Like this:

I attend a meeting at 7:00 PM on the first and third Monday of every month. On the way to this regularly scheduled meeting I make a side stop to a local Starbucks near to where the meeting takes place. I always order a Grande decaf with room for cream. Inevitably, I usually have to wait for my decaf to be brewed because Starbucks has stopped brewing pots of decaf coffee on a regular schedule. My guess is because they probably have to throw away many pots of decaf as the majority of the public does not drink decaf coffee. Sounds like a sound business decision to me. I am a fairly patient guy so I have no problem being told that I will have to wait a few minutes for my brew to be finished. Not a problem. I will wait.

Tonight I made my usual pit stop for my Grande decaf, room for cream. The young lady across the counter told me the usual story that Starbucks has stopped brewing decaf coffee after noon time and only brews decaf on demand and that I would have to wait for the decaf to be brewed. She then asked if I had time to wait. Now, just reading the description of this conversation you would think, OK, no big deal but you should have heard the tone of voice and delivery that this young lady gave. The tone of her voice was incredulous, like she was saying to me “how dare you ask me to brew a pot of decaf coffee at this time of night?” Not only did her voice convey this but her facial expression and her body language indicated the same thing. She made me feel like I was not important and like she really wanted me to go away. To top this all off, when the pot was finished (I heard the beep when the pot finished) she turned around, looked at the pot and just continued doing what she was doing. Another employee saw the finished pot, saw my cup sitting there waiting, and went over to the now finished pot, poured my coffee and gave it to me.

I am a big proponent of customer service. I have worked in a manufacturing environment for over 30 years where we have gone out of our way to serve our customers, no matter what it took to get the job done. I know what it takes to respond to changing environments and situations, like having to bring employees in over holiday weekends because a customer was in dire need of the equipment that we manufactured. So I know what customer service looks like and feels like. What I received this evening was in no way close to customer service.

So I have resolved that I will no longer give that Starbucks my business ever again, period. Since that particular Starbucks is in close proximity to where my meeting is located I would much rather get my decaf coffee from McDonald’s or Jack-in-the-Box. That particular Starbucks, sorry, but you have lost a loyal customer because of your lack of caring and customer service.

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