English professor ejected from Starbucks over multigrain bagel order

I'm looking for Starbuck employees from the Columbus Ave. and 86th St. store in New York City to confirm or deny this customer's account of the dispute. Read "English professor says Starbucks booted her over a bagel order"

Comments

[.]

She could probably make better use of her time teaching English and grammar to children in underprivileged neighborhoods rather than the baristas at Starbucks. This woman seems vile. While I agree that correct grammar is important, so is having at least a semblance of class.

[paperpest]

The first poster has said it all. Perhaps
Lynne Rosenthal should check out Tal Bagels at 2446 Broadway, which is between 90th and 91st St.

[Sharks]

This women needs to learn to pick her battles, I'm sure that was worth the time and effort to show everyone her superiority.

[coffeewench]

For a woman boasting such intellectual superiority this is incredibly stupid.

[otterinthewater]

I'm guessing that the situation could have been handled better from both ends, but that doesn't make this customer any less of a hose beast.

I get annoyed when I see misused plurals on signage, but I certainly don't flip out over it!

One wonders how a PhD would fail to realize that asking a customer if he or she would like a condiment is simply consideration for the needs of a customer. Not to mention that all customer service folk are instructed to upsell items like cheese.

I hope for the sake of all baristas, Starbucks-employed or no, that this woman begins baking her own bagels and does not inflict her grammar-crusader self upon them!

[Noah]

I'll bet she thinks her shit doesn't stink.

[Calm]

I'll never understand why certain people get so angry about us asking questions to narrow down their order. Like, "do you want room for cream" or "would you like whip with that?". I've been yelled at by customers for similar things. I usually just chalk it up to people being so frustrated with the menu, size names, and the supposedly complex way of ordering at Starbucks that they just blow up whenever some minor decision on their part is thrown their way. That or they're just dumb.

[Noah]

"I usually just chalk it up to people being so frustrated with the menu, size names ...."

Actually, the frustration started with the folks in front of them who after standing in line for a couple of minutes only started looking at the menu board when the barista asks what will it be today.

[Cream Cheese, Please]

It is unlikely you will find a Starbucks Gossip reader among the partners who witnessed this. Depending on the time of morning, that store would probably have had between five and eight people on the floor, and I can guarantee you that none of them even knows about this site. That is a high-turnover, difficult-workforce store. The only witnessing customers would have had to be in line, because that store is configured like a barbell, so any customers sitting and eating would be too far from the counter to be able to see or hear much of what's going on.

[is it so hard to be civil]

Just today I asked a lady what size tea she wanted. She acted like it was such a bother to be asked such a thing.

The bagel lady is the type who would also get mad if you didn't offer butter of cream cheese. You can't win with some folks.

[Hipsterdufus]

I'm sorry, but asking if you want cream cheese or butter isn't "crazy starbucks venacular"!
The VAST majority of bagel customers want either butter or cream cheese. They often forget to order it, and won't say what they want unless prompted. You cannot just say "would you like anything on that bagel" because people will then ask "well what do you have" and they you will have to say "butter or cream cheese". I am sorry, but when you have 1-2000 customers a day, those seconds count.

It's not a matter of upselling either, because butter is free.

[a nony mouse]

I had a guy to something like this to me once. It was in the drive thru and I was asking him if he wanted his iced coffee sweetened, since the default recipe calls for sweetener and a lot of people don't know that. Every time I would ask if he wanted it sweetened he would say "cream," so I thought he didn't hear what I was asking. But no, he was just playing games with me and then got nasty with me.

Sounds EXACTLY like what this lady was doing.

[Darth Sidamo.]

Here is a problem solver. Ask if they wanted a Venti if they did not specify a size. If she wanted a bagel, assume she wanted cream cheese so she was charged for it. If people refuse to tell you want they do not want then start to give and charge them for what they do not want. They will specify instantly how they want their order then.

It is called a tall because anywhere but America the size would be considered a large. I am sure for people in Japan when they say tall that 12 oz is a large for them. Of course that means a trenta would be considered a Lard Ass.

[Barista Ben]

Or how about "want whipped cream on that mocha?" and getting that dirty look with an "of course not". Some people look so angry that you've asked them such a question!

Back to the main point though. The barista should of asked once or twice then given up and just moved on past her. If you can't give me an answer than your answer is No.

[Cream Cheese, Please]

We once had a manager who yelled at us if we asked whether customers wanted whipped cream when they ordered a skim hot chocolate. About 75% of those people did NOT want whipped cream because they were on diets.

(Yes, the manager was a true a$$hole.)

So we started saying, "That comes with whipped cream, you know." That would prompt people to then respond that they wanted no whip. It was better than getting yelled at by the a$$hole manager for asking directly.

[newbie no more (was sbuxnewbie)]

All the customer had to say was "no thank you". And all the barista had to do was give her the multigrain bagel plain. Let her bitch if she wants the butter or cream cheese. Saying that the customer wasn't going to get anything if she didn't say butter or cream cheese is an unacceptable response, in my book.

As to "getting in trouble for refusing to use the Starbucks vernacular", for crying out loud, we can translate between Starbucks and English!

Whenever someone complains about "why is a small a tall?" I just let them know about short, tall, grande, and venti.
And if none of that works, I just say "thank you", and take care of the next customer.

[SPORK]

This makes me so angry I'm shaking. So happy she got kicked out of that store.

[SPORK]

Also, what kind of grammer or linguistic rule is she fighting for? I'm a PHD candidate at a pretty decent university, and by my understanding, the bagel has cream cheese built into the price (it even says so on the pastry tag), so by her logic, she should specify that she DOESN'T want cream cheese or butter.
ERGHHHH

[CoffeeBean330]

The thing that bothered me the most was that they kept referring to it as "cheese" and not cream cheese.

[mindy]

that lady is clearly crazy. she was in a bad mood and decided to take it out on the poor barista. i would have been the same way if i had been the barista.

[mindy]

btw:
this is off topic i know, but i'm so anxious.

Does anyone have any clues on
1) when the pumpkin syrup will be back
2) any new autumn drinks they will introduce this year?

autumn is my most FAVORITE season ever. that paired with my favorite coffee, and you've got the source of where all of my income goes to: starbucks.

:)

[Waltie]

The bagel doesn't have cream cheese built into the price. The cream cheese is an additional charge of 40 cents or so.

[Dottie]

What a whack job. The barista should have just given her both and charged her accordingly. If she doesn't want to answer the questions asked, then she gets what I give her.

[Alex]

My cream cheese costs forty cents too. And I always offer a venti when they don't specify size; try it, it's surprising how many people just roll with it.

[Starbucks Partner]

What I don't understand about Starbucks customers is that they bitch about what we call the cup sizes or taking the order - then don't come here! Baristas are just trying to get the order right the first time. When I go to other restaurants I order HOW their MENU is written! I don't expect them to taylor it for me or to know that when I say I want a coke I mean diet coke.

[usorthem3]

@Darth Sidamo ha ha ha That was perfect! "Going to need a spotter to help lift that trenta" Ellen D.
I had a guy the other day ask me what the difference between non-fat milk and soy was, I had to say, 1 is milk, the other is made from soy. I agree when we ask questions for clarification people think we are digging into their souls with their defensive posture. I look at it as default everything, if they order non-fat I don't put whip, & I don't ask. I think it really just goes to show how the culture of pretension goes hand in hand with Sbux. Pompous PHD
I think this lady might want to try to not be rude on purpose, it's the best way to get treated the way she thinks she should be treated. OMG I wonder if this is gc? ha ha

[mnmsr4me]

Mindy:
1) August 31st in the U.S.
2) Toffee Mocha (NOT toffee NUT mocha)
I haven't tried the Toffee Mocha yet because the syrup doesn't show up at my store until Friday.

[ash_sk8s]

Wow she sounds like a bitter, sad person.

[ash_sk8s]

I also think it's hilarious when people think they are spiting the baristas by order "small, medium, large" Seriously, no one cares.

[SPORK]

I don't know if it's a Canada thing? but it says on my pastry tags that it 'includes cream cheese'. And we have a district email in our comm log explaining not to charge unless they request more than 2 cream cheeses.

[ex-flbarista]

How bout "i'd like a PLAIN multigrain bagel, please"

God, people are annoying

[elibracken]

nobody needs to work at sbux! And there is not a person in the world who literally can not survive without their sbux bev or pastry. work somewhere else or shop somewhere else! coffee is a luxury item! not a necessity! everyone needs to get off their high horse and stop assuming they are owed something!

[(former) FLA SM]

Reminds me of the scene with Paul Rudd in a Starbucks in "Role Models."

Danny: Can I get a large black coffee?
Barista: A what?
Danny: Large black coffee.
Barista: Do you mean a venti?
Danny: No, I mean a large.
Barista: Venti is large.
Danny: No, venti is twenty. Large is large. In fact, tall is large and grande is Spanish for large. Venti is the only one that doesn’t mean large. It’s also the only one that’s Italian. Congratulations, you’re stupid in three languages.

[Legendary or bust]

Why is no one talking about the new Drive Thru menu boards that go into effect Aug 31 that will NOT show tall size because pictures of beverages will take the space needed for that.

Does anyone see more confusion with sizes? do you still have the Tall??? What's with te pictures?

[Drew]

I fault the manager for not being willing/able to save the sale. If it was my store, I would have taken the cashier aside and taught her some manners towards customers.

[Cream Cheese, Please]

Drew, I agree. We have lost sales because baristas were rude toward customers.

We all know about difficult customers, but there are way too many difficult baristas. I have worked with a lot of them!

The demographics here are interesting as well. The customers at this store are overwhelmingly white, affluent and well-educated, while the partners are generally young, poor, uneducated minorities who travel for an hour or two on the subway or bus to get to work. I am often the only white, non-Hispanic partner at my store, which is in the immediate neighborhood. I have been accused of using big words, so I try to censor myself when speaking with fellow partners.

Sometimes there are cultural differences, in terms of affect or manner - or language differences - that lead to a lot of "misunderstandings." For instance, Hispanic partners tend to have little expression in their voices, and customers sometimes think they are uninterested and dismissive. Sometimes the partner doesn't understand the question the customer asks. So I think this incident is more likely to happen in this kind of store.

[otterinthewater]

@Drew

I don't think that saving the sale is always possible. It certainly is pretty much every time, but I think a line should be drawn. In my book, "Just say yes," ends for me when a customer becomes abusive, though I doubt anyone but who was in the store at the time can comment with absolute precision on this incident.

[Darth Sidamo.]

@Drew. At a point it is not acceptable to let your partner be verbally abused over a sale. No customer is worth throwing your partner under a bus.

Nobody will work hard for a manager that does not work hard for them. I work very hard for a manager that I know will work very hard for me. Not use me for their gain.

[baristamclane]

This is just ridiculous on both ends of the story, and calling the police to expell a customer over a bagel is a bit extreme. I'm guessing that the store was either looking for an excuse to permanently expell an unpleasant customer (can't say I don't blame them, though).

I will say though, that most English majors I have encountered seem to have a "holier than thou" complex. Congratulations, your grammar is pristine, but your math and social skills suck!

[meme]

So I'm out in Texas and we do not offer multigrain bagels, just the plain ones. We used to offer the cheese ones but they have been removed from our options. Who gets multi grain bagels?

[KGB]

"I refused to say 'without butter or cheese.' When you go to Burger King, you don't have to list the six things you don't want"...this is what cracks me up!!! BK slogan is f'n "Have it your way"!!!!and BK McDs all of the big chains ask you "you want to make that a combo?" not sure what this lady is on, but she can just jump right back in her spaceship and head back to her home planet.

[javagirl666]

Darth: Way back when..we only offered 2 sizes the short and the tall..thats where that comes from. There was a time when the tall actually was tall! :)

[baristamclane]

@meme-- We have multigrain bagels here in SoCal, as well as Asiago and Plain. Multigrain may be available in Texas, though it may not be offered in your district, because it may not have been a popular item.

[Darth Sidamo.]

@java. I know. We have invented three extra sizes for the people here. This would all be great if we just got rid of the crap of this being an "Italian Style Coffee Shop" and renamed ourselves McStarbucks or Wal-bucks. Starbucker King. Taco Bux. Kentucky Fried Latte. and my personal favorite Shake & Shake, where all we sell are milkshakes, which currently holds true.

[Jazz]

When I worked at starbucks I never yelled at customers to use the vernacular. I didn't even argue with them or correct them when they didn't say venti, grande, or tall. If they didn't specify “no whip” I might have asked. This sounds like two alpha dogs just bumped into each other on a bad day, the barista and the professor.

It's hysterical and sounds utterly unbelievable. Definitely something missing from this story and I wish I was there haha!

[spence]

"Kentucky Fried Latte". LOL

[ABDULA]

The Barista did the right thing. To many customers like to sh*t on us, so when we take a stand and ban your ass or call the cops because you're being beyond difficult by screaming like a two year old, they get upset. When the customer walks into OUR store they must play by OUR rules. So the next time your going into any establishment, (Especially if your a professor!! lol!) act your age, with class and respect and maybe you can have that multi-grain bagel with nothing on the side...

I know she feels like a dumb-@$$, good, because she was acting like one and got treated like one. That simple.

[lattelady]

People have the time while they stand in line to KNOW what they want by the time they get to the front, BUT most often they still are not ready AND slow down the whole process. We also have a VERY high volume store. I get tired of repeating the same questions when they choose not to answer and will often just total them out and let them decide after that they screwed up and did not order that muffin they wanted.

[JavaJoe]

i find it fun trying to get my customers to order a "marshmellow dream bar" or when we had it, the "raspberry sunshine muffin". its all part of my own little power trip, but i never get abbraisive or rude to the customers, i always turn it into a joke or a fun little game. sounds like this lady was causing problems at the store for a while. we all have regulars that we roll our eyes at when they walk in the door. so congratulations to this store for finally getting rid of an abusive customer!

now if i can only get rid of the guy that makes me make his frappuccino four times, each time the recipe tweaked just a smidge. if you want 4 shots in it, its going to be runny no matter how much ice i use! and yes, with two venti scoops of ice is going to taste a little watered down, and no you cant have whats left over in the blender.

[betty]

Just another woman of privilage with too much time on her hands, that she has to harress hourly retail workers who barely got out of high school.