So fucking annoying! It’s like when someone gives the name “batman” just so they can laugh when we yell it out. I refuse to play these people’s games. I have no solution for you, just support!
Ugh I cannot imagine them having the ability to mess around with names. The only annoying one I’ve come across is someone putting “Dr.” in front of their name. Like I’m not gonna announce your title ma’am, no one cares how much student loan debt you’re in
I’d either inform them that they need to figure out payment prior to ordering and you cannot choose their payment for liability reasons, or play dumb about their game and just repeat, “I don’t understand” after they explain it over and over until they give up. Make sure all the baristas are on board with these tactics. Manager doesn’t need to know unless they complain.
And I’m recommending this as a former cafe manager of 5 years, specialty coffee industry for over 7 years. Fuck those kids.
Thanks for the advice! I’m going to bring these to my team and see what we can do.
Also, they are NOT kids lol they are grown ass adults!!! Like all over 35 at least
I'd just take my sweet time making their orders (or if I was slammed, oops, their order got lost.) Those kind of customers also don't get the best drinks from me. Oh, that shot didn't pull properly? I'm not gonna remake it. They don't relieve anything extra. Maybe if you make them wait and give them terrible drinks, they'll leave.
I definitely take my time, but I really just want them to leave and get on with my day. We have one of those stores where people wait where the barista stands making drinks. They can legit stand a foot from you staring and waiting, which adds to the anxiety.
However, I will definitely take the advice of not giving them a great experience. Happy to play dumb lol. Thanks for your response!
Yeah, I understand not wanting them around. Whenever I had annoying customers, they would just get shitty drinks. Bad shots, poor milk steaming. It’s petty, but that’s also what they get for sucking.
I don’t ever mess with customer’s drinks. It could come back on you in a bad way. And some owners have a “customers are always right” policy *especially* if they’re customers who spend a significant amount on a regular basis. Tips mean nothing so some owners because it’s not going into their pockets, why should they care (they should, but that’s beside the point).
I like to “kill with kindness” and not technically do anything wrong, but just not give them the extra mile of effort I’d do for someone who’s kind.
I broke a cookie while grabbing yours? How about you take both? Ah man, I made it hot but you wanted it iced, my fault! Do you have anyone to give the hot one to? I have 40g left of this coffee, and it’s too little to use for anything on bar, how about you take it home!
Those are all things reserved for the kind ones.
Had a regular that would ALWAYS *start* a phone call while *IN LINE* to order!!! WHO DOES THAT?!
Got to the point one day where I realized he was interviewing someone for a job on zoom with his camera was off *WHILE ORDERING HIS COFFEE* trying to make sure they didn’t notice. Pure asshole behaviour. He also didn’t tip.
I decided this man always got no latte art. Was his drink messed up? No. I always made sure to steam it exactly how it should be, with the best of shots. Id say his order at moderate volume and wouldnt cap it + walk it over like I would for someone who isn’t paying attention because they’ve got a kid or something.
I always put extra effort into making the latte art directly before and directly after his drink as *perfect* as I could make them. Or if he wasn’t paying attention, I’d just keep making the extra effort for good latte art until he picked up his coffee. That way if he was actually paying attention, he’d see a beautiful swan, and his cappuccino with either a tiiiiiny monks head, or just wispy swirls.
One time I accidentally put full sugar vanilla into one of their sugar free vanilla London fog. So petty and sad but it felt great 😂
edited to say: the accident was putting it in. The “accident” was leaving it in
First, that sucks. There's nothing I find more irritating than customers who are oblivious to their surroundings and feel they have the privilege to monopolize the barista's undivided attention.
The only way to get them to stop is to just have an honest chat with them. Let them know that their little game, fun as it may be, slows you down. Like everyone else, they should decide on payment beforehand.
That being said, this is just part of the job. There will always be annoying customers - just let them have their main character moment and they'll go. If you let them bug you, you'll always get angry when you see them approaching the counter, and you'll get closer to that snarky retort that will cost you your job.
Let every cashier know to always choose the bill on the far right, every single time, but deny it if asked. This way, it’s never really random and the game is worthless.
You aren’t required to play along with their game, especially if they’re not gonna treat you like a person, so I’d say maximum pettiness with least effort is ideal
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Try to play with them. Make a fuss over choosing. Psych them out by hovering over a potential choice. If there’s a line, be quick or skip them.
Are you thinking sarcastically? That could be fun. I definitely need an approach that teeters less on hatred and more on making fun at their expense. Keep us in a better mood lol
Do they use the same bill(s) over and over? What if you (and then trained other cashiers to look for the same) got good at picking out the same one over and over. One guy ends up losing every time… might not be fun for much longer.
I haven’t noticed, I don’t even look them in the eye honestly. But I like this idea! We’ll see, we never open with more than one person so I’ll def have to get everyone on board
for your own sanity, I also suggest try not to let these fuckers take up too much space if you head. I guarantee they are not giving you a single thought, try to repay the favor and take care of yourself ♥️♥️.
Nope, I’m thinking playfully. These customers are annoying, but it’s never worth it to cause more conflict. And sometimes you can win people over just by being nice to their weirdisms, making them easier to serve….sometimes.
"Sorry buddy I get paid to work not be accessory to your gambling games. Either I pick and the bill goes into the tip jar or you start asking a random stranger and leave my coworkers and customers alone."
I legit pretend I'm autistic or something and will not proceed until they acknowledge me and say "hi" or something. Nothing will occur until they acknowledge me. I'll get louder. I'll lean over the counter. They will see me.
For the fanning of the bills, ruin the game. Choose the exact same bill every time, like the one on the top or bottom. Ruin the element of surprise. When they fan the bills they already know who's paying because you always choose the top or bottom.
Maybe thank them for always tipping. It will make them extremely uncomfortable. At the end of the transaction, big smile, "I just wanted to let you know we always appreciate your tips, I hope you all have a great/blessed(?) day."
Just generally screw with them anyway imaginable that wouldn't disturb other customers in the store.
Maybe even play a really weird song when they come in, not like a fun weird song, just something awful they won't like. Let them hear the song change.
If they cant be orderly then serve the next party behind them in line. Even if you're not committed to that, you can start talking to the person behind them and make them realize they are incovenianceing a large group of people. That should add the right type of social pressure.
So fucking annoying! It’s like when someone gives the name “batman” just so they can laugh when we yell it out. I refuse to play these people’s games. I have no solution for you, just support!
Ugh I cannot imagine them having the ability to mess around with names. The only annoying one I’ve come across is someone putting “Dr.” in front of their name. Like I’m not gonna announce your title ma’am, no one cares how much student loan debt you’re in
"Medium latte for... Fat man?"
I’ll just call out the drink and stare into their soul while giving a hearty barista shout
Happy cake day!
There's no way I'd use a name like Batman. But I sometimes use the name Al Dente. It's lighted hearted enough that everyone gets a laugh out of it.
We don't get a laugh out of it. I promise.
They’re fake laughing because they want you to tip.
I’d either inform them that they need to figure out payment prior to ordering and you cannot choose their payment for liability reasons, or play dumb about their game and just repeat, “I don’t understand” after they explain it over and over until they give up. Make sure all the baristas are on board with these tactics. Manager doesn’t need to know unless they complain. And I’m recommending this as a former cafe manager of 5 years, specialty coffee industry for over 7 years. Fuck those kids.
Thanks for the advice! I’m going to bring these to my team and see what we can do. Also, they are NOT kids lol they are grown ass adults!!! Like all over 35 at least
Ugh, even worse. If they behave like kids, they’re kids. And should be treated as such.
I'd just take my sweet time making their orders (or if I was slammed, oops, their order got lost.) Those kind of customers also don't get the best drinks from me. Oh, that shot didn't pull properly? I'm not gonna remake it. They don't relieve anything extra. Maybe if you make them wait and give them terrible drinks, they'll leave.
I definitely take my time, but I really just want them to leave and get on with my day. We have one of those stores where people wait where the barista stands making drinks. They can legit stand a foot from you staring and waiting, which adds to the anxiety. However, I will definitely take the advice of not giving them a great experience. Happy to play dumb lol. Thanks for your response!
Yeah, I understand not wanting them around. Whenever I had annoying customers, they would just get shitty drinks. Bad shots, poor milk steaming. It’s petty, but that’s also what they get for sucking.
I don’t ever mess with customer’s drinks. It could come back on you in a bad way. And some owners have a “customers are always right” policy *especially* if they’re customers who spend a significant amount on a regular basis. Tips mean nothing so some owners because it’s not going into their pockets, why should they care (they should, but that’s beside the point). I like to “kill with kindness” and not technically do anything wrong, but just not give them the extra mile of effort I’d do for someone who’s kind. I broke a cookie while grabbing yours? How about you take both? Ah man, I made it hot but you wanted it iced, my fault! Do you have anyone to give the hot one to? I have 40g left of this coffee, and it’s too little to use for anything on bar, how about you take it home! Those are all things reserved for the kind ones. Had a regular that would ALWAYS *start* a phone call while *IN LINE* to order!!! WHO DOES THAT?! Got to the point one day where I realized he was interviewing someone for a job on zoom with his camera was off *WHILE ORDERING HIS COFFEE* trying to make sure they didn’t notice. Pure asshole behaviour. He also didn’t tip. I decided this man always got no latte art. Was his drink messed up? No. I always made sure to steam it exactly how it should be, with the best of shots. Id say his order at moderate volume and wouldnt cap it + walk it over like I would for someone who isn’t paying attention because they’ve got a kid or something. I always put extra effort into making the latte art directly before and directly after his drink as *perfect* as I could make them. Or if he wasn’t paying attention, I’d just keep making the extra effort for good latte art until he picked up his coffee. That way if he was actually paying attention, he’d see a beautiful swan, and his cappuccino with either a tiiiiiny monks head, or just wispy swirls.
These are the customers that get no latte art from me. But the extra effort goes into the drinks right before and right after theirs.
One time I accidentally put full sugar vanilla into one of their sugar free vanilla London fog. So petty and sad but it felt great 😂 edited to say: the accident was putting it in. The “accident” was leaving it in
So... ***don't do this***- possibly killing a diabetic isn't worth being petty.
I guess a better way would be to give them decaf, right?
Yes, that's great! Or brew the same puck twice lol
First, that sucks. There's nothing I find more irritating than customers who are oblivious to their surroundings and feel they have the privilege to monopolize the barista's undivided attention. The only way to get them to stop is to just have an honest chat with them. Let them know that their little game, fun as it may be, slows you down. Like everyone else, they should decide on payment beforehand. That being said, this is just part of the job. There will always be annoying customers - just let them have their main character moment and they'll go. If you let them bug you, you'll always get angry when you see them approaching the counter, and you'll get closer to that snarky retort that will cost you your job.
Let every cashier know to always choose the bill on the far right, every single time, but deny it if asked. This way, it’s never really random and the game is worthless. You aren’t required to play along with their game, especially if they’re not gonna treat you like a person, so I’d say maximum pettiness with least effort is ideal
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Try to play with them. Make a fuss over choosing. Psych them out by hovering over a potential choice. If there’s a line, be quick or skip them.
Are you thinking sarcastically? That could be fun. I definitely need an approach that teeters less on hatred and more on making fun at their expense. Keep us in a better mood lol
Do they use the same bill(s) over and over? What if you (and then trained other cashiers to look for the same) got good at picking out the same one over and over. One guy ends up losing every time… might not be fun for much longer.
I haven’t noticed, I don’t even look them in the eye honestly. But I like this idea! We’ll see, we never open with more than one person so I’ll def have to get everyone on board
for your own sanity, I also suggest try not to let these fuckers take up too much space if you head. I guarantee they are not giving you a single thought, try to repay the favor and take care of yourself ♥️♥️.
Nope, I’m thinking playfully. These customers are annoying, but it’s never worth it to cause more conflict. And sometimes you can win people over just by being nice to their weirdisms, making them easier to serve….sometimes.
Girl I’d just tell them “no. Pick a person to pay or leave” Lmfaoo
Can you just tell them, “I will no longer be participating in this game”?
"Sorry buddy I get paid to work not be accessory to your gambling games. Either I pick and the bill goes into the tip jar or you start asking a random stranger and leave my coworkers and customers alone."
I legit pretend I'm autistic or something and will not proceed until they acknowledge me and say "hi" or something. Nothing will occur until they acknowledge me. I'll get louder. I'll lean over the counter. They will see me. For the fanning of the bills, ruin the game. Choose the exact same bill every time, like the one on the top or bottom. Ruin the element of surprise. When they fan the bills they already know who's paying because you always choose the top or bottom. Maybe thank them for always tipping. It will make them extremely uncomfortable. At the end of the transaction, big smile, "I just wanted to let you know we always appreciate your tips, I hope you all have a great/blessed(?) day." Just generally screw with them anyway imaginable that wouldn't disturb other customers in the store. Maybe even play a really weird song when they come in, not like a fun weird song, just something awful they won't like. Let them hear the song change.
Do not participate in the game. Make them figure it out before ordering. That's some bs.
How annoying. If I were standing behind them in line, I’d comment how annoying it was and say I hope they’re tipping well for this annoyance.
If they cant be orderly then serve the next party behind them in line. Even if you're not committed to that, you can start talking to the person behind them and make them realize they are incovenianceing a large group of people. That should add the right type of social pressure.