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| Relax! It's just coffee..... |
Sometimes at work, I would find myself singing the Hee-Haw TV-show theme song. Perhaps this was just a version that I made up in my mind. I really don’t know that I can recall that song, but my song had the words... he-he-he-haw-haw-haw ….yacko-yacko.
I hummed it in my head when things didn’t make
sense to me. Which was a lot.
For instance, it didn't make sense that the corporation pretended to be eco-friendly when they threw away plastic containers like crazy (when your in a hurry-no one cares about recycling...) and the sheer fact that they DIDN'T use 5-gallon milk dispensers baffled me. You could save a TON of money and NOT use so many plastic containers by installing wall-mounted milk dispensers. They were easy to load and the speed of service increased profoundly! So I'm guessing Corporate cared more about increasing the length of service as opposed to the speed.
Plastic gallon -size milk jugs were left out all over every counter space there was space on. On top of the ice bin...where ever. It was a necessity. Whole milk, skim milk, soy, 2% milk, half-and -half...any and all dairy. And, the deliveries were just as illogical. Often, we ran out of milk and had to walk over to the Walgreen's next door. When we ran out of soy we substituted a vanilla soy.
One time, the Barista on duty, who was Noel, thought it much wiser to NOT inform the customer of the change. The customer took one sip and asked what kind of soy was used. She raised the box and said..."yeah, we ran out of our regular soy..." The customer asked for her money back. A waste of time and product which lead to a disappointing and disrespectful experience.
At my Dairy Queen I trained my employees to avoid situations like that at all costs. Loyalty and respect builds business. The Green Apron felt that people would return because...well....it's The Green Apron!!!! It's like wearing a piece of jewelry...a beverage accessory. McDonald's recognized this--"drinkcessorize"--a completely successful ad campaign.
The Corporate's complete lack of respect for recycling, and lack of respect for finding a better way to dispense dairy upset me greatly. Did you know that this coffee giant is the #1 user of Dairy in America? And, this is what they give back to us? Ungodly amounts of plastic in our landfill. I was also disgusted at their inability to implement an oil/plant based green ware plastic cup for their cold beverages. Their stores received deliveries twice a week on a refrigerated truck. They could easily implement this. This would also cut down on landfill--as green ware is compostable. Hey Corporate, do me a favor---put it ALL IN PAPER--AT LEAST EVENTUALLY IT DECOMPOSES.
Once, a lady came up to the register after receiving her cold beverage--and asked if this plastic was BPA-free. I told her that I didn't know. And, thought to myself....I'm sure its got BPA, because it doesn't say BPA-FREE....
* * * * * * * * * *
For instance, it didn't make sense that the corporation pretended to be eco-friendly when they threw away plastic containers like crazy (when your in a hurry-no one cares about recycling...) and the sheer fact that they DIDN'T use 5-gallon milk dispensers baffled me. You could save a TON of money and NOT use so many plastic containers by installing wall-mounted milk dispensers. They were easy to load and the speed of service increased profoundly! So I'm guessing Corporate cared more about increasing the length of service as opposed to the speed.
Plastic gallon -size milk jugs were left out all over every counter space there was space on. On top of the ice bin...where ever. It was a necessity. Whole milk, skim milk, soy, 2% milk, half-and -half...any and all dairy. And, the deliveries were just as illogical. Often, we ran out of milk and had to walk over to the Walgreen's next door. When we ran out of soy we substituted a vanilla soy.
One time, the Barista on duty, who was Noel, thought it much wiser to NOT inform the customer of the change. The customer took one sip and asked what kind of soy was used. She raised the box and said..."yeah, we ran out of our regular soy..." The customer asked for her money back. A waste of time and product which lead to a disappointing and disrespectful experience.
At my Dairy Queen I trained my employees to avoid situations like that at all costs. Loyalty and respect builds business. The Green Apron felt that people would return because...well....it's The Green Apron!!!! It's like wearing a piece of jewelry...a beverage accessory. McDonald's recognized this--"drinkcessorize"--a completely successful ad campaign.
The Corporate's complete lack of respect for recycling, and lack of respect for finding a better way to dispense dairy upset me greatly. Did you know that this coffee giant is the #1 user of Dairy in America? And, this is what they give back to us? Ungodly amounts of plastic in our landfill. I was also disgusted at their inability to implement an oil/plant based green ware plastic cup for their cold beverages. Their stores received deliveries twice a week on a refrigerated truck. They could easily implement this. This would also cut down on landfill--as green ware is compostable. Hey Corporate, do me a favor---put it ALL IN PAPER--AT LEAST EVENTUALLY IT DECOMPOSES.
Once, a lady came up to the register after receiving her cold beverage--and asked if this plastic was BPA-free. I told her that I didn't know. And, thought to myself....I'm sure its got BPA, because it doesn't say BPA-FREE....
* * * * * * * * * *
I was farmed out to the Cattleman Road location today. I arrived an entire 20 minutes early to cope
with my anxieties. I was also hoping to
drink a tall vanilla latte, which did not happen.
Little did I know, the Cattleman Road location was only 7
months old. It was new! It was a new and pretty store. With a spacious lobby, clean kitchen ware. A sink set up that made sense and a storage
area with lots of shelves! It had both a
men's and women’s restroom, too. The women’s one was nice and clean and
bright! I was also told that it was a sustainable store...completely eco friendly!
I was at once happy.
The manager was nice and everyone was accommodating. There was mostly guys working there. Everyone
there wearing a headset, whether they were working the drive-thru or not, It was a fun and friendly atmosphere. A woman named Caroline came in in the early
afternoon. She was only slightly younger
than me and immediately felt I should be wearing a headset and learning bar. This made me even more happy because I was not
learning bar at my own store. So when it
came to customer questions about the millions of drink ingredients for the
customers that were so incredibly full of themselves –I was ignorant. And was treated so by many.
It is shameful, that some people kept a sense of entitlement when it came to putting other people down. They actually felt good when they talked down to me. I could tell by the smirk on their curled lips. These people were mostly rich women. But there were rich men who would want me to load $110.00 on their Gold Card that had the same attitude. I would think to myself....THIS is how you show your status in the world? A Starbucks Gold Card?
If not for my years of therapy in dealing with my self-esteem issues, I would have crumbled. However, at my register, with Sharpie marker in hand, and my ATHENA INTERNATIONAL award displayed prominently on the shelf in the back of my mind, I remained undaunted.
I soon discovered that the headsets were a way for employees
to communicate with each other in mocking the customers. I also discovered that learning the bar was an insane
process that would take me years to comprehend. Yet, lastly, at this store, I soon realized that I could not find
reasons to sing the heehaw song. I smiled.
For so long now, my mind was geared to work with that song in my head due to the illogical chaos at my 'home store' —it was trying—I actually felt my brain trying-- to play the hee-haw song, and it couldn’t. I was overjoyed. So, like a child who had discovered that their friend's house was 10x more fun than their own home--At the end of my first full shift of working, I turned to the manager of the Cattleman Road location and asked if I would stay there. She said politely--its not up to me, it was up to the woman who hired me. I hung my head and left.
For so long now, my mind was geared to work with that song in my head due to the illogical chaos at my 'home store' —it was trying—I actually felt my brain trying-- to play the hee-haw song, and it couldn’t. I was overjoyed. So, like a child who had discovered that their friend's house was 10x more fun than their own home--At the end of my first full shift of working, I turned to the manager of the Cattleman Road location and asked if I would stay there. She said politely--its not up to me, it was up to the woman who hired me. I hung my head and left.
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