Crying at Sbux
_“Hi, yes, may I have a grande Chocolate Cream Cold Brew with one pump of mocha?” _ This is my Starbucks order lately but it’s always been a form of cold brew. There are two locations closer to my home but I typically drive down about a mile out to my favorite one on Hwy 5. The baristas are friendlier and the drinks taste better.
Today, I ordered my regular drink but I noticed the screen was dark, which probably meant the system was down. It was. Because I’ve worked at Starbucks, I know how terrible things get when something isn’t working. The woman on the speaker was apologizing profusely but I assured her it was all good. What’s the alternative? Leave or wait.
The line moved more slowly than usual, but it did not bother me as I was enjoying my newly acquired Alicia Keys CD, The Diary of Alicia Keys.
When I finally get to the window, I’m greeted with the warmest, apologetic, gap-toothed smile. His name was Arthur. Arthur let me know that he was still in training and it was a little chaotic due to system errors. He was also very clearly overwhelmed but he never stopped smiling, especially when he was letting me know the card reader would be asking me a question.
In the 26 seconds I interacted with Arthur, I only learned he was in training. Yet as I pulled out of the drive-thru, I was overcome with emotion. He was a bit older than most baristas and maybe I assumed he’d, like millions of Americans, lost his job and had resorted to becoming a barista and I thought, how sad? Except it wasn’t that. I think it was the exact opposite, joy.
Joy and reminder to be seen in training, even if it’s chaotic and overwhelming.
ciao for now,
Alexa 💛