Starbucks Archives - Page 9 of 12 - I Hate Working In Retail

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12 TYPES OF BARISTAS YOU WILL ENCOUNTER IN YOUR LIFE

BARISTA1

Let us know in the comments section below which type you are!

Pretty much as soon as you learn you need caffeine in order to complete more than two tasks a day and get shit actually done, you realize making this liquid gold is way more fun when you pay someone to make it for you. Not only are you ~treating yo’ self~ but you get to hang out in a coffee shop, which is, like, so adult and efficient of you.

Much like the rest of the world, I’m a coffee addict. And I like going to coffee shops to get my coffee because it’s way less sad than brewing a cup of Folgers at home with my plastic Mr. Coffee coffeemaker. I like ordering flavored iced coffees, knowing that I’m paying two dollars too much. And I like building relationships with my baristas whom I call “my” baristas, as though I have very personal relationships with them.

The thing is, I feel like I really do. I mean, your coffee order says so much about you. The other day, I ordered a soy chai and I wanted the barista to know that I was only ordering soy because I’m lactose-sensitive, not because I’m an alternative milk asshole, so I told him that. I don’t think he gave a shit either way, but he sympathetically nodded and I felt understood.

We form very important bonds with our baristas, subconsciously and consciously. They are the gateway to our caffeine addictions. They make sure our depleted selves are fueled, like omnipotent coffee gods. These are some of the “our” baristas:

1. THE TIRED BARISTA

This is the most intuitive human ever. She understands that mornings are disgusting. She has bags under her eyes that are still caked with last night’s makeup, but it looks heroin chic not sloppy. She passes no judgment when you accidentally say something dumb because you only got four hours of sleep. She makes sure not to make small talk, because let’s be real: no one needs that before 10 a.m.

2. THE “THIS IS MY ART. I AM AN ARTIST” BARISTA

This person is so on point with your drinks. He knows how to make the perfect amount of foam, and that foam is perfectly light and fluffy, not airy and vacant like cheap bubble bath. Your drinks are always perfectly hot. They’re never overly sweetened. He might as well wear a uniform that says BOW DOWN BITCHES.

3. THE CUTESY BARISTA

They always add a smiley face or heart on your to-go cup. Sure, it’s annoying as shit, but it also brings you out of your fatalistic world for, like, three seconds. You want to punch this barista for seeming so pure and bubbly and happy, but eh, they still give you coffee, so they can get away with a lot.

4.  THE ANGRY BARISTA

As soon as you either say “two extra pumps,” or “nonfat, sugar-free,” you have entered the zone of hate. Not even because it’s more work, because in reality it really isn’t (like, honestly, I was a barista for awhile). But just the fundamental principle of a person taking things into their own hands is just so aggravating.

5. THE BARISTA WHO WAS PISSED UNTIL YOU ORDERED AN ICED TEA.

All I have to do is pour pink or green watered Tazo into a cup? YAY.

6. THE JUDGMENTAL BARISTA.

You ordered a caramel frap. Which is not even real coffee, so how dare you even think you’re drinking coffee, when you’re really just ordering a glorified milkshake. Like, what has this world come to? Your barista may not be outwardly judging you as you ask for extra whip and extra caramel, but just know she is. She definitely is.

7. THE “HEY, LET’S BE BEST FRIENDS” BARISTA

This barista seemingly wants to know everything about you and make you feel special. He will ask you how your day is going. He’ll laugh if you say something kind of quirky or sarcastic. He’ll point out that your Modest Mouse shirt is supercool and that even though he hated their latest album, he still loves their classic stuff. This is the barista you fall in love with, because it just feels like they totally get you on a very real level.

8. THE HOT BARISTA

Ugh, that Vonnegut tattoo though. You somehow incorporate a literary reference, like “Wow, did you read the news today, it’s, like, so Orwellian, I thought it was 2014 not 1984.” You suck it up and order a black coffee (but pour half in the trash can and substitute it with milk and vanilla powder and raw sugar when he’s not looking).

9. THE GENEROUS BARISTA

She is overzealous with the espresso and syrup, and you love her for this. Girl gets your needs.

10. THE BARISTA WHO DOESN’T EVEN BOTHER ASKING IF YOU WANT WHIP BECAUSE SHE KNOWS YOU DON’T, AND THIS MAKES YOU FEEL INCREDIBLY SELF-CONSCIOUS.

Is there something about your body that screams, “Please no more whipped cream, can you not see my grotesque body does not need the extra lard?” Are you being judged, or does this person just understand what it’s like living in a body-obsessed society? Probably both.

11. THE BARISTA WHO FEELS REALLY BAD FOR YOU WHEN YOU TELL HER YOU DON’T WANT WHIP.

Like, how could you give up on one of life’s simple pleasures like that? What are you, a monster? Poor you. Poor, poor you.

12. THE SOULLESS BARISTA

Oh hello, dead eyes. She hates everything. Everyone. She’s clearly overqualified and overeducated for this job, and she’s sick of making 10 dollars per hour. She makes your drink, and it’s mediocre, and she gives no fucks. Somehow, you love her even more for this.

Sourced from Bustle.com

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THIS IS WHAT HONEST STARBUCKS MENUS WOULD LOOK LIKE

And yet, even the most hardened Starbucks fanatic would have to admit that the coffee mega-chain is not being entirely honest with us. The truth is that, though Starbucks’ coffee-for-coffee-haters can send you flying through the most trying day at the office, and their stores are a great place to pretend to work on your screenplay, there is some gentlemanly stretching of the truth going on with these menus.

But Starbucks, we love you for who you are! Also, we have totally caught on to the fact that Frappuccinos are just melted coffee ice cream. So be real with us. We’ve provided examples below of what a Starbucks menu that was actually upfront about what is in your drinks would look like. Take heed, Green Mermaid Lady.  Or we’re totally switching over to Coffee Bean. (Please don’t call my bluff on this.)


And in the warmer months…

Now for the hard shit.

It’s PSL time, folks.

And the desserts, er, I mean, frappes.

And the stuff the no one in their right mind orders. WTF is a “Refresher”?

Wait, don’t forget the dessert menu! I mean, the baked goods menu!

And what you really wanted all along:

Sourced from Bustle.com

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The Types of Coffee Shop Regulars We Love to Hate

conrado / (Shutterstock.com)
conrado / (Shutterstock.com)

1. The This-is-How-You-Make-a-Cappuccino Guy

When I was a barista, I had a lot customers who fit this type. It didn’t matter that my coffee shop was the best in Birmingham, because there was always someone that knew better than us how to make a latte/cappuccino/whatever. This person isn’t interested in a dialogue, they just want you to make their cappuccino “standard but with more milk, but not as big as a latte, and with caramel drizzle, you know, like they do it at Starbucks.”

2. The I’ll-Have-a-Water-and-Your-Wi-Fi-Password Guy

Ranging from teenagers to Baby Boomers, nothing annoyed me more than the people in line waiting to ask for a big glass of (free) ice water and our Wi-Fi password. Sometimes they’d even throw in a, “Do I have to buy anything to use your Internet?”

To be fair, I realize not everyone can afford to pay for the Internet. You know what I do these days when I need to use it and have zero dollars? I go to the public library. Those fucking places areeverywhere and are stoked to share their resources with you. For free. And they have books! And magazines! And movies! For free. I’m not even kidding.

3. Sad Dads

This is a new breed that I’ve noticed lately. I’ve been known to spend a Monday night or two at the local coffee shop reading some nerdy book and listening to whatever band Captured Tracks tells me to, all while observing the fellow patrons taking in that sweet Sacramento Delta breeze with me on the patio. So I’ve learned a lot from these fellow outside-seating dwellers that I call Sad Dads. Their habits are consistent and include (but are not limited to) the following:
• Cigar smoking
• Furiously navigating their fantasy football league spreadsheets
• Watching Netflix on their phones without headphones, oblivious to the fact that no one else really cares to hear the dialogue of Lewis Black’s latest stand-up routine.
• Online shopping for workout gear so they can work on theirfitness.

4. The Can-You-Watch-My-Shit-While-I-Go-to-the-Bathroom/Have-Dinner? Guy

I’m totally cool with watching your shit when you go to the bathroom because I, too, have a tiny bladder and hope that you will, in turn, watch my shit for me.

But there are limits.

The limits of me watching your shit are directly proportional to the length of your cellphone conversation with your bestie or the length of time you decide to leave your shit on your table so you can “grab dinner,” thus occupying prime coffee shop real estate for what can turn into an hour and a half. That’s not cool. I’m way too ADD for that. I can’t promise I won’t just abandon your shit because it just hit me that I wanted a candy bar from the co-op. Nothing beats dark chocolate sea salt. Nothing.

5. The Conscious Camper

Unlike #2, this type spends money. This is where I fall about 90% of the time. The Campers are the people that have actual work they need to accomplish on their computers while they casually toggle Facebook and Spotify, but they also feel the need to follow the social code of coffee conduct. For example, I have been known to spend six hours in a coffee shop working but will buy approximately one drink every 90 minutes or so. Or at least a pastry. And tip very well.

But if you’re the Camper, you feel bad about this. Especially if you’ve plugged in your laptop and iPhone and plan to stay until that spreadsheet is done or you’re at 100% battery life, whichever comes first.

And if you’re like me, you have manners—cripplingly so—because you’re from the South. You buy as many drinks as your heart and brain can handle without them strangling each other because you want the barista to like you and maybe even tackle someone if they slight you (see #4 and #6).

6. First Daters

I’ve fallen into this category more times than I’d like to admit and have had a lot of awkward coffee-shop first dates. If I meet someone for a date for the first time, it’s good to do it in a public place that I’ve been before so that my barista friend will stab you if you get grabby. I also like coffee, and this is a good way to get a semi-stranger to pay for my iced mocha.

7. Loud and Fake Wedding/House Planners

These are the worst. They sleep with coat hangers in their mouths and speak as though they’ve got a megaphone built into their face. But they are just SO EXCITED ABOUT YOUR SPECIAL DAY. Seriously, where the hell did these people come from?

8. The Regular-Cup-of-Coffee Regulars

They stop by at 8:15AM every weekday for their Regular Cup of Coffee With No Room and then go on their merry way. I wish I were this simple. I get iced drinks like they’re going out of style and I hang out too much to be this customer, but for their simplicity and politeness, I salute you, Regulars.

Sourced from thoughtcatalog.com

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