Get your social anxiety disorder diagnosed by a professional, that’s what!
Seriously though, ordering coffee at Starbucks is as easy as ordering a new type of food. If you’ve never been in a Mexican resteraunt, would you have anxiety asking people that work there to describe some of the food on the menu? Just think about Starbucks like that.
Just FYI, the two most popular hot coffee drinks with caramel or mocha are easy to remember. One is just called a Mocha, or a Caffe Mocha (they’re the same thing), and the other is called a Caramel Machiatto, but almost everyone understands “that hot caramel coffee thing”.
That’s the thing - it’s completely unfamiliar to me and I have visions of standing at the front of a queue, blushing like a beet, having ordered something using not quite the right description, and not knowing how to answer some arcane question the guy serving me is asking. At least in an unfamiliar restaurant, you get to sit down and study the menu for as long as it takes.
The impression I got from ChrisBooth12’s post was that he was referring to the size of the baked goods having changed, not the size of the drinks. So you’re getting less chocolate chip brownie (or whatever) than you used to, for the same price.
Feel free to correct me if this impression was mistaken, ChrisBooth.
I can’t imagine what arcane question they might ask you. If you were asked something you couldn’t immediately answer, I think it would be about as difficult as being unexpectedly asked whether you want mushroom soup, mashed potatoes, or a side salad.
If you’re not sure what you want, I’d suggest staying away from the drive thru stores, though. The people inside should all be willing to help if you want anything on the menu explained, but it’s more convenient to do it face to face.
That’s the problem here, I think. You’re clearly very familiar with the whole thing, and appear to be having trouble imagining what complete unfamiliarity might feel like. <shrug>
I always keep my interactions with attractive bariastas short because I feel like, “oh she has to be especially friendly to me, my day is great thanks, can I have coffee.” Whereas a friend of mine believes in taking full advantage of the faux friendliness of baristas and thinks it gives him a great opening to ask for a number.
I’m under the impression that Starbucks has an especially strong “be friendly and make chitchat with the customer” policy, moreso than most other places. Is this the case?
They must not have Top Pot Donuts in your store Man I see those in our Seattle stores sitting on a napkin and you can see the grease soaking the napkin–no thanks! Well actually I am sure they are quite good (so I have heard), but that just looks like heartache to me and my tummy.
There’s one of those things that you think you will never see, Starbucks and barista in the same sentence.
They seem to be struggling by in Australia but it is hard to find anybody who has been there more than once. It is coffee for people who don’t like coffee.
yea, only 87 stores there since 2000. I can see how they are struggling :rolleyes: It must be tough to keep 87 stores in business with single visit customers. But I am so glad you think you are so clever and all.
Maybe you ought to just patronize a funky little local coffeehouse instead. Your money will stay in-country, hopefully even in your local city, you’ll probably get a better product made by someone with more training (I’m pretty sure they just press a button to pull the espresso at Starbucks, meaning a decent part of the drink is made for them by a machine), you’ll help a local businessperson keep a unique business alive instead of contributing to the Buy Some Asshole in Seattle Another Lear Jet Fund, and you won’t have to order in a bunch of stupid-ass pretentious made-up names that someone in a suit pulled out of their ass to try to create a fake subculture. It might even cost less.
They’ll walk you through it, baristas are nice. And they want to sell you something, which makes them more helpful.
But you’ll probably want to try during sometime other than the breakfast rush or lunch rush - when the store is emptier.
Old school is also up side down which means the shots go in first as in a macchiato. A macchiato is: Pump of vanilla, steamed milk, foam, shots, and then caramel on top. Sure you could get it without the caramel.
Yes, When you deal with people are you supposed to be pilote regardless. But at starbucks its pushed on you more then anything. We are supposed to make customers want to stay and be around you. We are supposed to make Starbucks the “thrid place” One and two being home and work.
Man I see those in our Seattle stores sitting on a napkin and you can see the grease soaking the napkin–no thanks! Well actually I am sure they are quite good (so I have heard), but that just looks like heartache to me and my tummy.