Some time ago- I sent Starbucks the following letter:
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I am not one of those people who likes to waste time writing a letter that will probably go unanswered...I hate to even think of myself as a complainer. But due to this fact, I have overlooked the multiple negative experiences I’ve been having at Starbucks lately, and today was the straw that broke the camel’s back- so a complainer I must be…
It wasn’t a knock down drag out gnarly situation that prompted me to write in. It was merely the simple act of my “Hello!” going unnoticed yet again that finally did me in. Turns out that waiting 10 mins in line to purchase an overpriced iced coffee AND get unfriendly service actually isn’t on my list of top 5 favorite things to do with my day.
Between the Starbucks next to my house that is slowly but surely going down hill, with its untidy appearance and it’s increasingly poor service, not to mention the grande coffee with soy I got 2 weeks ago that had chunky sour soy milk in it… and the Starbucks near my office where I wait for 10 mins everyday at 10am to get my basic coffee that half the time is sweetened when I ask for unsweetened, and the girl at the register just stares at me. No smile, no ray of sunshine radiating from within…today I walk up with my cheerful “Hello!”-she stares. I say-“A grande unsweetened iced coffee please…” she stares…I stare…we stare at each other. Finally she sticks her hand out, expecting my cash I presume. I hand over my $5, she gives me my change. We continue our staring contest. Im fairly certain she won, but Im positive I could take her in a thumb war…Im just sayin’.
So…I smile and say thank you- (cuz my mama taught me right). Perhaps she’s having a poor day- possible troubles in love or a tough exam looming over her head, maybe a sick kitty at home or some other such significance that could be distracting her from her normally perfect customer care… either way, she just turned and spoke to her co-worker, nary a thank you or good bye.
There’s a charming coffee shop in the area Im from, it’s no where near my house & not at all convenient, but I go there every weekend for a tall cup-o-joe and a smile. In fact I avoided supporting Starbucks for an entire year once as I was so sick of the service but was forced to give-in when I had no other choice as there was nothing near my office…but convenience never out weighs service in my book, and I will gladly spend the extra money in my gas guzzling SUV to trek to a friendly coffee shop- where the coffee is amazing, the service is impeccable, and no one is worried about appealing the court regarding some crazy tip situation.
***
It was March 25th 2008 to be exact...
It took me months to finally step foot back in one of those dreaded coffee brothels, yet I did... and now, almost a year later- I find myself embarrassed to admit- I've once again let Starbastard get the best of me!
Today- as I approached the counter my gleeful "good morning!" was met with a bitter blank stare. The woman, whose body stood lifeless behind the counter apparently waiting for my order... could have been mistaken for a stone sculpture her body language was so frigged. Her empty eyes were held up by dark circles, and her scowl only conveyed one thing- she hated everyone and everything.
After staring at her longingly, waiting for some glimmer of a hello- even if it was just a head nod or a half wink- I gave up and ordered. I realized in that unpleasant exchange that I'm never going to win with Starbunk... they will always have the upper hand with their total world domination of the coffee market. I would like to think that I'm a strong enough to protest them completely, but you and I know they'll get me in the end so for now I resolve to just vent about it in my blog.
Stone face Mc Stoney pants and I will never be BFF's... I will probably never see her again, so complaining to Starbitch yet again wont get me anything but another coupon for a free coffee and a stock letter generated by an anonymous computer somewhere...
To which I reply~
Get yer Joe at Jitters!
Jitters Coffee Pub
510 N Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 967-7886
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jitters-coffee-pub-oceanside
http://www.jitterspub.com/
Starbucks can suck it.
1 comment:
HAHAHAHA...I loved that letter the first time, It's even better the second time around almost a year later! That's the best!! Starbizzle no more!!
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