this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2026
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The WORST service is at places like this. I want to assume the expertise and competency of every person I interact with. Especially in the service industry. The best service I get is terse, direct, and professional. I don't need my fucking barista to pretend they like me. I need them to get through the 15 fucking orders before mine in a timely fashion so I can get on with the rest of my day. And if some dickhead doesn't know what a machiato is, he can get his happy ass to the back of the line and order it again.
Barring allergies or medical issues, shut the fuck up and move on. If getting the wrong coffee is the worst thing to happen to you in a day you're living a pretty charmed life.
But then again, I did get fired from Starbucks as a teen.
I used to work in cafe, and love to go to cafes now still (like actual cafes - I say with pride and joking snobbery, coming from a country where starbucks isn't really considered a cafe) and I honestly still have no idea why people go to cafes in the first place, if they're only there for the coffee.
Instant coffee tastes okay (with milk) and is a whole lot faster and cheaper than a getting a coffee from a cafe.
Cafes sell customer service, a nice ritual, and a nice place to hang out, with nice beverages included. In my opinion.
Thats okay. I got fired from Starbucks because I told everyone who would listen that forces people to write an endearing message on every cup completely ruins any impact they may have.
the turnover at these places is insane, because they hire shit people, due to offering shit pay. there IS NO expertise, and rarely competence. if you ask a question about the product, they'll say "i don't know" and walk away. this is largely the fault of management and training, but also--would you give a rat's ass about the 15th guy in line's hurry when you're getting paid jack shit per hour? i fucking wouldn't. the attitude is you'll get it when you get it; if you stopped at starbucks when you're already running late, that's a you problem
You can still be competent at a shit job. But yes, if you pay shit pay you get what you paid for. We absolutely agree that it's not the person behind the counter's fault. They're trying to get through a shift, not craft the perfect coffee order to your exacting standards. They can't even control the grind or pull or steam temp on the new machines. You're better off going to a fucking vending machine.
the only 2 things i ever get from starbucks anymore (maybe 2 or 3 times a year) is brewed coffee or iced americano. unless something's wrong with the machines, it's pretty much a) push a button, b) wait for coffee to pour, c) put a lid on the cup. very difficult to fuck up at any point in that procedure
as much as i shit on starbucks as a company, those clover coffee machines are fucking legit
I don't understand why more people aren't like this. When I am interacting with someone who is at work, the trait I want to see the most is knowledgeable, not friendly.
If I'm dealing with you in a professional capacity it's because I have something I need from you. I'm looking for a result, not a conversation. And if my dumb ass is wrong about something then I want to be told why. That will force me to question my assumptions and possibly save me from mistakes in the future.
This is why I much prefer restaurants in places where tipping doesn't happen.
There's no BS about the waiter/waitress pretending to be your friend. There's no organizing the restaurants by sections with one waiter/waitress covering only their section, whoever's available when someone needs something deals with it. When your food is ready, any waiter/waitress around will grab it and bring it to the table. Also, because the places don't depend on tips, they don't care as much about how the waiter or waitress looks. That means people tend to stick around for longer, they know the food, they're good at the job, and because they don't need to keep flattering you, they can be honest.
You can be both, ya know? You can be competent and okay to be around.
oh, absolutely. Friendliness is not unwelcome.
But given the choice of dealing with someone who is competent but unfriendly, or incompetent and friendly, I would take the former over the latter 10 times out of 10
Boy do I have a rant for you to enjoy!
Great, now I have to watch classic Fry QI for the next 3 hours.
If they're all fake smiles and acting friendly, somebody is trying to sell crap at top dollar.
Because they don't come for coffee, they come to be waited on.
I mostly agree, and personally would never send food back, but I think it's fine to mention something if you think you were served the wrong thing. Coffee or otherwise, you might have someone else's order or the barista might have made a genuine mistake. Maybe they put the order in wrong and you were charged for something more expensive that you didn't order etc etc. It's never acceptable to be rude to anyone including waitstaff, but I think a lot of social anxiety is wrapped up in this idea that you're somehow the problem if you mention that you didn't get what you ordered and paid for. The idea that you have to buck up because it's not the end of the world is bad in my opinion.
The strawmen that we're arguing over aren't the same. I'm talking about an asshole who ordered the wrong drink and assumed it was made incorrectly and is interrupting the service of others to fix his mistake.
You're talking about someone politely asking if this is the correct drink and maybe they were handed or grabbed the wrong one.
I stand by if you got handed the order you placed, and you think it's wrong. Drink the fucking drink. Barring a health issue or an allergy it's not going to hurt you. If you continually get a bad/wrong/weird drink at that coffee shop. Find another coffee shop. Or make coffee at home. The customer is not always right.
I don't think we're arguing over strawmen. You seem to think one should not mention it if they get the wrong drink order, regardless of how politely they bring it up. I think it's ok to do so, provided it's done politely. I'm not trying to argue that point, mostly just offering my opinion. I'm not suggesting the customer is always right, just that it's possible for staff to be wrong and it's not improper to ask them to fix a mistake. I understand that in the OP the guy is wrong, but that doesn't mean everyone should just take what they are given and be happy with it regardless.
I'm may be a dirty commie, but I think capitalism has really messed up the way people perceive people on the other side of exchanges. Baristas are often overworked and underpaid but that's not the fault of the customers who are often also overworked and underpaid. If someone decides to spend some of their limited resources on a treat for themselves then I think it's ok that they make sure to get the thing they asked and paid for. I am personally boycotting a lot of big brands, but I'm sure local places are also taking advantage of their workers, there's just no big campaign against them. There's no ethical consumption under capitalism etc etc, but we all participate in the economy and should care about how others are treated. If I do something wrong I want to fix it because I care about you and your experience. What you want matters to me and you should get it. You should also care if that affects me and my day and should try to minimize the stress by being polite and understanding. That's my overall thought process.
The guy is saying people should know what they are asking for.
If you think your order is wrong, you should be able to say something. What does "handed the order you placed" mean in this context? Yea, "people should know what they're asking for", but places do things differently. You should be able to ask. If the answer is "that's how we do it here" sure, just accept it, but unless you're allowed to ask there is no way to know the difference.
By the way, the problem you refer to below is likely the XY problem which is not what is happening here. It's also not a strawman argument as the other person suggests. I think you should be able to ask a question about your order. Somehow the other commenter thinks you should know in advance the answer to your question and decide to ask based on the answer. I don't know why they take issue with asking but there is no way to know if "you got handed the order you placed" while you are unsure about it for whatever reason.
Ok well he said thanks, so if you think my interpretation of what he said is wrong you aren't the one that decides that
I'm not saying your interpretation is wrong. I'm just saying that if you can't ask a clarifying question then there's no way to know if you got what you asked for.
Idk man, how do you interpret this as "not being able to ask a question"
If you are handed something you think is wrong, but it has your order number/name on it, I think it's ok to ask "hey is this the X" and they can say, "yes this is how we make X" or "oh it looks like the wrong thing was made/looks like this was someone else's order". You shouldn't just shut up if you think it's wrong even if it is handed to you.
"if you got handed the order you placed" not their problem if you call apples oranges, if you say orange you aren't getting an apple.
If you order an orange and are handed a blood orange it should be ok to say "hey is this an orange?" And they can say "yes, it's a blood orange". It's technically what you asked for, but maybe you've never seen a blood orange before and it looks like a grapefruit to you. I think it's ok to have asked that even though you did not explicitly state you wanted a navel orange because though it's what you ordered it's not what you expected. Sometimes things look different than how you expect and it's ok to confirm that difference is normal. If you make a fuss about the kind of orange that's not ok, but asking to make sure you get the right thing is fine. In this scenario they have reason to believe the order is wrong even though technically they got what they ordered. The idea that you just know "if you got handed the order placed" is not correct. If you call and order a strawberry and vanilla cake but when you open the box for pickup the frosting is brown, it's ok to double check and ask if the flavor is vanilla. In that case you were given what you ordered but had a legitimate question about whether or not it was your order. Should you just take the cake when it's possible someone accidentally put a chocolate cake in this box and your cake in a chocolate cake box? I don't think so. You can simply ask and they can say "yes the frosting is brown but the flavor is vanilla and not chocolate". Why is that a problem? If you ordered the wrong thing it's on you, but they are saying just to shut up even "if you think it's wrong". That makes no sense to me. Just asking "hey is this right" should be fine. If they say yes then move on but asking shouldn't be a problem.
Again. Guy is talking about people who do not, "move on"
Thank you!
NP I run into this constantly at work. "I want this" ok, why do you want that? "It does this/because it's x/because that's our standard" but... No it doesn't/isn't/ain't.
Hahahaha you sound like a technical writer I know.
Huh, according to this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man we're both making strawman arguments.