you go to Burger King, as used in the story, and order a Whooper you better darn well tell them you don't want tomatoes, because it is coming on it if you don't say something. And she would blow a gasket if she was asked by a Sonic employee is she wanted mayo or ketchup on her burger. If it was me and she copped this kind of attitude I would have gone to the back and got an uncooked one or one out of trash because she didn't specify she wanted a cooked one or one that hadn't been in the trash.

Mmhmm

[Thunder]

I think she need to sue Starbucks to teach them a lesson.

Starbucks need to learn how to listen to people.

Starbucks need to learn how to respect their customers.

Starbucks need to learn how to serve plain bagels.

Starbucks need to learn how to not call the police.

Starbucks need to learn how to prevent loss of revenue.

[bombermwc]

So how about instead of being a self richteous professor, just say, "hey, i'd like a multigran bagel with nothing on it...no butter, no cheese". Move on and get over it. You don't own the store there professor, or the English language. There's no reason to make a big deal and a scene with it....get over yourself.

[Of Sound Mind]

I think she need to sue Starbucks to teach them a lesson.

Starbucks need to learn how to listen to people.

Starbucks need to learn how to respect their customers.

Starbucks need to learn how to serve plain bagels.

Starbucks need to learn how to not call the police.

Starbucks need to learn how to prevent loss of revenue.

Thunder needs to learn that a lawsuit is not the solution to every conflict or unsatisfactory situation.

Thunder needs to learn that the customer is not always right.

Thunder needs to learn that people can vote with their pocketbooks and vote with their feet by choosing other places to patronize.

Thunder needs to learn that police should be called when unreasonable and/or irrational people are doing unreasonable and/or irrational things that can escalate into potentially violent situations.

Thunder needs to learn that it's more idiotic and outrageous for a "learned" and/or "esteemed" professor to act so childishly over such trivial semantics when she was no more in the right than Starbucks was in the wrong.

[Just the facts]

Well, we don't have video footage of how exactly everything went down. From a business point of view, if the opportunity was there to diffuse the situation and preserve the sale it should have been taken. But again, we don't know the tone of voice or body language when she answered the answer question with: "I want a multigrain bagel!". She very well may have seemed mentally ill and the Batista didn't realized she was receiving a lesson in linguistics.

I can tell you management isn't going to lose any sleep over this one isolated incident which happen over a year ago. LoL

The cops were called and she was threatened with arrested. My guess is she was acting like a crazy person.

[Prunepicker]

So how about instead of being a self richteous professor, just say,
"hey, i'd like a multigran bagel with nothing on it...no butter, no cheese".
Move on and get over it. You don't own the store there professor, or
the English language. There's no reason to make a big deal and a
scene with it... get over yourself.

So how about instead of being a self righteous employ just say,
yes ma'am and move on and get over it?

The customer, even if it was a grease monkey or a wino, was right and
the employee was wrong.

[bluedogok]

She was in NYC? Then going to Starbucks for a bagel was her first mistake.....

[jn1780]

She was in NYC? Then going to Starbucks for a bagel was her first mistake.....

Maybe she knew the other NYC bagel venders would not be respond as favorable to her linguistics lesson? Lol

[Prunepicker]

I've always had good experiences with the service at Starbucks. The
control freak employee was an unfortunate anomaly for the customer.
I wonder how many customers she's run off?

[PennyQuilts]

I've always had good experiences with the service at Starbucks. The
control freak employee was an unfortunate anomaly for the customer.
I wonder how many customers she's run off?

Prunie, anyone who thinks it is appropriate to impose a lesson in linguistics on a Starbucks clerk probably has a screw loose or zero social skills. I go with the notion that"the Customer is always right," when you are dealing with something having to do with the transaction. However, the clerk didn't sign up for a linquistics lesson, probably had no idea what this nutcase was getting at, and the professor clearly had a different agenda than merely buying a bagel, resulting her her acting like a complete jerk over something that was important to her and had nothing to do with why she was in Starbucks. Going off on a tangent about linguistics, IMO, was her own sack of rocks, not that much different than if she had demanded the clerk recite Browning while preparing the bagel or, for that matter, dance an Irish Jig on top of the counter. The customer is always right, except when the customer is not "right." She sounds like she had a screw loose.

[RadicalModerate]

Most grease monkeys and winos would probably have said, "Cheese, please" and all of the drama would have been avoided.

Of course, some of these types might have insisted on smoked salmon with cream cheese so . . .

[HewenttoJared]

The customer is very often wrong, Prune. This one most certainly was.

[RadicalModerate]

Not only is the customer NOT always right, sometimes the "customer" isn't even a customer.

[Just the facts]

"The barista said, 'You're not going to get anything unless you say butter or cheese!'"

I had to LOL at this quote because the Professor left without anything.

[RadicalModerate]

Techinically, didn't the professor actually leave with nothing?

[Just the facts]

Techinically, didn't the professor actually leave with nothing?

Maybe we should go ask her.

Excuse me, when you were escorted out Starbucks did you "leave with nothing" or "leave without anything"?

[RadicalModerate]

I think I'd be more inclined to ask the barrista rather than the professor.