To Refill or Not to Refill: Story One

This is the official starbucks refill policy:
Customer must have original cup/ personal cup. Drink must have been purchased within 60 minutes. AND the drink must have been consumed in store. This holds true for coffee, iced coffee, and iced teas.

Only not many people are aware of our refill policy because of the other starbucks.

Granted most of the time I dont argue with people because it is simply not worth it, and most customers I know are regulars come in like 4 or 5 times a day so whatever, want a refill I wont argue. Does this effect our sales? yes. But just say yes right?

I dont feel like saying yes all the time. This incident happened at work yesterday (surprisingly today was so pleasant I have NOTHING to gossip about).

So yesterday this man comes in with a cup asking for a refill. I am not on register, I am floating, helping grab pastries, double barring when there are too many drinks, and getting hot coffees and teas.

And this is what went down.

SC = soggy cup man
V = yours truly

Now let me explain what a "soggy cup" is. Our regular hot cups are able to be refilled like 3x before they start getting soggy, and a dark mark around the lining on the inside. So obviously I am guessing this man has abused the refill policy a few too many times, especially with his sense of entitlement tone.

***

V = hello how are you?

SC = Refill.

V = ok sir one refill coming right up, (but as i take the cup i feel the well... soggyness.) Um... sir... did you purchase this cup of coffee here today?

SC = no. *slams briefcase on counter* I got it at the other starbucks.

V = ok sir well i cant give you a refill on this then youre going to have to pay the full price and you can get a cup discount.

SC = but at the other starbucks....

V =*cuts him off... i know im rude but i didnt have time for this* sir this is a corporate policy, they were doing you a favor at the other starbucks.

SC = *looks like he might want to strangle me but doesnt* FINE, BUT GIVE ME A FRESH CUP NOW.

V = Yes sir!

***

Im soooo sick of people abusing this policy. Because it really adds up, just because someone may know you at the other starbucks and let you use your cup 10x to get refills for free with your registered starbucks card does not mean you can expect that at every store.

This is what I hate SO MUCH about the other starbucks. THEY RUIN CONSISTENCY!

Even though I dont follow the policy, because we have a lot of office people I let them know hey if you come back ill give you the refill on me even though you are supposed to be in the store.

Because hey I can be nice like that, but at least they know then THIS IS NOT WHAT I SHOULD EXPECT this is a TREAT.

***

I was talking about this encounter with another one of the shift managers at the store and she went on about how her second customer of the day (she is an opener, I am a closer) came in and demanded a refill and shes like dude... ive only been open 5 minutes and you were not here! and the guy gave her a hard time... BECAUSE OF THE OTHER STARBUCKS.

twelve hour shift tomorrow. Im sure an amazing story will come out of that!

xoxo
Val

First day back to work and I get called a racist.

Well it is official Val’s little vacation is over, so it is back to work and back to dealing with the customers I love and the customers I love to hate so so much.

A general rule is that the crazies always appear within the first hour of my shift, because they have a secret sixth sense that knows their craziness is going to ruin the other seven hours of my shift if they appear in the first. (this is of course what seems to happen most often, crazies appear at any time but the ones that come within an hour of me being at work seem to stick in my head for a long long time.)

Said crazy man lets call him H (for hispanic, because he was hispanic and told me I am racist to his people). So H came in, acting like a normal customer, the kind that does not say anything but the drink they want. No Hi or Hello when I greet H just the drink order. Whatever most customers do this so the pissed off part of my brain does not even care anymore.

H orders an iced venti extra sweet black tea lemonade. Cool. As I am making it, in the shaking container we use to well… shake the teas he yells AND MAKE SURE YOU SHAKE IT. And I let this slide… the yelling which was totally unnecessary because I was not even done making your drink. But part of me understands, a lot of starbucks’ take short cuts and do not shake their iced teas which really impacts the flavor and temperature of the drink.

Anyway I hand H his drink say thank you and have a nice day and he grabs it out of my hand and storms off.

Well this is a regular customer interaction sadly… rudeness, yelling etc etc… but what made this very interesting was when he came back.

H = Hispanic man
V = ‘racist’ valerie verona?!?!?!

And this is what went down…

H = I want another one (I hold out my hand for the cup and he puts it on the counter leaving my empty hand oh so lonely)

V = (being as I was the only one on the floor, my other barista was washing dishes, I made the drink and then I proceed to ring him up) Sir your total is $3.10.

H = what? No you are wrong THIS IS REFILL I PAY FIFTY FIVE CENTS!

V = Im sorry sir but our refill policy only covers regular iced teas not iced tea lemonades because the lemonade is expensive.

H = NO YOU ARE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT WRONG. I SEE ALL OF YOU DO THIS FOR THE WHITE PEOPLE AND YOU KNOW I AM HISPANIC AND I GET FIRED A LOT BECAUSE I AM HISPANIC AND I HAVE TO GO TO END OF LINE AND THIS IS REFILL I GO TO OTHER STARBUCKS BEFORE AND I PAY FIFTY FIVE CENTS.

V = Sir, im very sorry you feel this way, but the fifty five cent refill policy is only given when someone orders a regular plain iced tea, not with lemonade. That is the policy. If you paid fifty five cents in the past, at the other starbucks someone was doing you a favor… but 3.10 is the correct price… you gave me your cup so the only discount I can give you is .10 cents for bringing the cup back.

H = NO YOU ARE RACIST AND FINE I PAY THE MONEY THIS NOT ABOUT MONEY BUT YOU ARE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT WRONG. MY PEOPLE THEY ARE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW WRONG YOU ARE. AND I WANT THE PHONE NUMBER FOR YOUR MANAGER.

V = (takes the 3.10 from him) ok just give me a second and I will get you my store managers card. (does that).

H = AND I WANT TO SPEAK TO WHO IS SUPERVISING YOU RIGHT NOW.

V = That would be me sir.

H = (exiting, still screaming) I WILL BE BACK.

***

Meanwhile… there is another shift in the store, the one who is handing over the store to me and another barista who were saying I just should have given him the refill price… but this is why I refuse.

I dont appreciate being SCREAMED at
When I try explaining the correct pricing, dont tell me how I am 100% wrong. I happen to know the refill policy very well, I have been working for this company for four years.
I dont appreciate being called ‘racist’

So the store phone rings and the other shift answers it. (On my store managers business card it has the store phone number), the other shift told him to come back and he would get a free drink coupon.

30 minutes elapse, other shift has left, I am pissed because I dont think he should get one but whatever. Im tired of dealing with people who think they know how pricing works and im an incompetent retail servant. A racist one as well apparently. And in walks H.

H = DID YOU GET TOLD YOU WERE WRONG?

V = No, but I will give you a free drink coupon so that your next drink will be on us. (I hate to say it but the sarcasm was clear in my voice, I had had it with this guy).

H = NO I JUST WANT MY MONEY BECAUSE YOU 100% WRONG

V = Sir I am not wrong, but I will give you back your money. Here is your 3.10

H = AND NOW YOU RING ME UP CORRECT FOR FIFTY FIVE CENTS

V = I cant do that thats not the price of the drink you ordered. So just take your money and I am going to have to ask you to leave the store because you are making me feel uncomfortable with all of this screaming.

H = YOU KNOW I SHOW YOU WHY YOU ARE WRONG (leaves)

V = ?

5 minutes later….

H = (comes back throwing whole foods sandwiches on counter) SEE I BUY WHOLE FOODS NOW BECAUSE TWO YEARS AGO I LIKE STARBUCKS SANDWICHES AND NOW I DONT.

V = Ok sir, im going to ask you one more time to stop screaming. Im sorry you are no longer satisfied with our sandwiches but that has nothing to do with me charging you 3.10 for your tea lemonade.

H = YES BECAUSE YOU GIVE THE WHITE PEOPLE IT FOR FIFTY FIVE CENTS

V = Our policy is for regular teas, no lemonade. If you want a regular black iced tea, no matter who your are, race, gender, class it does not matter you get charged the same exact price.

H = THE OTHER STARBUCKS NOT RACIST

V = sir the other starbucks was charging you incorrectly.

H = FORGET IT YOU ARE RACIST WHITE GIRL (throws 55 cents on counter and storms out…. Finally… hopefully to never return again).

***

Cute huh? Thank you “the other starbucks” for not following the correct refill policy and causing this crazy man to go off on me about how I am racist because I want him to pay the price everyone who comes into my store pays for iced tea LEMONADES.

I also had to bite my tongue so bad to not scream at this man about racism. Because my grandmother has worked her whole life as a domestic servant because of NINA (no irish need apply) sure that was decades ago, but it still effected her life up to a year ago when she retired. Also my Italian grandfather and French grandmother have told me stories about how when they came here it was difficult, people refused to help anyone who did not speak english. And while I dont mean to go on a rant about racism because it is rampant… you have no idea a persons personal history. You have no right to call someone racist unless they are blatantly being racist. My charging you is capitalism. Not racism.

(although one can argue they are intertwined but that was something I worked on last semester in school, nothing do to with a 3.10$ black tea lemonade)

Xoxo
Valerie

I believe the customer is always right, except when they are wrong.

Starbucks has been my only retail job. I have been fortunate enough to stick with this company for four years, get a promotion and have my manager turn a blind eye when I partner beverage out some coffee when I am not working (yes this is 'stealing' but I really am a poor college student and hell this company has put me through a lot!!!)

Starbucks has also made me wish I took more than one psych class (which I took in community college while I was going to highschool so I had lots of credits to transfer, so it has been a while).

As my only commenter on this site (so far? *crosses fingers*) has said I offer "a small treatise on human nature through the lens of a Starbucks Barista!" I realize I never thought of it that way but a lot of what I have learned about human nature and the way we socialize has been through this job.

It has also led me to rebel the mantra of customer service, the whole customer is always right philosophy. Well I, Valerie Verona, would like to declare that I partially believe in that, except, sometimes the customer is just plain wrong.

I think starbucks knows about these customers, partially, and the way we are told to treat them is to "just say yes," which is pretty self explanatory. But call me jaded, I have seen this policy abused. There are times when you can just say yes but times when you cant.

example number one.

we have these drinks called vivannos. They are protein nourishing blends made with our own protein (whey) and fiber (chicorry root) powder. yadda yadda yadda. One lady comes in and this is what happened.

L = lady
V = me, the DC food and safety lisence holder for the store.

L = instead of putting your own powder in it can you use this instead *attempts to hand me a canister of goLEAN protein powder or something like that*

V = I am so sorry ma'am but I cannot take that from you, I can not put our powder in and can get you a spoon so you can mix it in yourself over by the condiment bar, but to put whatever you are handing me into our blenders is a health violation.

L = well so and so at the other starbucks did this yesderday and it is protein powder i dont understand why you cant blend it in for me. it wont taste the same if i stir it in.

V = ma'am i understand your frustration but that is an unknown substance to me, I trust you that it is goLEAN but I dont know if there is anything else in there that might cause an allergen issue and I dont want to be held accountable if you get sick or anything so I would feel more comfortable following starbucks policy. I appologize for this inconvenience.

L = (did I mention she was really angry by this point?) This is rediculous I want to speak to your manager.

V = My manager wont be in until tomorrow morning, would you still like me to make your orange mango vivanno without the protein powder?

L = NO I WANT TO SPEAK TO WHO IS IN CHARGE OF YOU RIGHT NOW.

V = ma'am I am the one in charge right now.

L = *huffs* WHATEVER BUT MAKE MY DRINK IN A LARGER CUP SO ILL HAVE ROOM TO STIR IN MY POWDER I CANT BELIEVE I PAY THIS MUCH FOR A DRINK AND I STILL HAVE TO DO WORK MYSELF.

V = Ok, X will ring you up and ill have your drink up in a moment!


seriously? I am dumfounded by the way this lady expected me to break a health code for her. Yes I know it says goLEAN, but uh... it could have been crack and cyanide for all I know. Likelyhood of that happening, slim. But I still need to protect myself and my store from lawsuits, that is why there are safety standards.

I wont even go into the hand off interaction. because this lady ripped her drink out of my hand and her nail scratched the skin off my finger. It was pleasant.

***

example number two.

being in DC we have a lot of big shots coming into the store and a lot of big orders for coffee travlers and cambros (they hold a lot of coffee).

One man ordered 270$ worth of coffee for a meeting. (this is not uncommon).

and this is what went down.

$ = big bux
V = guess

$ = hi i was in here yesterday and I was charged tax on my purchase, but I am tax exempt and I need that 27$ back or my company will make me pay for it.

V = yeah I remember you I helped you carry out your order... did you tell the register partner you are tax exempt?

$ = no but I need you to refund it.

V = im sorry sir but... unless you tell us you are tax exempt you are charged tax... and thats not really something I can refund

$ = *the I am so above you attitude* well when you charge me the wrong price for something you have to fix it, and most companies will refund you when they charge the customer the wrong price.

V = sir its clear on your receipt that you were charged the correct price for your purchases. im sorry that you did not say you were tax exempt but there is nothing that I can do to give you back that money after the fact. Perhaps you can talk to someone in your department to handles the billing and they can petition the money from the government. because tax does not go to my stores profits.... it goes to the government.

$ = I KNOW WHERE TAX MONEY GOES BUT I WAS CHARGED INCORRECTLY AND I NEED THAT 27$ BACK OR I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.

V= sir there is no reason to raise your voice at me. but i am unable to help you after the fact, if you did not mention it at the time there is simply nothing I can do. You were charged correctly and you forgot to mention you were tax exempt. I know you are frustrated but what you are asking me to do is give you 27$ out of my stores profits and I cant do that if you were charged correctly.

$ = but i wasnt

V = sir... you said you forgot to mention you were tax exempt. given that statement I am looking at your receipt and i see nothing I can refund you for.

$ = well this is just rediculous now this has to come out of my pocket.

V = I can understand your frustration. if i were to give you that money it would come out of my stores pocket... im sure if you talk to someone who deals with the credit card billing they can fix this for you... this happened to another person I know in... (cut off)

$ = JUST FORGET IT ILL BE SPEAKING TO YOUR MANAGER


turns out he never did speak to my manager, I guess he sucked it up and learned a 27$ lesson.


***

I know sometimes I may seem harsh. but I really am a nice person, not by choice by way of pharmacuticals (all legally prescribed). And I do try to give the best customer service, but some customers abuse this and I cant stand seeing it happen.

Just because I work in retail, I am not beneath you.

Just because I am serving you does not mean I have to tolerate disrespect.

Just because you think you can get shit for free does not mean you will.


xoxo
Valerie

UP NEXT: customer(s) who believe that without them I would not get my paycheck. all from the cherry blossom festival weekend of hell for valerie.

So weird not working...

I have not had this many days off in I dont know how long. I feel like a mother (or what I imagine a mother feels like)... filled with anxiety because im sure someone will mess up the organization I try to keep in my store... and the cleanliness... are the drains being cleaned? do they remember to sweep UNDER the counters?

ok val. breathe. this was a much needed break to celebrate my coming of legal drinking age!

Being back in my hometown, visiting my old two stores brings back a lot of memories. Confrontations with customers when I was younger... and not a supervisor so I cared less about the things I said to customers because I knew my supervisor and corporate would baby them and let them get away with what they were doing EVEN THOUGH IT IS WRONG.

My second store was in one of the richest suburban areas, a drive thru and soccer moms in their SUVs loved to try and pull one over on us all the time with stories about "the other starbucks."

"the other starbucks does not charge me for soymilk because they know i am lactose intolerant"

"the other starbucks doesnt charge me for a venti price because I only want one shot"

"the other starbucks doesnt make it like that"

"the other starbucks knows my drink why dont you?"

I can not even tell you how much I HATE the "other" starbucks. and everytime someone says those three dreadful words I am tempted to say which one? because I will make sure to call them and tell them they are not following the proper standards.

Part of the ironic beauty of starbucks is that you are supposed to have consistency with your beverage wherever you go. Prices in different states vary but if you are getting a venti drink with one shot of espresso you do not get charged for a tall because im still putting in the extra dairy which is $$$$$$$. If your other starbucks charges you differently they are doing it as a courtesy, it is NOT the standard.

I hated it so much when stores dont follow standards, and then I get people mad at me because I am charging them the price I am supposed to. WHen I was a barista here the customer would always want to speak to the manager, and thus won with a cautionary "we will do it for you just this once." Bullshit, they are going to pull this over everywhere and when you think about it the store looses money.

Now that I am a shift supervisor stuff like that does not fly in my DC store. I do ask who the other starbucks is because chances are I know the manager and I am sure they would love to know how their baristas are making their store loose money.

I understand pampering and delighting our frequent customers every once in a while, but it is important to say, hey this extra shot/soy milk/ syrup /upgrade in size is on me today. This way they dont expect it at other stores.

Most dont... but there are the few crazies... which I attract, who are certain I am wrong and they are right.

xoxo
Val

Better post tomorrow: the flaws with the "just say yes" theory and "the customer is always right" theory