White Mochas and Sweet Potato Chips for the Soul (and Maybe Society, too?)

Running a drive-thru makes for many interesting stories. Some cause my blood to boil, some prevent me from being able to speak from laughter, and many just light up my face and soul for days to come. What happened this morning is among the later, but still completely different.

Customer: *pulls up to the window searching briefcase and nooks and crannies in car* 
Me: Hi! Having trouble there?
Customer: I can’t find my wallet! Can I pay you with a check?
Me: No, I can’t take a check, but I can give you your drink and let your day go up from here!
Customer: Really? Are you sure? Is that okay?
Me: Absolutely! I really want you to have your white mocha on your way to find your wallet.
Customer: Wow! Thanks so much! What’s your name? *sees nametag* Rebecca, I will be back!
Me: That’s what I like to hear! Have a great day!

I always give a customer their drink or food if they realize they don’t have their funds or their card declines. It’s literally a Starbucks policy the empowers me to do this as my discretion and I’m just going to have to throw away the item anyway (or give it to the next customer). It happens a few times a week at most, really. Obviously it elicits a smile and sincere gratitude every time. Sometimes the customer comes back and requests to pay for their order, we assure them it’s not necessary, but they insist so we concede since that will make them happy, I guess. I can understand wanting to pay for or earn what you get. But I'd rather someone that kind and genuine come back just to get another fix. "Surprise and delight" is a brand relationship asset.

Apparently he was so blown away that I gave him his drink anyway he came back and tried to offer to buy me a drink (which partners get for free while working) and then just requested to speak to me when he found out buying a drink for me was fruitless. The shift superviser covered the drive-thru while I was gone.

He shook my hand. This man in perfectly tailored business attire shook my hand as if we were at a networking event or business negotiation. He then insisted on buying me something I could eat on my break.

Me: Oh, no, that’s okay! I’m so glad you appreciated it and I’d really just rather see you come back for another white mocha.
Customer: I’ll definitely do that, too, but I insist! Pick whatever you like.
Me: Alright. I really like these sweet potato chips here.

He tried to talk me into a more expensive item (most of those I get as a free meal markout), but I insisted I really liked those chips and I didn’t get them for free, so he got me two bags. I’m enjoying a bag as I write.

As an aside for relevance, I’ve always had a hard time conceding to allow men to buy me drinks in bars or take me out to dinner and such. It’s not a completely rational thing, but I didn’t want them to feel as if they needed to buy my time. At the same time, I never took issue with a friend buying me something just because they wanted to, as I do for them. I enjoy doing nice things for people. It’s been a learning process to realize when a man offers/requests to buy me a drink or pick up the tab, he is making a gesture, whereas I’d always viewed it as an unnecessary and therefore unwise investment. I shouldn’t get caught up with undermining societal gender roles or accepting generosity when someone is just being nice; I should let them be nice and that's all there is to it.

Now this man was not hitting on me, for the record, but this has been my other experience for strangers offering me something for consumption on their dime and I was tempted (or did, usually) decline. Yes, I get free drinks and food as part of my partner benefits package at Starbucks and yes, it’s literally my job to engage and delight and to give someone the drink they were looking forward to even if they can’t pay. But that handshake and these chips bring so much more value to me than the $1 each of these bags would cost me with my discount. And the experience I created was more than his $5 white mocha to his day, it seems.

One of my first customers in my shift this morning at about 6am informed us she got the wrong drink the day before when she placed her order. She was very kind and pleasant through the entire conversation, from box to window, as we “made it right” with her free drink. She went as far as telling me that this was the first time she’s gotten the wrong order at our store to make me feel better for my mistake on Tuesday. She also mentioned that she her order was almost never exactly right at McDonald’s. “People aren’t excited about working there like they are here,” I said, and kind of stopped as I contemplated the profoundness of such a simple concept.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Starbucks partners had a rocky summer. But when it comes down to it, we still love what we do, the company we represent, our partners, and the customers we serve. That is not the norm for our industry in food and beverage customer service. Not even close. There are so many factors to this I could unravel, and most are cyclical and mutually inclusive, but I would rather continue this focus on our customers for the time being.

My customers make eye contact with me. They greet me first with sincerity. They remember my name. They ask about my favorite drinks and advice for their order. They notice when I’ve gotten a haircut. They ask me about school or my job hunt. They inquire about the well-being of a barista they haven’t seen in awhile. They (unnecessarily) apologize when they feel they’ve inconvenienced me or been complicated. And apparently they sometimes even take time out of their day to come back to my store to shake my hand.

Being treated with dignity and respect is the rule as a Starbucks partner but the exception at McDonald’s and so many other places.

This is a travesty. I don’t want Starbucks to maintain a monopoly on “nurturing the human spirit”, warmth, belonging, dignity… I want to see a market shift in a way that ensuring these things and kinds of outcomes be absolutely necessary to compete in the service industry and therefore entice a major shift.

If you need me, I’ll be doing more of the same in the drive thru and behind the bar at Starbucks or tossing and turning at night contemplating how one little barista can duplicate the “inspired moments” she creates with her partners infinitely- sparking society. Changing the world one bag at a time… or something to that effect.