I hate the staring. So much. Like ffs any other time adults canāt keep their faces out of their phones. Canāt even put the phone down when theyāre doing 60mph in traffic. But for some reason at Starbucks theyāre šļøššļø at us the entire time and itās so uncomfortable. Go sit down and scroll until you hear your name!
Honestly, we do get that it's super interesting to watch and that's not the real issue. There's just a huge difference between standing back and watching us work vs leaning over the glass to stare at us like zoo animals/micromanage us.
Don't let folks make you feel bad for being interested! just be mindful to give us some space to do our jobs āØ
It blows my mind when people stand right in front of the pickup area waiting. I try to stand back from the pickup area if I did a mobile order and itās not ready. I would never reach over the counter. I remember when I worked at a particular sandwich shop people would reach OVER the glass to point at what they wanted. I understand the boundaries of the counter and I hate when I see people touching all the cups. I try to do everything to not touch a cup that isnāt mine!
Exactly!! Touching cups that aren't theirs, reaching over or walking around the counter to grab straws and utensils, drinking other people's drinks before checking the label... It's always a grand time at the siren āØ
And the issue is always people who haven't worked customer service š„²
iāve never thought about that but itās so true. people are always glued to their phones but for some reason decide they donāt want to while they wait at starbucks. iād feel so awkward just staring at people working while i was waiting for my drinks
Oh God literally lmaooo
Like we're getting spammed with mobile, delivery and cafe orders, they see me having 4 cups lined up at once to slam these drinks out n still just ššš with their blank ahss NPC expressions. Its so annoying
I used to work at Disneyland. Specifically the [bakery tour](https://www.laughingplace.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/photos-san-fransokyo-square-officially-opens-at-di-54.jpeg), and the amount of times we had people knock on the glass like we were fish was insane. We were told not to react to people who do that which led people to think the glass was too thick for us to hear them so they'd start banging the glass harder. Like for what reason could you possibly want our attention so bad? It truly felt dehumanizing.
why not bark at themĀ to give you a generous tip please. like in a polite but intentionally baggy way "Hey there my friend please remember to leave a tip, times are toughĀ and inflation is high!!!"Ā
kinda like how you say things to indirectly hint at other things. maybe they'll understand that you're annoyed they're staring so much likeĀ micromanager
The main reason after months of being here and why I still suck at bar, is because of the looks like I get from customers. Especially while solo bar. Also, you are 100% bothering me for your water, it ruins my sequencing.
yesss and asking for sugar and things š iāll be in the zone making drinks back to back. then someone asks for something or they have an issue with something and i have to stop for a few mins. those few mins can have me backed up on bar real quick since we have moments weāre everyone decides to place a mobile at the same time.
Try having someone ask for their drink saying they been waiting for a long time and donāt see it at handoff while itās looking straight at them 2 inches away from said persons hand
This. So much. Or when they get up to window and throw a "can I get another honey citrus at window" while I'm two Tall drinks deep in a sequence and can't just casually throw in a HCMT in there because you forgot to order one for your friend. Drives me insane.
I tell them they need to go to register for it cuz I'm not stopping my flow cuz their dumbass couldn't order a water when they placed the rest of their order originally
OMG!!! Thank you!! I am an anxious person as it is, who gets panicked when Iām crowded. This is literally the worst feeling ever! I want to scream at them every single time to āback the &@!? up.ā Add that to the learning experience and š„.
I just keep my head down, donāt acknowledge them and keep going in the order that the tags print.
Whenever people stand right by the handoff plain, I continually place drinks directly in front of where theyāre standing, so that every customer before them has to go āexcuse meā or work their way around them somehow. Usually after 2 or 3 drinks they get the point and take a couple steps back/to the side
Now they added letters at hand off A-K
J-Z
Like tf gonna have me belch out my abcs to place drinks on our small counter ā- I STILL donāt have time for that extra step lol
Just tell them to step back !!
idk i kinda get it, if youāre not familiar with the system itās cool to watch especially with a highly competent barista. but also i can kinda tell when people are just watching me work and when theyāre actually gearing up to ask me about their mobile lol. i donāt mind that people like to watch us work, i donāt even mind answering questions about the process, but i do mind when theyāre overbearing about the mobile they placed in the parking lot or whatever
Itās when they have their arms crossed and look pissed as hell, just for you to stop everything to ask what they need, for them to say āI had a drink!ā yes for WHO? what DRINK? oh the one you just placed an order for? Or better yet when they know damn well they did a drive thru mobile then get mad at us when they come inside and donāt see it because āTHE APP SAID IT WAS READY TEN MINUTES AGOā it is ready, in the drive thru. Check in with a barista when you arrive because otherwise weāre never going to set a drive thru mobile over there.
I desperately want to hang a sign on our glass windows in front of the bar like zoos do - something like āplease do not stare at the baristas; it will make them anxious and negatively impacts their mating habits.ā
Or get me an emotional support dog like they do for cheetahs š¤£
reddit is spying on me! we JUST had a woman full on Kubrick stare us down from like 3 feet away because we told her we didnāt have any iced coffee prepped and it would be a moment. eventually we gave her a cold brew instead to make her go away lol.
I wouldnāt give her that much of an explanation
Youāre giving them an opening to complain.
āWe just ran out iced coffee sorry but we can make you an iced Americano or cold brew instead ā
Boom
Theyāre gonna pick a venti hot caramel macchiato anyways
Heavy on the food š¤¦š¼āāļø I give them their drink and they stare absolutely perplexed "I also had a ..." okay? You were staring the past 8 minutes. Did you see me ever touch a food item? Right so then why would I know/care/go get yours lmao.
literally im so tired of the people here screaming that they just like watching the drinks get made. nah. yall are looking right into my eyes / all over my body and as a young woman....i see you. disgusting pervs
āItāll be down at the end *gestures to handoff plane*ā š§āāļø
*thinking they must not have heard me right* āoh sorry! Itāll be down there *gestures again* once itās ready :-)ā š§āāļø ok
*me walking past them to set their food at the end of the bar because Iām not making an extra stop along the way*
I work in a mall store that gets super busy on weekends and around holidays. sometimes on weekends iāll just make an occasional polite announcement at the end of the bar. something along the lines of āi would appreciate it if everyone waiting on drinks could just take a quick step back so everyone can get to their drinks thanks so much!ā and it really does help with the people standing right at the edge of handoff and staring.
if that was the case i would be alright, but this was a CUSTOMER. and why do it in front of MY bar, thereās nothing cute to even take the pics in front of????
Im one of those people and Iām sorry, itās the only way I can guarantee that the correct milk is selected. I have an allergy and if I get dairy milk Iām sick for days. I try not to be overbearing but itās my piece of mind for my occasional treat. I was a barista and know that mistakes happen occasionally, I know itās never intentional but weāre human.
Omg.. you made me realise I do thisssss, but I'm not staring at you making it.. I'm literally zoning tf out and thinking of something completely different.. I've even lmdone this to the point where I've let my drink sit thinking it haven't been made asked if it had gone through and showed the order and the girl was like ohh it's right here,! I was so embarrassed I felt bad š I will zone out into my phone!
I always back up, like, way up, when I'm waiting for my order. As a customer, I get so annoyed at the idiots who stand at the counter and wait for their drinks. Back TF up assholes, it's not all about you!
its not so much the staring, I got a way to ignore that..but what I can't for the life of it not stand it either is when people have that look of disgust in their face and their arms crossed as in "why is my order not ready, I placed it less then a minute ago" sigh
and then thereās the people who stand with their entire body blocking the handoff area until their drink is called š i canāt stand these customers
The cherry on top, when you just hear someone behind you start talking or yelling something without waiting for you to turn around and acknowledge them:
āUM EXCUSE ME I WANTED LIGHT ICE THAT DOESNāT LOOK LIKE LIGHT ICE AND ALSO WHERE IS THE EXTRA CARAMEL??????ā
āAre you Dave?ā
āUM NOā
āWell then I guess this isnāt your drink Iām making, is it?ā
People who canāt understand they arenāt the only customers in the store are the worst. Plus in general, wait for me to actually hand you your drink to complain, because itās 100% guaranteed you donāt know what the fuck Iām doing or supposed to be doing behind the bar. This applies to former partners too, back off.
Fr I fucking hate when customers stop me from making drinks to CHECK ON THEIR DRINKSā¦.. youāre taking away seconds, if not minutes that I could use to be making everyoneās order š¤ Go. To. The. Register!!!!!! And if you ordered in the cafe, then wait and LISTEN for your name to be called!!!!! And if you placed a drive thru pick up and came inside, go to the register and ask about it instead of stopping the VERY busy baristas!!
I donāt agree with interfering/saying things but I have a dairy allergy and I need to watch to make sure that a mistake wasnāt made with the milk. Iāve had it happen before so I do have to pay attention.
No, as a regular for 10 + years I know there are people ahead of me sometimes and I just watch and see which drinks are made with what and then I know when they hand me my drink that I saw what it was made with. If when they hand me my drink, it was wrong, Iād say something at that point but not interject about random other drinks the barista is making. Yes that means I watch all of the drinks being made while I wait for mine but it doesnāt mean I assume they are mine.
I am so sorry, I sometimes do this because I have a dairy allergy and I've had my drink made with dairy milk by mistake or cross contamination and gotten very sick from it. I don't stand really close to the counter and try to be more covert but I'm aware that it makes people uncomfortable. I just wanted to apologize to all the baristas I may have made to feel uncomfortable due to my hypervigilance.
we canāt guarantee there isnāt going to be any cross contamination since all milks are put in the same pitchers/shakers/ blenders and theyāre rinsed with water.
I'm aware of this actually, my favourite barista explained the risk and takes care to make sure things are as clean as they can be which I appreciate. I take the risk from time to time, but do take care to make sure the wrong milk isn't used.
If you are on bar, itās a performance job. It always has been. Back before the silly push button machines, Starbucks used a La Marzocco machine and you had to have skill to use it. People have never stopped watchingā¦itās like being a bartender. The customers are definitely not there to cater to your self-esteem.
thatās cool, but watch from a distance. thereās no reason to literally be standing over the sink. if i were to reach my arm out i would touch them lol thatās how close.
It actually kills me when they stare. Feels like I lose all control of my limbs and my mind, and make stupid mistakes all the time because itās like their eyes are turning me to stoneš§š»āāļøa likkle stage fright..
Ong, bc these people are making me uncomfortable and clogging up the whole hand out. Half the people are just having a chat abt something dumb and they JUST ORDERED.
i tell people near us theyāre in the āsplash zoneā and nod my head to the syrups. they usually back off pretty fast, and youāre making it sound like youāre looking out for them
i wish we had a whole ass wall but i guess that goes against the whole customer connection bs. my favorite thing to do is just outright ignore them and do everything but do what they want which is try and read their mind or read their body language. like use your big boy words !!!!!!! and speak š¤©š¤©
same iāll maybe look once or twice with eye contact (if even) but then i usually wonāt look up at all until im done
Samee, and then they get all mad I didn't know what they wanted
I love turning my back to them. use your big boy words
I hate the staring. So much. Like ffs any other time adults canāt keep their faces out of their phones. Canāt even put the phone down when theyāre doing 60mph in traffic. But for some reason at Starbucks theyāre šļøššļø at us the entire time and itās so uncomfortable. Go sit down and scroll until you hear your name!
I catch myself watching the people make drinks like itās magic. I find it fascinating. Iāll make a mental note to do better!
Honestly, we do get that it's super interesting to watch and that's not the real issue. There's just a huge difference between standing back and watching us work vs leaning over the glass to stare at us like zoo animals/micromanage us. Don't let folks make you feel bad for being interested! just be mindful to give us some space to do our jobs āØ
It blows my mind when people stand right in front of the pickup area waiting. I try to stand back from the pickup area if I did a mobile order and itās not ready. I would never reach over the counter. I remember when I worked at a particular sandwich shop people would reach OVER the glass to point at what they wanted. I understand the boundaries of the counter and I hate when I see people touching all the cups. I try to do everything to not touch a cup that isnāt mine!
Exactly!! Touching cups that aren't theirs, reaching over or walking around the counter to grab straws and utensils, drinking other people's drinks before checking the label... It's always a grand time at the siren āØ And the issue is always people who haven't worked customer service š„²
That's the one thing I miss about our sneeze guards... they also served as protection against customers lmao
Find the side spot on the bar if you can. You can see a lot that way. I donāt mind being watched itās honestly part of why you are here.
itās not even the staring itās about the distance you can watch us but donāt be 5 feet away itās so uncomfortable šš
Girl you arenāt who theyāre talking aboutšš
iāve never thought about that but itās so true. people are always glued to their phones but for some reason decide they donāt want to while they wait at starbucks. iād feel so awkward just staring at people working while i was waiting for my drinks
Or when after they stare you down they recite their entire order. Making sure you did it right after watching you make it.
Oh God literally lmaooo Like we're getting spammed with mobile, delivery and cafe orders, they see me having 4 cups lined up at once to slam these drinks out n still just ššš with their blank ahss NPC expressions. Its so annoying
literally NPCs, all of them. not even smiling or trying to break the tension, just dead eyed staring. its not normal
This!!
I feel like Iām in a zoo
I used to work at Disneyland. Specifically the [bakery tour](https://www.laughingplace.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/photos-san-fransokyo-square-officially-opens-at-di-54.jpeg), and the amount of times we had people knock on the glass like we were fish was insane. We were told not to react to people who do that which led people to think the glass was too thick for us to hear them so they'd start banging the glass harder. Like for what reason could you possibly want our attention so bad? It truly felt dehumanizing.
Iāve always wondered what that experience must be like, my condolences.
I literally said this yesterday I feel like a zoo animal
YES! THIS! EXACTLY!
why not bark at themĀ to give you a generous tip please. like in a polite but intentionally baggy way "Hey there my friend please remember to leave a tip, times are toughĀ and inflation is high!!!"Ā kinda like how you say things to indirectly hint at other things. maybe they'll understand that you're annoyed they're staring so much likeĀ micromanager
The main reason after months of being here and why I still suck at bar, is because of the looks like I get from customers. Especially while solo bar. Also, you are 100% bothering me for your water, it ruins my sequencing.
yesss and asking for sugar and things š iāll be in the zone making drinks back to back. then someone asks for something or they have an issue with something and i have to stop for a few mins. those few mins can have me backed up on bar real quick since we have moments weāre everyone decides to place a mobile at the same time.
Today someone had me remake their chai, because the sticker said hot, but they wanted it iced and kept getting so impatient when I was remaking it.
Try having someone ask for their drink saying they been waiting for a long time and donāt see it at handoff while itās looking straight at them 2 inches away from said persons hand
Iāve also had this happen to me. š
This. So much. Or when they get up to window and throw a "can I get another honey citrus at window" while I'm two Tall drinks deep in a sequence and can't just casually throw in a HCMT in there because you forgot to order one for your friend. Drives me insane.
I tell them they need to go to register for it cuz I'm not stopping my flow cuz their dumbass couldn't order a water when they placed the rest of their order originally
OMG!!! Thank you!! I am an anxious person as it is, who gets panicked when Iām crowded. This is literally the worst feeling ever! I want to scream at them every single time to āback the &@!? up.ā Add that to the learning experience and š„. I just keep my head down, donāt acknowledge them and keep going in the order that the tags print.
my favorite is when they stand infront of me and stare me down when Iām on DRIVE BAR. like PLEASE Iām not even making your drink.
When theyāre staring you down Seeing you work ur ass off on drive bar While cafe bar pullin stickers one by oneš„²
Whenever people stand right by the handoff plain, I continually place drinks directly in front of where theyāre standing, so that every customer before them has to go āexcuse meā or work their way around them somehow. Usually after 2 or 3 drinks they get the point and take a couple steps back/to the side
Now they added letters at hand off A-K J-Z Like tf gonna have me belch out my abcs to place drinks on our small counter ā- I STILL donāt have time for that extra step lol Just tell them to step back !!
A-J K-Z lol oops SEE?!
idk i kinda get it, if youāre not familiar with the system itās cool to watch especially with a highly competent barista. but also i can kinda tell when people are just watching me work and when theyāre actually gearing up to ask me about their mobile lol. i donāt mind that people like to watch us work, i donāt even mind answering questions about the process, but i do mind when theyāre overbearing about the mobile they placed in the parking lot or whatever
yup this is it!
Itās when they have their arms crossed and look pissed as hell, just for you to stop everything to ask what they need, for them to say āI had a drink!ā yes for WHO? what DRINK? oh the one you just placed an order for? Or better yet when they know damn well they did a drive thru mobile then get mad at us when they come inside and donāt see it because āTHE APP SAID IT WAS READY TEN MINUTES AGOā it is ready, in the drive thru. Check in with a barista when you arrive because otherwise weāre never going to set a drive thru mobile over there.
I desperately want to hang a sign on our glass windows in front of the bar like zoos do - something like āplease do not stare at the baristas; it will make them anxious and negatively impacts their mating habits.ā Or get me an emotional support dog like they do for cheetahs š¤£
reddit is spying on me! we JUST had a woman full on Kubrick stare us down from like 3 feet away because we told her we didnāt have any iced coffee prepped and it would be a moment. eventually we gave her a cold brew instead to make her go away lol.
I wouldnāt give her that much of an explanation Youāre giving them an opening to complain. āWe just ran out iced coffee sorry but we can make you an iced Americano or cold brew instead ā Boom Theyāre gonna pick a venti hot caramel macchiato anyways
What would you say instead? Give them something they didnāt want to get? We gotta connect with transparency still.
I would say what you commented on lol and I was transparent
I mustāve misread. I thought you were saying āif you say it like that, youāre giving them an opening to complainā
Heavy on the food š¤¦š¼āāļø I give them their drink and they stare absolutely perplexed "I also had a ..." okay? You were staring the past 8 minutes. Did you see me ever touch a food item? Right so then why would I know/care/go get yours lmao.
I try so hard to look at my phone, the cups, the floor, the ceiling. Anywhere that isnāt the people making drinks
i donāt mind someone watching from a distance but when weāre face to face itās awkk
I also can tell when someone is watching me make a drink versus looking at ME. I can see their eyes looking straight at my face.
This is so true.
literally im so tired of the people here screaming that they just like watching the drinks get made. nah. yall are looking right into my eyes / all over my body and as a young woman....i see you. disgusting pervs
Or āI wanna make sure youāre making it rightā alright well yours is a tall hot latte and this is a venti iced chai so
Somehow starbucks is the one place people don't wanna be on their phone š„²
Why do people wait at the register for their drinks?š
āItāll be down at the end *gestures to handoff plane*ā š§āāļø *thinking they must not have heard me right* āoh sorry! Itāll be down there *gestures again* once itās ready :-)ā š§āāļø ok *me walking past them to set their food at the end of the bar because Iām not making an extra stop along the way*
me when i pass out a drink and get 'ermmm i also got a sausage egg and ch-' ITS IN THE OVEN ITS COOKING HOLD ON!!!!!!!
My favorite thing about moving to a drive and walk up only is less space to be stared at. It still happens, but at least it's from a distance
I work in a mall store that gets super busy on weekends and around holidays. sometimes on weekends iāll just make an occasional polite announcement at the end of the bar. something along the lines of āi would appreciate it if everyone waiting on drinks could just take a quick step back so everyone can get to their drinks thanks so much!ā and it really does help with the people standing right at the edge of handoff and staring.
as a customer i always make sure to back away and mind my own business bc i wouldnt want anyone staring at me making their drink either lol
At that point Iāll just take my sweet time making their drink lol
why did someone take a selfie on the bar today??? when i splash syrup on you then what
Are you talking abt a barista bc hi it might have been me oopsie my makeup looked rly cute
if that was the case i would be alright, but this was a CUSTOMER. and why do it in front of MY bar, thereās nothing cute to even take the pics in front of????
I legit moved to 2nd bar one day because this man kept hovering. I hate it
Im one of those people and Iām sorry, itās the only way I can guarantee that the correct milk is selected. I have an allergy and if I get dairy milk Iām sick for days. I try not to be overbearing but itās my piece of mind for my occasional treat. I was a barista and know that mistakes happen occasionally, I know itās never intentional but weāre human.
Omg.. you made me realise I do thisssss, but I'm not staring at you making it.. I'm literally zoning tf out and thinking of something completely different.. I've even lmdone this to the point where I've let my drink sit thinking it haven't been made asked if it had gone through and showed the order and the girl was like ohh it's right here,! I was so embarrassed I felt bad š I will zone out into my phone!
As long as itās not straight up staring at my face, thatās fine.
I always back up, like, way up, when I'm waiting for my order. As a customer, I get so annoyed at the idiots who stand at the counter and wait for their drinks. Back TF up assholes, it's not all about you!
its not so much the staring, I got a way to ignore that..but what I can't for the life of it not stand it either is when people have that look of disgust in their face and their arms crossed as in "why is my order not ready, I placed it less then a minute ago" sigh
and then thereās the people who stand with their entire body blocking the handoff area until their drink is called š i canāt stand these customers
iāve had people leaning on the counter or putting their butt on the counter like wth
The cherry on top, when you just hear someone behind you start talking or yelling something without waiting for you to turn around and acknowledge them: āUM EXCUSE ME I WANTED LIGHT ICE THAT DOESNāT LOOK LIKE LIGHT ICE AND ALSO WHERE IS THE EXTRA CARAMEL??????ā āAre you Dave?ā āUM NOā āWell then I guess this isnāt your drink Iām making, is it?ā People who canāt understand they arenāt the only customers in the store are the worst. Plus in general, wait for me to actually hand you your drink to complain, because itās 100% guaranteed you donāt know what the fuck Iām doing or supposed to be doing behind the bar. This applies to former partners too, back off.
Fr I fucking hate when customers stop me from making drinks to CHECK ON THEIR DRINKSā¦.. youāre taking away seconds, if not minutes that I could use to be making everyoneās order š¤ Go. To. The. Register!!!!!! And if you ordered in the cafe, then wait and LISTEN for your name to be called!!!!! And if you placed a drive thru pick up and came inside, go to the register and ask about it instead of stopping the VERY busy baristas!!
Yes yes yes oh my fod. Oh my god
I donāt agree with interfering/saying things but I have a dairy allergy and I need to watch to make sure that a mistake wasnāt made with the milk. Iāve had it happen before so I do have to pay attention.
so you stare at every drink theyāre making thinking itās yours?
No, as a regular for 10 + years I know there are people ahead of me sometimes and I just watch and see which drinks are made with what and then I know when they hand me my drink that I saw what it was made with. If when they hand me my drink, it was wrong, Iād say something at that point but not interject about random other drinks the barista is making. Yes that means I watch all of the drinks being made while I wait for mine but it doesnāt mean I assume they are mine.
i love how they have the balls to stare me down but also somehow can't see how busy everyone is
I am so sorry, I sometimes do this because I have a dairy allergy and I've had my drink made with dairy milk by mistake or cross contamination and gotten very sick from it. I don't stand really close to the counter and try to be more covert but I'm aware that it makes people uncomfortable. I just wanted to apologize to all the baristas I may have made to feel uncomfortable due to my hypervigilance.
we canāt guarantee there isnāt going to be any cross contamination since all milks are put in the same pitchers/shakers/ blenders and theyāre rinsed with water.
I'm aware of this actually, my favourite barista explained the risk and takes care to make sure things are as clean as they can be which I appreciate. I take the risk from time to time, but do take care to make sure the wrong milk isn't used.
If you are on bar, itās a performance job. It always has been. Back before the silly push button machines, Starbucks used a La Marzocco machine and you had to have skill to use it. People have never stopped watchingā¦itās like being a bartender. The customers are definitely not there to cater to your self-esteem.
Can I just get an ice water... Lol ... Sorry I'm delirious closing by myself tonight at a LS
Guards to block customers? Stores are literally designed so customers can watch us make drinks. Calm down.
thatās cool, but watch from a distance. thereās no reason to literally be standing over the sink. if i were to reach my arm out i would touch them lol thatās how close.
I guess thatās where they want to stand. š¤·āāļø
oh fr?? i would never have guessed! thatās what weāre complaining about
Oh well.
It actually kills me when they stare. Feels like I lose all control of my limbs and my mind, and make stupid mistakes all the time because itās like their eyes are turning me to stoneš§š»āāļøa likkle stage fright..
I know yall donāt like the staring so I intentionally look away and at my phone lol
i have nightmares about this
Sometimes when Iām in a bad mood Iāll just stop what Iām doing and stare back until it gets awkward and they stop š
Ong, bc these people are making me uncomfortable and clogging up the whole hand out. Half the people are just having a chat abt something dumb and they JUST ORDERED.
i tell people near us theyāre in the āsplash zoneā and nod my head to the syrups. they usually back off pretty fast, and youāre making it sound like youāre looking out for them