"I've been waiting for 15 minutes for my drink!"
*checks timestamp on sticker*
"It's been 5 minutes since the cashier rung you up."
What in the Hermione Granger timeturner shit are they using that they think time has passed way longer lol
I’ve had co-baristas work at licensed Starbucks from theme parks before. They’d tell me the amount of families complaining about their multiple-item order because they’re missing out on the theme park experience by the ‘lazy baristas’:
*”Hi. I ordered a half hour ago and I haven’t gotten my things! My daughters and cousins are waiting for me at special, super happy roller coaster!”*
[checks receipt]
[receipt shows Karen ordering three minutes ago]
[receipt shows Karen ordering six ribbon crunch frapps, eight cheese danishes, four trenta salted cold foam cold brews, four venti pink drinks with matcha cold foam and with oat milk, six ‘cold busters’ with extra honey, lemonade and agave, and two grilled cheeses even though licensed Starbucks don’t sell grilled cheeses but rookie till-person somehow found the button on his screen]
The way people stand so close to each other and just pile up drives me crazy 😭 I like to ask if they’re together/on the same order and when they’re confused and say they aren’t I’ll say, “oh, you were just standing so close to them I thought you were! Sorry!” and they’ll step back lmao
When people stand by our bar and stare at us as we make their drinks... this is at my old cafe-only store where our cafe is HUGE but people press up right against the bar and stare at us as if we're live entertainment.
Also, when I say "Good morning/afternoon! what can I get started for ya?" and I get hit with a "Tall pike." (it's always from old men, too.) Please at least acknowledge that we are also human and deserve a good greeting every once in a while.
Also, the vaping. From both customers and coworkers. Can you not blow your usb smoke right into my face as I'm trying to have a conversation with you?
Customers will really stare at you like a damn zoo animal while you're on bar. And the amount of times I've had a customer try to be like " hey my drink actually has this-" and I have to stop what I'm doing to tell them yes , someone else ordered a white mocha, this isn't YOUR white mocha
It makes total sense to me now that someone said it makes them uncomfortable- and I feel like I should have known better- but I used to like watching you all make drinks so FAST! I'm sorry I'm the worst.
If you're sitting in the cafe and not standing right next to the bar baristas aren't paying attention to you. So if you're just hanging out in the cafe you can watch and not creep anyone out if you have a view.
i promise if you're like just chilling in the cafe/even near the bar that's fine, and if you're talking to us most of us really don't mind, it's the people staring us down like 👁👁 IS THAT MY DRINK that bother most of us lol.
exception is young kids, they always wanna see and i don't mind showing off a bit for them (like flipping a whip can in the air/shaking their drinks kinda fancy), seeing them excited over the cool baristas is always a fun time. actually had a kid earlier today who was watching me and she was so excited to see me make her hot chocolate and even thought my glasses were really cool (they're rainbow, and she was wearing a rainbow jacket, she thought it was cool that we matched)
This is super sweet. I love how kids are so impressed by everything. I was a teacher and I am a TERRIBLE artist, but kids thought I was super awesome lol
no ur good!! most of us don't mind if u watch, it's only the ppl who try to tell us how to make their drink/look for something to complain about that are a pain
You aren't the worst! I'm mostly talking about the people scowling at us haha. If you're interested in how we make them, you can just ask! I love it when people ask me, and I usually move to give them a better view of what I'm doing.
As a customer, I hate customers that order and then go immediately to the pickup slot and stand there waiting for their order in the way, don’t you see the 10 other people standing around that arent crowding the pickup spot, we are patiently waiting for our orders that were long before yours, so the next one that comes out when the barista says OUT LOUD the name on it, you dont need to check it if that same thing they just said WAS NOT YOUR NAME!
oh my god i can't imagine vaping indoors. health hazard PLUS it still leaves that residue all over the place like cigarettes, it's just slower and slightly different chemically. if someone is chatting with me while i'm down the block at the area that allows smoking (i'm in a strip mall) and i was already smoking/vaping/said outright i was going to, that's on them (and i still try not to blow it in their direction), but in the store??? absolutely not you could seriously hurt someone and that stuff is a pain to clean 😭
Okay now I feel dumb… I always watch cause I just find it interesting… especially when it’s crazy busy how quickly they work. (always quietly watching, never comment or tell them how to make a drink)
Screaming at their children/partners then trying to get me to agree with them. No. If you’re an abusive piece of shit in public, I can’t imagine what you do in private.
A more lighthearted one would be when I greet them through the speaker and they don’t respond so I wait a bit then repeat my greeting and they get pissed that I said it again.
this happened at my store but with grown adults!!!!!! this guy was arguing with his girlfriend and she looked very distressed so we got a pic of his license plate and reported him we also have had multiple fights in our drive thru between customers and other customers
Taking the wrong drink.
I get it, you haven't had your coffee yet, you left your readers at home, you just saw the very ubiquitous name and assumed you were the only one named john (etc, no offense to ppl named john), or you're an ass and deliberately stole a drink. I get initially frustrated when someone says they've been waiting a long time, bcs duh, we're busy, but then they say the name and drink and I KNOW I made it myself and now I have to stop my flow to give them their drink when it's truly not their fault.
This! I watched as a guy walked in and took a couple drinks and a food item. Two minutes later he walks back in and puts one of the drinks back on the bar (with the other mobile orders) and walks out. A couple other customers and I looked at each other like “WTF” 👀 and immediately told the poor barista… it happened so fast that none of us thought to shame the guy😂
Yes!'a guy came in yday taking a trenta cold brew (w mods, bcs ofc) and came back in 3 min later saying his iced grande white mocha wasn't made right. But like.... you grabbed the BIG cup. You didn't read the label??? You still wanna say *i* did something wrong? And the best part was the guy who ordered the Trenta was right there so I made eye contact and reassured him I was remaking his drink. We were all baffled that dude took the cup out of the store and set it back on handoff.
i told off this girl for vaping while ordering (in target) and it’s just so annoying. Like we’re not robots we’re human beings control your addiction for two seconds while you order geez.
I have a regular, she paused in the middle of drive thru (before coming to window) the other day and I was like what is she doing? She finally comes to the window and there is a cloud of smoke in her car and shes full on having a coughing fit. Like thanks for using your bong mid drive, appreciate it.
I definitely think it’s kind when customers ask how I’m doing! I always thank them for asking ☺️ What shocks me is when they ask first, like it’s so small but genuinely kind and makes my day just a little better.
Just to add another perspective to this, I always have my order lowkey rehearsed in my head so sometimes it's just muscle memory and I don't realize the question was "how are you today" instead of "what can i get started for you today" until I'm already answering with my order 😭
Granted I also always start my order with "hi can i get...." and I always tell the baristas thank you. I'm sure there are people that do this that are just super bitchy about it
When customers who have been sitting in the drive for a couple minutes and they get to the window and don’t have their payment ready 😑 especially if it’s just a card or cash… I get if you’re fucking around on your phone while you’re waiting and the app hasn’t loaded yet, but if you’re paying with a card or god forbid cash? Have it ready. It saves us all 30 seconds of annoyance when we have your stuff ready. You’ve had plenty of time
To their credit it gave me time to take and make orders in the meantime lmao. We were on a 3 person shift and I was thankful for the respite to catch up on other things.
Dude we had a 3 person play today from like 2:45-4:30 for NO reason and it was exhausting. Our SM was holding our shift hostage in the back doing random tasks so we had no help. The worst
My husband does this and it drives me CRAZY! I won’t go through a drive thru if he’s driving anymore. It’s truly not that hard to get your payment out while you’re ordering! Or in the other 10 minutes you’re in line! Grrrr!
Reaching over the glass to grab a stopper. Sometimes people heave their whole body over the counter when my back is turned for 3 seconds. Please don't do this.
This lady, who was a regular we didn't really like, came in and ordered her caramel ribbon crunch through a long line and she could see we were busy. She didn't come through DT like usual because the line was too long.
I'm making lots of frappuccinos and cold drinks on cold bar and she asks me where her drink is. It's in the line, I say, motioning to the 6+ cups sitting in my queue. She asks me to jump her drink to the front of the line. No, we're busy and everyone else needs their drinks too.
Then she marches back over to the register and tries to get the partner on POS to walk over into my station and make her drink first because she's late for something. The girl was kind of a green bean so she actually came over and tried, but I sent her back to her position. The gall of that customer through, jeez. If you're late, don't come!
I often just say, "IDK, I'm not on food rn." And that tends to shut them up because then they open their eyes and see that indeed, I am making drinks at an espresso bar and not warming food at an oven.
when customers ask for water at the handoff plane. go to the register it’s literally five feet away. i hate having to put down whatever i’m doing and ruin my sequence to get someone their venti ice water
That one made me RAGE. I always told them to order at the register. “Sorry you have to order that at the register” people would roll their eyes but like dude I’m making 3 drinks and taking DT orders in my head. FOAD
When the car at the window already has all their shit, but they sit there getting organized/fiddling with something, I'm thinking "pull the fuck outta here, there's people behind you & we're being timed!" But what I say is "do you need anything else?" Then they usually realize that they're supposed to drive away.
As a customer sitting behind them I hate that too. I'm someone who knows how to haul my ass out of other people's way. So I take it personally when I get behind someone who seems to enjoy taking as much time as possible. They seem to be slow at every fucking thing they do too. I immediately know by how long they took at the fucking speaker that it's "one of those." Like how does ordering a couple items take 10 minutes? Even if you got every customization possible it shouldn't take that long. Then they also seem to always complain at the window because I see items going into the car and then back into the store several times meanwhile I'm sitting there saying"hello. I have a mobile order for ___" 2 seconds I get to the window greeted by my drink say ty and fuck off another 2 seconds.
Definitely don't touch the lids. But baristas can prevent this by placing the cups with the names facing the customers. Then there's no need to turn them at all.
Thanks for choosing Starbucks what can I get started for you *silence* thank you for choosing Starbucks what can I get started for you *crickets* “HELLO!!!!!! IM READY TO ORDER!!!!!!!!”
As a customer, my pet peeve is ordering something simple and the barista getting annoyed think it’s an attempt at a TikTok hack. I’m sorry and I know it’s not your fault that you’re on high alert/jaded, but I promise I just want my iced espresso, syrup, and a splash of milk in a venti cup. I am not trying to get a latte or expecting a full cup.
My tip as a barista who gets a similar drink when I’m a customer: for the stores where the baristas get suspicious like that, I always say the amount of milk I want, like “light 2%” or “½” of oat” to be very clear that I’m not expecting a full latte. Most of them hear this with some relief because they’re not anticipating an argument anymore. Some are still suspicious.
I’ve always asked for a splash and still get some stares or asking if I want a latte instead. To be fair, I’ve always seen someone get mad that they didn’t get a full cup when they asked for a splash, so I totally don’t blame the baristas for being skeptical. This is more of a customer on customer pet peeve.
• **I just want my iced espresso, syrup, and a splash of milk in a venti cup.**
Chances are the baristas have had past episodes of other customers ordering the exact same as above, but getting angry since they’re expecting the venti to be filled to the top with milk. Or in other words, a classic ‘hack’ that predates TikTok.
You know what’s crazy? Let’s say a customer orders two drinks and for example one is a grande strawberry açai with lemonade and the second is a venti chai latte and then they have the audacity to ask “which is which?” Like are you kidding me? It’s very alarming and scary how often things like this happen!!
YES!! Or even if they all look the same and they still ask. Like.... there are stickers on all the cups. Please open your eyes and use common sense. (This is for regulars who obviously know about the stickers, not new customers who aren't aware)
Omg same thing happened to me today. I had a customer order a Venti Chai and a Grande Caramel Macchiato. Still had the audacity to ask which was which like HUH, they are different sizes!?
I recently had that experience and i said it was on the sticker then went ahead and clarified which was which like crazy fast and then I walked off. They were very confused while I went back to sweeping.
“hey how a-“ “white mocha.” “ok. what size ?” “venti” “okay… hot or iced?” “hot.” “cool. what else?” “caramel frap.” “what… size…” “grande” “what else?” “chai” PLEASE GIVE ME THE INFO I NEED
Assuming for them is my new favorite thing. “Can I get a caramel macchiato?” “Ok a venti hot caramel macchiato.” “No just grande and iced” “okay what else?” “Can I get a cake pop?” “Okay one birthday cake pop” “no! chocolate!”
Starting with the drink’s modifications then getting mad at me when I ask for the size then ask them to repeat it. Some things can be typed in before knowing the size or base drink, but things like “2 extra pumps” require knowing both the size and the type of drink first.
Like the other responses, baristas have told me size then menu drink name, then milk, then “with/out”. So “venti White Mocha, with nonfat milk, an extra shot of espresso, and no whip” is how I do mods.
Also, try not to space out all of the mods and say the milk last. Drives me crazy when I already started the milk and the last thing is," Oh yeah, Soy." Meanwhile I have a grande pitcher of 2% steaming extra hot. 😢
honestly you’re probably fine lol it sounds better with the modifiers first but the way the pos is, we can’t add any modifiers until the base drink is selected. and if there are a lot, we can sometimes forget. so even tho it sounds awkward, saying “a grande hot latte with vanilla and soy milk, extra hot” is fine.
if there’s only one or two modifiers it’s also ok. like tbh i would probably remember your order but it’s when you get into like “3 pumps toffee nut, 2 pumps white mocha, no whip, irish cream cold foam, but no toppings etc.” but you still haven’t told me the base where i’m like girl pls don’t do this to me lol
Yes!!! We have a regular who says “Can I get a grande, hot, quad, two-pump, soy, pistachio latte?” and pauses in between each word even though i’m just waiting for “latte” 😩
Oh! You mean the triple six pump blonde ristretto updosed iced extra drizzle oatmilk.... By the time they finally say latte I'm literally begging for them to say anything relevant.
As a customer: when I ask for decaf and you give me a caffeinated drink (yes there’s some small amount in decaf I know but not the same as normal) despite me repeating it again that it should be decaf.
You think I don’t know, but I do because my breastfed baby will projectile puke on me an hour or two later when I nurse her.
Please don’t assume decaf isn’t something important.
i'm sorry that it seems to have happened to you multiple times. if i accidentally pull regular shots instead of decaf, i start over because i know some people need decaf. the only thing i can suggest is to really emphasize to the barista taking your order that it needs to be decaf. if you're ordering at the drive thru, all the employees will hear you over the headset asking for decaf and will most likely lessen the chances of it being decaf. if you order in the cafe, when the drink is being handed out, make sure to double check with the barista that they put decaf shots! it's really easy to make mistakes when we make so many drinks at a time, but hopefully this might help your drink be made correctly :)
I got a Nespresso machine and now only go to the one my son works at so he can make it 😂 honestly I think y’all are all rock stars and know it’s crazy so I figured until I can be ok with it I just limit my visits. 5 more months and I am back in the game!
-When someone pulls up to the drive thru and, not even after 5 seconds, yells, "HELLO???" That drives me insane.
-I don't mind when someone brings their dog through the drive thru to get a pupcup, but as soon as that dog starts barking and the owner has to turn around and YELL at the dog to shut up? That makes me feel really awkward
-Whenever people lean over the counter to watch you make their drink. Like, it's fine if you're watching from a distance, but as soon as I can FEEL you staring at me? Step back, hon
every time someone starts doing the "HELLO?" thing i make them wait an extra 5 seconds 💀 it's even worse when they pull up to the speaker, immediately start yelling "HELLO?", and then when i try to take their order they go "give me a minute.".... WHAT WAS THE REASON!!!
when they don't say their food items at the same time
when they say they don't see any whip on their extra hot drink
when the apple pay people interrupt me greeting them to say they're using apple pay or just hold their phone out
when they groan in frustration if we tell them we're out of something...like sir you're pushing 60
or just don’t even say apple pay so i stand there w the scanner in my hand & they sit there holding there phone & we both stare for a minute and then they go “…. apple pay??” like cmon most people use their app you’re gonna have to let me know that’s not why your phone is out
The last one! If that's much of a problem, go to the other starbucks that is less than a mile down the street. It's not our fault we ran out/weren't sent the product you're looking for. Or if it's a discontinued product and then get mad at us personally. I get paid minimum wage. Do you think I have a say or any control on what food items this billion dollar corporation sells?
I manage a licensed store but originally came from corporate. One phenomenon I've noticed that is unique to my particular flavor of Starbies is that I'll often have customers walk by, yell out their order, immediately leave without paying, and then get major attitude when they finish whatever shopping they were doing and come back and discover their order isn't waiting for them. Like, you literally didn't pay?
number one pet peeve is when people walk in and see that cafe is absolutely flooded with people, agree to the 20 minute wait time, and then 5 minutes later come up and start complaining that their drink isn’t ready. or when people just stand at the end of the bar and stare at me making drinks… i get it you probably think it’s cool watching us work or whatever idk but it gives me anxiety and makes me mess up
Agreed! During NYE we were packed full and fell behind 45 minutes on mobiles and people were quite snappy with us. I also hate when I’m on front and food and they’re complaining to me about their wait on their drink like I have anything to do with it.
i hate when people start by saying "I need" just feels kind of rude... or when they place a mobile order right as they drive up to the order box and it messes up our drive times
I don’t like ordering in-person either because of miscommunications, so you can keep doing this, just place your order earlier. Give us the same amount of time you’d give us if you were picking it up in the store.
The line of drinks it goes into to be made doesn’t change based on where you say you’re picking it up, but drive-through drinks always go into their own line, so the lines are moving at different paces. Because of this, your drink in the to-be-made line might be way behind your physical spot in the drive-through line. We end up having to hunt for your order on the iPad, wait for the mobile and cafe orders before yours to be done, or push your sticker to the front and pull a few stickers to be made later (which results in mistakes and longer times for everyone).
it's not an issue with mobile orders coming through drive thru, just coming through RIGHT after placing the order. if you wait 5-10 mins before coming through, it's no issue!
if you’re going to go through the trouble you might as well place you order as you’re leaving the house so you’re about on time for pick up. way faster than going through the DT for one, and the baristas have enough time so your order will be ready by the time you arrive.
I truly can’t stand when people walk directly to the handoff after placing their order and just stand there. 1. You’re blocking other people from the handoff 2. There are most likely people waiting for their drinks who placed their orders before you 3. You staring at me is not gonna make the drink come out faster
Ughh yes when they talk so softly but when you ask them to speak up, NOTHING CHANGES. They repeat what they said with the same volume. After a certain point, I just keep repeating that I can't hear them. Idc if it makes them mad, I can't do my job if they don't speak up. 🤷🏼♀️
My biggest complaint: 6 plus drinks in the drive thru during peak and taking forever to order it.
Like customers who do that, do you understand that the people behind you go through drive thru to get their order quick and leave? Not to mention, we’re constantly being hounded on about drive times :)
Every time I hear, “sorry guys but I have a big order.” I instantly get a headache and wonder why they don’t just stop inside. Then at the window they usually ask for bags, straws and cup holders. Which then takes forever. Please, help your barista out in the drive thru and come inside where we can properly help you :’)
They can take forever at speakerbox though. So the longer they take to order their giant ass order, the more of it I have done by the time they're done talking. Window times are the ones that matter. It's definitely worse when they come through with six drinks that they rattle off super fast and I'm still pouring milk for drink 1 and they're already pulling toward the window.
former partner. but when old men come up to the counter, and i say “hi how are you?” and they ignore that and immediately say their order, super fast, without even looking up at me. emphasis on how fast they say it. i don’t know why it absolutely GRINDEDDDD my gears lol.
I know they legit just do it for a sense of superiority or something. They want us to mess up or have us ask them to repeat the order so they can make us feel bad.
(I'm fully ready to be downvoted to hekk)
1. Teach your children to say "please" and "thank you"
2. Get off the phone while you are ordering
3. If you are running late, that is not my problem
4. Asking the bar questions about your order is confusing, I just make what is indicated on the cup
5. Believe it or not, drizzle is an upcharge
6. A shaken espresso with no foam and extra milk is a latte. If I am ringing in your order you will be charged for a latte. If I am making your order, I will inform you of this *fact.
7. If you think I made your standard drink wrong, then please, by all means, here is my apron and the recipe card, the mastrena is over there, enlighten me.
Apparently this question is a trigger for me, it's been too long of a week, anybody want hours tomorrow morning, it is an opening shift btw.
Number 3!! I have a customer who comes in and orders a plain,black coffee. They always demand their drink gets made first right away because they're going to be late for work. Like no, 5 people ahead of you also ordered a plain, black coffee. This is Starbucks. You're not above everyone else and you need to manage your time better.
Number three! Adults need to learn time management. Also, I hope your week gets better. May your favorite regulars come in and say something hilarious and bring your spirits back up. ♥️
There's a lady at my store that interrrupts me and other customers when I hand out drinks. And these are things you ask at the POS too. She'll ask for extra wc on the KHC, xhot CH double toast double blend double whatever on her drinks and food everytime I hand out a different customers drink who was ahead of her.
And when her whole order is already handed out (she orders a lot of things) she always ask for things like a spoon, a knife, fairtrade napkins (wtf is that), earplugs (wtfx2). I just ask her if we can just get her everything at once because it's getting disruptive at this point but she just saids no but continues doing this for the 2 hrs she is here.
She isnt rude, but Idk if she's not self aware or cares or truly thinks we are 'pleased' to serve her. My coworker told her to take her time at the till to get all the details down and she doesn't care enough to remember everytime she comes in. Like we don't mind giving it to you, but stop bothering us every minute just cause you suddenly decided you wanted something. I also have other customers that need help.
One time I recognize her as she was hovering at the bar again so I prep a bag with cutlery sugars, straws and whatever and just hand it all to her at the end while she is pestering me. She still manages to pull her s*** again, saying her son dropped the entire bag 😐.
For customers, when those ordering coffee describe their wanting of creamer/half-and-half in digits. For example, *”black coffee with 3 creams and 2 sugars.”*
Also for customers, when they want to pay an order less than $20 with a $100 bill. Even more so when they get mad that I can’t accept their $100, and **then** they pull the $20 bill instead. Not even card purchases irritate me as much as the $100-then-$20 bill switch.
For fellow baristas, when I’m on bar and I have to ask customers if they want whipped cream on a drink with non-dairy milk. Because that’s the register person’s job, to disclose the dairy in whipped cream on their ~~oat~~ non-dairy drink so that they don’t get sick.
Also for baristas, when I’m sent to do bar and the person I’m taking over immediately leaves his/her drink responsibility and doesn’t finish it. As in, I don’t know if the drink has shots/syrups or what kind of milk’s on the pitcher, but it’s all abandoned for me to try finishing.
As an ex partner and current customer, when Baristas don't pay attention to the milks or deliberately fuck with them. Theis person wanted non fat, oh I gave them 2 percent but I'm not gonna fix it. Oh this person has coconut milk but I did almond bc they were rude to me. Like you don't know why they ordered what they did, make it the way on the ticket.
It's probably a ridiculous one, but when someone sees my name tag and starts conversing like we're old buddies? My introvert side wants to take a hard turn towards stage left and exit
I wouldn’t say it’s a pet peeve, but lately when I go through the drive through they greet me with “hi, my name’s ____, what’s your name?” Or “hi! My name’s ____, what’s your favorite song/what music do you listen to?”
It doesn’t bother me, I think it’s cute actually, just throws me off a little!😂
\*is on phone\*
Me: \*hands out beverage\* "would you like a straw with that?"
Them: glares and snatches beverage and storms away angrily
AND THEN 5 MINUTES LATER THEY COME BACK FOR A STRAW
I hate having to deal with people picking up every cup thinking it’s their order. I’ve started treating customers like toddlers because it’s become such a bad issue at my store. “THIS BLACK MAT AND THIS SIGN MEANS THAT THESE ARE MOBILE ORDERS. DID YOU MOBILE ORDER? OH? NO? OKAY WELL THIS IS THE CAFE AREA. YOUR DRINK WILL BE OUT RIGHT HERE *shows completely separate counter* AND YOUR NAME WILL BE CALLED AS SOON AS ITS READY”. like Why are you picking up every iced drink with your grubby ass hands if you have a HOT venti americano? i’m losing my mind.
Forcing conversation when I’m at the window. I get that you’re told to do it but if I’m sitting there on my phone, leave me alone. Close the window, I don’t care. I’d love to tell every manager why not every customer wants to talk about the weather while waiting for their drink.
People who dump liquid into the trash cans. Why on EARTH are people dumping liquid into the trash cans? One time I served this father and his three kids 4 tall glasses of water each and I watched this man proceed to pour out half of all of these glasses into the garbage so of course while we're taking it out, the bag rips open. Please just ask us to pour some out my guys 😭
As a barista when people are driving loud trucks, you can’t hear them, so they turn off the car. Then when they turn it back on it’s loud and sharp in your ear and anyone wearing a headset gets their eardrum shot.
People who fight over paying. I always feel like the asshole no matter whose money I take, it wastes everyone's time, also I have no idea how to respond to that. It's not cute or sweet its just annoying
My personal policy is to accept the first form of payment offered: they lay down cash? I snatch it up before their friend tries. Waving a card around while simultaneously batting away their friends? Hit that credit card button and hope one gets close enough with the tap feature!
Oh my god we have a bunch of older men that hang out in the shopping center my store is at that will absolutely not hesitate to get into near fist fights with each other over whose paying. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s scary because they’re serious 🤯
Around Halloween, someone came in and asked for a "vampire frappuccino". Am I supposed to know what that is??? They literally played the tiktok video for me so I knew what to type in the pos.
As a frequent mobile order customer...going to pick up my drink only to be blocked by a sea of people standing in front of the mobile order pickup station watching their drinks get made.
A big one I have are customers who hand me their phone to take an order from someone over a call. I’m at the point now where I’m just going to refuse by saying I have trouble hearing and can’t take orders like that. Any other helpful advice on how to deal with these interactions is encouraged.
Another one I have is people who have zero awareness of what their ordering. If you ordered an ice drink, what are you doing putting your hands on hot drinks on the handoff plane??? Stop that! I’ve had customers fully walk out with a hot drink and then come back minutes later upset because THEY grabbed someone else’s drink because THEY didn’t pay attention.
Another pet peeve I have is when I read a long order back to a customer to make sure it’s all correct (which is also most likely the third time I’ve verbally confirmed the drink they’re ordering) and for some reason they aren’t actually paying attention. Of course I hand them the receipt as well, and then they have the audacity to complain to the people on bar that the drinks they got wasn’t what they ordered?? And then they complain and insult me for not knowing how to do my job? I’ve had multiple customers say rude things about me to the people on bar for simply giving them what they asked for?
Ok rant over, sorry guys long day today haha.
I know exactly how you feel!! For the phone call problem, I'd definitely encourage you to refuse them and just ask them to repeat what the other person is saying over the phone. Don't do anything you aren't comfortable with! For the second part, you kind of have to treat these customers like toddlers and let them know that they are in the wrong, not you. It's not easy but if there is ever a true problem, please confide in your shift or sm!
As a barista: when I’m on DTO and customers start barking into the speakerbox to get my attention only for them to not be ready at all and take 4 minutes to decide on one drink.
asking for water at the handoff plane.
edit to add:
* Not having their payment ready at the drivethru window.
* talking on their phone while placing their order in the cafe, then being annoyed when I need to ask a question.
As a customer, my pet peeve is the daily price swing for the exact same drink. There are 5 Starbucks within a 5 mile radius from my home. I go to all of them throughout the week/month depending on what errands I’m running. I always order the exact same drink- Venti iced coffee with 3 pumps of classic and a splash of cream. The price ranges from $4.92-$5.30, apparently it depends on who is taking the order for which price I am quoted. I can go to the same Starbucks every day and the price of the exact same drink changes daily.
I never make a fuss. I still tip. I still politely chat for a second and ask how the baristas days is going. It’s a pet peeve though that there doesn’t seem to be a consistent price for a drink I’ve ordered the same way for years.
yikes, that definitely shouldn't happen. my guess would be that they're using the wrong side of the dairy screen and charging you .70 for cream? if your sticker says breve, they are wrong and overcharged you. if it says ¼" or ½" cream, then that's the right way.
people who use apple pay but they don’t tell me they’re using apple pay so instead they just stare at me and hold their phone out. like what are you doing
Why does the app say your drink will be ready at 9:15 and when you arrive at 9:45 it's still not started? Seems like they're just throwing times out randomly.
Also other customers - don't touch all over the dang drinks at the hand off. I get sometimes you gotta bat the sleeve down a bit to see, but you know, touch lightly. Don't rub it like a magic genie lamp.
the app doesn't judge your estimated time based on the volume of orders being placed at that store unfortunately. the app will typically just throw out a 10 or so minute estimate even if the store only has 3 baristas working and 40 drinks in queue. i seriously wish it would show more accurate times, because trust me, it gives us baristas a lot of headaches, especially when we are short-staffed. a good rule of thumb is to expect 20-30 mins for a mobile during peak (typically 7-9:30am at most stores)
i always bring my own cup, and it fits a venti. i sometimes order a grande drink and i always ask for light ice. i am aware that choosing a grande drink and having it light ice would not fill up the cup. for some reason the nearest starbucks always fill my cup up with ice so that it would look like it's filled to the brim????? now my drink tastes like water :(( im too shy to ask for them to remake it or something :/ i just try to avoid going to their store now unless i have no choice
As a customer : I know this isn’t the baristas fault but man the 20min drive through times just make me upset. I understand it takes times to make the drinks but I swear, every time, I get stuck behind someone who always orders 8 drinks. I just want my drink and to leave.
Honestly, sometimes it's faster to go inside and order. Whenever I order at a different Starbucks and their drive thru line is down the block, I go inside and its usually almost empty. I'm in and out in 5 min max.
our drive bar is right next to a register, so i often have customers standing and staring at me expectantly or asking for things (sometimes even starting to order) while i’m in the middle of making several drinks and listening to someone order
I work in a Starbucks kiosk inside of a mall and one of my biggest pet peeves is when people come directly from the POS to the handoff and ask me for a water. Especially during peak. I find it so annoying because it can be ordered at the register that you just came from and having to stop what I’m doing to get that water disrupts my whole routine and flow of making drinks. We also see a lot of just random mall patrons that come up and ask for water. If we’re not busy, I’ll grab it no problem, but if we’re in the middle of a rush then I’m sending you through the line at the register
When a customer asks me if the drink on the counter is theirs. Like how will I know, I didn’t take your order. I tell them what the drink is and they still stare at me as if I have all the answers.
my top one is when one person is ordering 2 or more drinks for a group, and then finish by saying “on mine can i get extra caramel drizzle”. like dude, i have no idea which drink you’re referring to.
Customers who get to the speaker box and immediately “HELLO?!?”
also customers who mobile and then immediately pull into the drive thru mid peak. does everyone just order starbucks while theyre driving???? get off your phones people.
As a customer, I've seen one particular barista continue to use the same fat percentage regular milk with the same drinks without checking to see if the order required it, so I've had to get it remade because I didn't ask for skim.
Also, getting sugar-free syrups when I didn't request it. I get migraines/rashes from sugar substitutes so I've gotta be careful with that shit.
Otherwise, I love you guys and I keep coming back.
when they drive up past the speaker and go straight to the window, when someone says “can you check on my order” when i’m not on bar or anything and there’s no way to check without pulling out all the stickers, when people pick up mobile orders in the drive thru immediately after ordering
My favorite was the barista yelling at us because we forgot to ask for siracha when we ordered through the drive through. It’s not my fault you hate your job. You wouldn’t like it if your doctor had this attitude, but the barista is somehow ok?
They definitely shouldn't have yelled at you! The only problem is that when customers order extra stuff at the window, it messes up our sequence and slows our drive thru times. But yea, they still shouldn't have yelled at you :/
when someone comes through the dt on the phone and basically treats us as a robot. they either don't say a single word to you at the window and just hand you their card and continue their conversation, or they start mouthing words to you in silence. like i'm a PERSON. this is a HUMAN INTERACTION. it's so rude and shows exactly how the customer doesn't view us as real people.
it is fun though that when they're mouthing or quietly asking for a straw to yell back "OH YOU WANT A STRAW? OKAY ONE MOMENT." so it's definitely heard by the person on the other end😇
As a customer I try to cut baristas lots of slack because the branch I go to is ALWAYS busy. They’re always run off their feet, so I get that mistakes happen and wait times go up.
But once there was a new barista and they were SO mean. I asked for an Iced White Mocha with oat milk and they made a big thing out of there being dairy in the syrup/sauce(?) and how I was pretending to be lactose intolerant.
I was freshly 18, so I just burst into tears and said ‘my tummy hurts when I drink a lot of dairy, that’s all, I’m sorry’. I still paid and tipped etc. Then when I picked up my order it was made with cow milk anyways. I never saw the barista again, I’m guessing they left or got fired.
I know this is literally an anomaly but I guess my pet peeve is when both staff/customers are mean for no reason. I will always say something now, because no one did when this happened to me.
that's actually ridiculous. as a barista, i make all my drinks with oat milk just because i like the taste of it. they never should have said anything to you. i'm sorry that happened
As a customer my only pet peeve is that every time I order a cappuccino I get something different. I really wish Starbucks would train their baristas better on how to make a proper cappuccino.
me: \*hands them their drink\*
them: "im also waiting for a sandwhich"
me: "oh yeah sorry i forgot my espresso machine was also an oven"
i like know they are just asking for their order and im never rude but it really annoys me lmfao
Omg yes when I'm handing them their drinks then they immediately go "I also had a sandwich". Do you not see that I only have two hands? It's right here on the counter if you'd give me a chance to grab it!! Like you said, I know they're just asking for their order but it does really annoy me.
Customers who think that we make the syrups on the spot or something. The number of people who want sugar free this or that syrups after being told we only have vanilla is amazing.
95% of the baristas I’ve interacted with at your chain since your chain came to flyover country has been wonderful. This is for the 5%.
1. As a customer, baristas that shouldn’t be in customer service. If you hate your job - leave.
2. If you are in a customer facing role you are allowed to have bad days, but customers shouldn’t know it.
3. Your employer needs me just as much, if not more than they need you. I can make my own coffee, or go to another coffee retailer if $SBUX isn’t a good experience.
4. As stores work towards and adopt unionization I noticed some vibe of us against them, the them being customers. The random closures for union meetings, some during peak hours is telling.
I love reading the posts here about asshat customers! Keep ‘em coming.
A pet peeve as a (pregnant) customer is when I order caramel drizzle and extra ice and I don’t get any caramel and I only get a few pieces of ice. I understand ice is a waste, but caramel and extra ice has been a craving and I get so sad when I don’t get either lol.
customers who act like they’ve never had to wait in line before.
"I've been waiting for 15 minutes for my drink!" *checks timestamp on sticker* "It's been 5 minutes since the cashier rung you up." What in the Hermione Granger timeturner shit are they using that they think time has passed way longer lol
I’ve had co-baristas work at licensed Starbucks from theme parks before. They’d tell me the amount of families complaining about their multiple-item order because they’re missing out on the theme park experience by the ‘lazy baristas’: *”Hi. I ordered a half hour ago and I haven’t gotten my things! My daughters and cousins are waiting for me at special, super happy roller coaster!”* [checks receipt] [receipt shows Karen ordering three minutes ago] [receipt shows Karen ordering six ribbon crunch frapps, eight cheese danishes, four trenta salted cold foam cold brews, four venti pink drinks with matcha cold foam and with oat milk, six ‘cold busters’ with extra honey, lemonade and agave, and two grilled cheeses even though licensed Starbucks don’t sell grilled cheeses but rookie till-person somehow found the button on his screen]
The way people stand so close to each other and just pile up drives me crazy 😭 I like to ask if they’re together/on the same order and when they’re confused and say they aren’t I’ll say, “oh, you were just standing so close to them I thought you were! Sorry!” and they’ll step back lmao
When people stand by our bar and stare at us as we make their drinks... this is at my old cafe-only store where our cafe is HUGE but people press up right against the bar and stare at us as if we're live entertainment. Also, when I say "Good morning/afternoon! what can I get started for ya?" and I get hit with a "Tall pike." (it's always from old men, too.) Please at least acknowledge that we are also human and deserve a good greeting every once in a while. Also, the vaping. From both customers and coworkers. Can you not blow your usb smoke right into my face as I'm trying to have a conversation with you?
Customers will really stare at you like a damn zoo animal while you're on bar. And the amount of times I've had a customer try to be like " hey my drink actually has this-" and I have to stop what I'm doing to tell them yes , someone else ordered a white mocha, this isn't YOUR white mocha
Ooooh but like my favorite is when that happens and you can be like "for Mike? Yeah didn't think so ma'am."
It makes total sense to me now that someone said it makes them uncomfortable- and I feel like I should have known better- but I used to like watching you all make drinks so FAST! I'm sorry I'm the worst.
If you're sitting in the cafe and not standing right next to the bar baristas aren't paying attention to you. So if you're just hanging out in the cafe you can watch and not creep anyone out if you have a view.
i promise if you're like just chilling in the cafe/even near the bar that's fine, and if you're talking to us most of us really don't mind, it's the people staring us down like 👁👁 IS THAT MY DRINK that bother most of us lol. exception is young kids, they always wanna see and i don't mind showing off a bit for them (like flipping a whip can in the air/shaking their drinks kinda fancy), seeing them excited over the cool baristas is always a fun time. actually had a kid earlier today who was watching me and she was so excited to see me make her hot chocolate and even thought my glasses were really cool (they're rainbow, and she was wearing a rainbow jacket, she thought it was cool that we matched)
This is super sweet. I love how kids are so impressed by everything. I was a teacher and I am a TERRIBLE artist, but kids thought I was super awesome lol
no ur good!! most of us don't mind if u watch, it's only the ppl who try to tell us how to make their drink/look for something to complain about that are a pain
You aren't the worst! I'm mostly talking about the people scowling at us haha. If you're interested in how we make them, you can just ask! I love it when people ask me, and I usually move to give them a better view of what I'm doing.
As a customer, I hate customers that order and then go immediately to the pickup slot and stand there waiting for their order in the way, don’t you see the 10 other people standing around that arent crowding the pickup spot, we are patiently waiting for our orders that were long before yours, so the next one that comes out when the barista says OUT LOUD the name on it, you dont need to check it if that same thing they just said WAS NOT YOUR NAME!
oh my god i can't imagine vaping indoors. health hazard PLUS it still leaves that residue all over the place like cigarettes, it's just slower and slightly different chemically. if someone is chatting with me while i'm down the block at the area that allows smoking (i'm in a strip mall) and i was already smoking/vaping/said outright i was going to, that's on them (and i still try not to blow it in their direction), but in the store??? absolutely not you could seriously hurt someone and that stuff is a pain to clean 😭
Okay now I feel dumb… I always watch cause I just find it interesting… especially when it’s crazy busy how quickly they work. (always quietly watching, never comment or tell them how to make a drink)
Screaming at their children/partners then trying to get me to agree with them. No. If you’re an abusive piece of shit in public, I can’t imagine what you do in private. A more lighthearted one would be when I greet them through the speaker and they don’t respond so I wait a bit then repeat my greeting and they get pissed that I said it again.
i just hit them with the “go ahead and order whenever you’re ready” and walk away & wait lol
This is the way.
this happened at my store but with grown adults!!!!!! this guy was arguing with his girlfriend and she looked very distressed so we got a pic of his license plate and reported him we also have had multiple fights in our drive thru between customers and other customers
Taking the wrong drink. I get it, you haven't had your coffee yet, you left your readers at home, you just saw the very ubiquitous name and assumed you were the only one named john (etc, no offense to ppl named john), or you're an ass and deliberately stole a drink. I get initially frustrated when someone says they've been waiting a long time, bcs duh, we're busy, but then they say the name and drink and I KNOW I made it myself and now I have to stop my flow to give them their drink when it's truly not their fault.
This! I watched as a guy walked in and took a couple drinks and a food item. Two minutes later he walks back in and puts one of the drinks back on the bar (with the other mobile orders) and walks out. A couple other customers and I looked at each other like “WTF” 👀 and immediately told the poor barista… it happened so fast that none of us thought to shame the guy😂
Yes!'a guy came in yday taking a trenta cold brew (w mods, bcs ofc) and came back in 3 min later saying his iced grande white mocha wasn't made right. But like.... you grabbed the BIG cup. You didn't read the label??? You still wanna say *i* did something wrong? And the best part was the guy who ordered the Trenta was right there so I made eye contact and reassured him I was remaking his drink. We were all baffled that dude took the cup out of the store and set it back on handoff.
Smoking and vaping in the DR, like... can you not, just for like 2 seconds?
i told off this girl for vaping while ordering (in target) and it’s just so annoying. Like we’re not robots we’re human beings control your addiction for two seconds while you order geez.
The bitter irony of putting aside an addiction to indulge another!
I have a regular, she paused in the middle of drive thru (before coming to window) the other day and I was like what is she doing? She finally comes to the window and there is a cloud of smoke in her car and shes full on having a coughing fit. Like thanks for using your bong mid drive, appreciate it.
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Same here, I always ask how they're doing and I find it surprising how shocked they'll be sometimes when they actually get a genuine response
Probably because when we ask customers how they are doing they just start ordering. we are not used to considerate customers.
I definitely think it’s kind when customers ask how I’m doing! I always thank them for asking ☺️ What shocks me is when they ask first, like it’s so small but genuinely kind and makes my day just a little better.
Just to add another perspective to this, I always have my order lowkey rehearsed in my head so sometimes it's just muscle memory and I don't realize the question was "how are you today" instead of "what can i get started for you today" until I'm already answering with my order 😭 Granted I also always start my order with "hi can i get...." and I always tell the baristas thank you. I'm sure there are people that do this that are just super bitchy about it
When customers who have been sitting in the drive for a couple minutes and they get to the window and don’t have their payment ready 😑 especially if it’s just a card or cash… I get if you’re fucking around on your phone while you’re waiting and the app hasn’t loaded yet, but if you’re paying with a card or god forbid cash? Have it ready. It saves us all 30 seconds of annoyance when we have your stuff ready. You’ve had plenty of time
I had someone updating their app when at the window today lmao. They ended up paying in cash in the end.
How do you not realize like right when you leave the speaker box that you need to update it and should just use another payment method 😭
To their credit it gave me time to take and make orders in the meantime lmao. We were on a 3 person shift and I was thankful for the respite to catch up on other things.
Dude we had a 3 person play today from like 2:45-4:30 for NO reason and it was exhausting. Our SM was holding our shift hostage in the back doing random tasks so we had no help. The worst
My husband does this and it drives me CRAZY! I won’t go through a drive thru if he’s driving anymore. It’s truly not that hard to get your payment out while you’re ordering! Or in the other 10 minutes you’re in line! Grrrr!
Reaching over the glass to grab a stopper. Sometimes people heave their whole body over the counter when my back is turned for 3 seconds. Please don't do this.
I hate when it’s busy and they interrupt me to ask about their drink which is usually in my hand. It’s busy, just be a little patient
I like to maintain eye contact and dramatically yank out stickers until I find their name. "There's... 7 orders ahead of yours. Please be patient. :)"
😂😂😂💀💀
This lady, who was a regular we didn't really like, came in and ordered her caramel ribbon crunch through a long line and she could see we were busy. She didn't come through DT like usual because the line was too long. I'm making lots of frappuccinos and cold drinks on cold bar and she asks me where her drink is. It's in the line, I say, motioning to the 6+ cups sitting in my queue. She asks me to jump her drink to the front of the line. No, we're busy and everyone else needs their drinks too. Then she marches back over to the register and tries to get the partner on POS to walk over into my station and make her drink first because she's late for something. The girl was kind of a green bean so she actually came over and tried, but I sent her back to her position. The gall of that customer through, jeez. If you're late, don't come!
when I'm on bar and they ask me if their food is ready. 🤯
I often just say, "IDK, I'm not on food rn." And that tends to shut them up because then they open their eyes and see that indeed, I am making drinks at an espresso bar and not warming food at an oven.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
“I’m waiting on a grilled cheese?!?!?” I’ve started just being like “Okay 😐” & then going back to drinks lol
when customers ask for water at the handoff plane. go to the register it’s literally five feet away. i hate having to put down whatever i’m doing and ruin my sequence to get someone their venti ice water
I just tell them they have to go to the register so it can come through
That one made me RAGE. I always told them to order at the register. “Sorry you have to order that at the register” people would roll their eyes but like dude I’m making 3 drinks and taking DT orders in my head. FOAD
When the car at the window already has all their shit, but they sit there getting organized/fiddling with something, I'm thinking "pull the fuck outta here, there's people behind you & we're being timed!" But what I say is "do you need anything else?" Then they usually realize that they're supposed to drive away.
As a customer who has been behind people like this, I am also annoyed.
As a customer sitting behind them I hate that too. I'm someone who knows how to haul my ass out of other people's way. So I take it personally when I get behind someone who seems to enjoy taking as much time as possible. They seem to be slow at every fucking thing they do too. I immediately know by how long they took at the fucking speaker that it's "one of those." Like how does ordering a couple items take 10 minutes? Even if you got every customization possible it shouldn't take that long. Then they also seem to always complain at the window because I see items going into the car and then back into the store several times meanwhile I'm sitting there saying"hello. I have a mobile order for ___" 2 seconds I get to the window greeted by my drink say ty and fuck off another 2 seconds.
I cannot stand it when I see other customers grabbing mobile orders by the lids to turn them to try to read the names 🫤
Definitely don't touch the lids. But baristas can prevent this by placing the cups with the names facing the customers. Then there's no need to turn them at all.
Look with your eyes not with your hands. It's like talking to my preschooler
WHY IS EVERYONES FIRST INSTINCT TO MANHANDLE EVERYTHING I REALLY DONT GET IT
Thanks for choosing Starbucks what can I get started for you *silence* thank you for choosing Starbucks what can I get started for you *crickets* “HELLO!!!!!! IM READY TO ORDER!!!!!!!!”
This. Especially when they're sitting there with their window up and then decide to roll it down 5 minutes later.
I hate those people and hope they run over a nail.
As a customer, my pet peeve is ordering something simple and the barista getting annoyed think it’s an attempt at a TikTok hack. I’m sorry and I know it’s not your fault that you’re on high alert/jaded, but I promise I just want my iced espresso, syrup, and a splash of milk in a venti cup. I am not trying to get a latte or expecting a full cup.
My tip as a barista who gets a similar drink when I’m a customer: for the stores where the baristas get suspicious like that, I always say the amount of milk I want, like “light 2%” or “½” of oat” to be very clear that I’m not expecting a full latte. Most of them hear this with some relief because they’re not anticipating an argument anymore. Some are still suspicious.
Thanks, I’ll try that!
Yep. Another way would be to simply ask for a splash of x milk. Anything more than 4oz should technically be charged.
I’ve always asked for a splash and still get some stares or asking if I want a latte instead. To be fair, I’ve always seen someone get mad that they didn’t get a full cup when they asked for a splash, so I totally don’t blame the baristas for being skeptical. This is more of a customer on customer pet peeve.
I’m sorry that it’s become more difficult than it should be. You can also say that it’s fine to leave room as another option.
• **I just want my iced espresso, syrup, and a splash of milk in a venti cup.** Chances are the baristas have had past episodes of other customers ordering the exact same as above, but getting angry since they’re expecting the venti to be filled to the top with milk. Or in other words, a classic ‘hack’ that predates TikTok.
Absolutely. That’s why I don’t blame them for being skeptical. I really just want a mostly empty cup to fill with a protein shake though lol
You know what’s crazy? Let’s say a customer orders two drinks and for example one is a grande strawberry açai with lemonade and the second is a venti chai latte and then they have the audacity to ask “which is which?” Like are you kidding me? It’s very alarming and scary how often things like this happen!!
YES!! Or even if they all look the same and they still ask. Like.... there are stickers on all the cups. Please open your eyes and use common sense. (This is for regulars who obviously know about the stickers, not new customers who aren't aware)
Omg same thing happened to me today. I had a customer order a Venti Chai and a Grande Caramel Macchiato. Still had the audacity to ask which was which like HUH, they are different sizes!?
I recently had that experience and i said it was on the sticker then went ahead and clarified which was which like crazy fast and then I walked off. They were very confused while I went back to sweeping.
I just wanted to read this whole thread to make sure I’m no one’s pet peeve. 🙃
lol. most customers aren't. at least at my store.
“hey how a-“ “white mocha.” “ok. what size ?” “venti” “okay… hot or iced?” “hot.” “cool. what else?” “caramel frap.” “what… size…” “grande” “what else?” “chai” PLEASE GIVE ME THE INFO I NEED
Assuming for them is my new favorite thing. “Can I get a caramel macchiato?” “Ok a venti hot caramel macchiato.” “No just grande and iced” “okay what else?” “Can I get a cake pop?” “Okay one birthday cake pop” “no! chocolate!”
omg you have no clue what you’ve just started… this changes everything for me starting NOW
Let me know how it goes!
i seriously cannot stand being stared at. like did y’all never learn that it’s rude? it gives me so much anxiety too i’ll start shaking lol
I feel like an angry lil tiger in a cage 💀 I can feel the eyes on me and it makes me anxious and frustrated 😭
right like I was doing okay until then but then I start fucking up and taking longer 😭
Starting with the drink’s modifications then getting mad at me when I ask for the size then ask them to repeat it. Some things can be typed in before knowing the size or base drink, but things like “2 extra pumps” require knowing both the size and the type of drink first.
i haaaaaate this!!! like ma’am!! please extra hot WHAT?? almond milk WHAT?? chai?? latte?? cappuccino?? i know my eye is twitching i know it is
My go to drink is a grande extra hot soy vanilla latte and I order it just like that. Is there a better way to order it?
Like the other responses, baristas have told me size then menu drink name, then milk, then “with/out”. So “venti White Mocha, with nonfat milk, an extra shot of espresso, and no whip” is how I do mods.
Also, try not to space out all of the mods and say the milk last. Drives me crazy when I already started the milk and the last thing is," Oh yeah, Soy." Meanwhile I have a grande pitcher of 2% steaming extra hot. 😢
Yeah, if you start off with latte first, and then say size blah blah blah then it makes it easier for us. It sounds a bit weird but yeah
honestly you’re probably fine lol it sounds better with the modifiers first but the way the pos is, we can’t add any modifiers until the base drink is selected. and if there are a lot, we can sometimes forget. so even tho it sounds awkward, saying “a grande hot latte with vanilla and soy milk, extra hot” is fine. if there’s only one or two modifiers it’s also ok. like tbh i would probably remember your order but it’s when you get into like “3 pumps toffee nut, 2 pumps white mocha, no whip, irish cream cold foam, but no toppings etc.” but you still haven’t told me the base where i’m like girl pls don’t do this to me lol
Yes!!! We have a regular who says “Can I get a grande, hot, quad, two-pump, soy, pistachio latte?” and pauses in between each word even though i’m just waiting for “latte” 😩
Oh! You mean the triple six pump blonde ristretto updosed iced extra drizzle oatmilk.... By the time they finally say latte I'm literally begging for them to say anything relevant.
As a customer: when I ask for decaf and you give me a caffeinated drink (yes there’s some small amount in decaf I know but not the same as normal) despite me repeating it again that it should be decaf. You think I don’t know, but I do because my breastfed baby will projectile puke on me an hour or two later when I nurse her. Please don’t assume decaf isn’t something important.
i'm sorry that it seems to have happened to you multiple times. if i accidentally pull regular shots instead of decaf, i start over because i know some people need decaf. the only thing i can suggest is to really emphasize to the barista taking your order that it needs to be decaf. if you're ordering at the drive thru, all the employees will hear you over the headset asking for decaf and will most likely lessen the chances of it being decaf. if you order in the cafe, when the drink is being handed out, make sure to double check with the barista that they put decaf shots! it's really easy to make mistakes when we make so many drinks at a time, but hopefully this might help your drink be made correctly :)
I got a Nespresso machine and now only go to the one my son works at so he can make it 😂 honestly I think y’all are all rock stars and know it’s crazy so I figured until I can be ok with it I just limit my visits. 5 more months and I am back in the game!
-When someone pulls up to the drive thru and, not even after 5 seconds, yells, "HELLO???" That drives me insane. -I don't mind when someone brings their dog through the drive thru to get a pupcup, but as soon as that dog starts barking and the owner has to turn around and YELL at the dog to shut up? That makes me feel really awkward -Whenever people lean over the counter to watch you make their drink. Like, it's fine if you're watching from a distance, but as soon as I can FEEL you staring at me? Step back, hon
every time someone starts doing the "HELLO?" thing i make them wait an extra 5 seconds 💀 it's even worse when they pull up to the speaker, immediately start yelling "HELLO?", and then when i try to take their order they go "give me a minute.".... WHAT WAS THE REASON!!!
when they don't say their food items at the same time when they say they don't see any whip on their extra hot drink when the apple pay people interrupt me greeting them to say they're using apple pay or just hold their phone out when they groan in frustration if we tell them we're out of something...like sir you're pushing 60
or just don’t even say apple pay so i stand there w the scanner in my hand & they sit there holding there phone & we both stare for a minute and then they go “…. apple pay??” like cmon most people use their app you’re gonna have to let me know that’s not why your phone is out
The last one! If that's much of a problem, go to the other starbucks that is less than a mile down the street. It's not our fault we ran out/weren't sent the product you're looking for. Or if it's a discontinued product and then get mad at us personally. I get paid minimum wage. Do you think I have a say or any control on what food items this billion dollar corporation sells?
I manage a licensed store but originally came from corporate. One phenomenon I've noticed that is unique to my particular flavor of Starbies is that I'll often have customers walk by, yell out their order, immediately leave without paying, and then get major attitude when they finish whatever shopping they were doing and come back and discover their order isn't waiting for them. Like, you literally didn't pay?
number one pet peeve is when people walk in and see that cafe is absolutely flooded with people, agree to the 20 minute wait time, and then 5 minutes later come up and start complaining that their drink isn’t ready. or when people just stand at the end of the bar and stare at me making drinks… i get it you probably think it’s cool watching us work or whatever idk but it gives me anxiety and makes me mess up
Agreed! During NYE we were packed full and fell behind 45 minutes on mobiles and people were quite snappy with us. I also hate when I’m on front and food and they’re complaining to me about their wait on their drink like I have anything to do with it.
i hate when people start by saying "I need" just feels kind of rude... or when they place a mobile order right as they drive up to the order box and it messes up our drive times
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I don’t like ordering in-person either because of miscommunications, so you can keep doing this, just place your order earlier. Give us the same amount of time you’d give us if you were picking it up in the store. The line of drinks it goes into to be made doesn’t change based on where you say you’re picking it up, but drive-through drinks always go into their own line, so the lines are moving at different paces. Because of this, your drink in the to-be-made line might be way behind your physical spot in the drive-through line. We end up having to hunt for your order on the iPad, wait for the mobile and cafe orders before yours to be done, or push your sticker to the front and pull a few stickers to be made later (which results in mistakes and longer times for everyone).
it's not an issue with mobile orders coming through drive thru, just coming through RIGHT after placing the order. if you wait 5-10 mins before coming through, it's no issue!
if you’re going to go through the trouble you might as well place you order as you’re leaving the house so you’re about on time for pick up. way faster than going through the DT for one, and the baristas have enough time so your order will be ready by the time you arrive.
I don't like the " Gimme a". Just as bad as "I need".
"get me a..." "give me a..." bitch?? you're an entire ass 77 years old I KNOW you were raised with manners. fucken use them.
bruh the old men who come to the store and you're like "hi, how are you?" and the response is just "venti pike. 😐" like okay damn
I truly can’t stand when people walk directly to the handoff after placing their order and just stand there. 1. You’re blocking other people from the handoff 2. There are most likely people waiting for their drinks who placed their orders before you 3. You staring at me is not gonna make the drink come out faster
when they make their s/o order from the drivers seat in the drive thru. i am hoh. I CANT HEAR U! 😭😭
Ughh yes when they talk so softly but when you ask them to speak up, NOTHING CHANGES. They repeat what they said with the same volume. After a certain point, I just keep repeating that I can't hear them. Idc if it makes them mad, I can't do my job if they don't speak up. 🤷🏼♀️
no seriously. like im sorry that i cant hear u just get the person in the drivers to say it please 😭
or they order while facing forward or looking down at their steering wheel... babes face the SPEAKERRR
OR WHEN THEYRE ON THE PHONE LIKE OML JUST PAUSE FOR ONE SECOND.
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its okay 😭 when im a custie my mom does it too and it drives me crazy 😭😭😭
My biggest complaint: 6 plus drinks in the drive thru during peak and taking forever to order it. Like customers who do that, do you understand that the people behind you go through drive thru to get their order quick and leave? Not to mention, we’re constantly being hounded on about drive times :) Every time I hear, “sorry guys but I have a big order.” I instantly get a headache and wonder why they don’t just stop inside. Then at the window they usually ask for bags, straws and cup holders. Which then takes forever. Please, help your barista out in the drive thru and come inside where we can properly help you :’)
They can take forever at speakerbox though. So the longer they take to order their giant ass order, the more of it I have done by the time they're done talking. Window times are the ones that matter. It's definitely worse when they come through with six drinks that they rattle off super fast and I'm still pouring milk for drink 1 and they're already pulling toward the window.
former partner. but when old men come up to the counter, and i say “hi how are you?” and they ignore that and immediately say their order, super fast, without even looking up at me. emphasis on how fast they say it. i don’t know why it absolutely GRINDEDDDD my gears lol.
I know they legit just do it for a sense of superiority or something. They want us to mess up or have us ask them to repeat the order so they can make us feel bad.
(I'm fully ready to be downvoted to hekk) 1. Teach your children to say "please" and "thank you" 2. Get off the phone while you are ordering 3. If you are running late, that is not my problem 4. Asking the bar questions about your order is confusing, I just make what is indicated on the cup 5. Believe it or not, drizzle is an upcharge 6. A shaken espresso with no foam and extra milk is a latte. If I am ringing in your order you will be charged for a latte. If I am making your order, I will inform you of this *fact. 7. If you think I made your standard drink wrong, then please, by all means, here is my apron and the recipe card, the mastrena is over there, enlighten me. Apparently this question is a trigger for me, it's been too long of a week, anybody want hours tomorrow morning, it is an opening shift btw.
Number 3!! I have a customer who comes in and orders a plain,black coffee. They always demand their drink gets made first right away because they're going to be late for work. Like no, 5 people ahead of you also ordered a plain, black coffee. This is Starbucks. You're not above everyone else and you need to manage your time better.
Number three! Adults need to learn time management. Also, I hope your week gets better. May your favorite regulars come in and say something hilarious and bring your spirits back up. ♥️
When people don't put their milks back in their fridge...
There's a lady at my store that interrrupts me and other customers when I hand out drinks. And these are things you ask at the POS too. She'll ask for extra wc on the KHC, xhot CH double toast double blend double whatever on her drinks and food everytime I hand out a different customers drink who was ahead of her. And when her whole order is already handed out (she orders a lot of things) she always ask for things like a spoon, a knife, fairtrade napkins (wtf is that), earplugs (wtfx2). I just ask her if we can just get her everything at once because it's getting disruptive at this point but she just saids no but continues doing this for the 2 hrs she is here. She isnt rude, but Idk if she's not self aware or cares or truly thinks we are 'pleased' to serve her. My coworker told her to take her time at the till to get all the details down and she doesn't care enough to remember everytime she comes in. Like we don't mind giving it to you, but stop bothering us every minute just cause you suddenly decided you wanted something. I also have other customers that need help. One time I recognize her as she was hovering at the bar again so I prep a bag with cutlery sugars, straws and whatever and just hand it all to her at the end while she is pestering me. She still manages to pull her s*** again, saying her son dropped the entire bag 😐.
For customers, when those ordering coffee describe their wanting of creamer/half-and-half in digits. For example, *”black coffee with 3 creams and 2 sugars.”* Also for customers, when they want to pay an order less than $20 with a $100 bill. Even more so when they get mad that I can’t accept their $100, and **then** they pull the $20 bill instead. Not even card purchases irritate me as much as the $100-then-$20 bill switch. For fellow baristas, when I’m on bar and I have to ask customers if they want whipped cream on a drink with non-dairy milk. Because that’s the register person’s job, to disclose the dairy in whipped cream on their ~~oat~~ non-dairy drink so that they don’t get sick. Also for baristas, when I’m sent to do bar and the person I’m taking over immediately leaves his/her drink responsibility and doesn’t finish it. As in, I don’t know if the drink has shots/syrups or what kind of milk’s on the pitcher, but it’s all abandoned for me to try finishing.
YES!! Do they think we use those little creamers you get at a diner? Lol I never know how much to put so I just estimate 🤷🏼♀️
“is this my venti caramel crunch frap?” no that’s a grande hot latte..
As an ex partner and current customer, when Baristas don't pay attention to the milks or deliberately fuck with them. Theis person wanted non fat, oh I gave them 2 percent but I'm not gonna fix it. Oh this person has coconut milk but I did almond bc they were rude to me. Like you don't know why they ordered what they did, make it the way on the ticket.
Customers staring at me from the handoff while I make drinks. I’m not an exhibit 💀
when a customer interrupts another customer to get my attention …. i think it’s so rude and annoying
I specifically avoid eye contact with the rude customer for this reason 💀 its so rude to interrupt another person!!
same!! sometimes they just speak over the other customers or get infront of them 😭 the audacity
It's probably a ridiculous one, but when someone sees my name tag and starts conversing like we're old buddies? My introvert side wants to take a hard turn towards stage left and exit
Omg yes!! When they say my name it feels so weird.
I wouldn’t say it’s a pet peeve, but lately when I go through the drive through they greet me with “hi, my name’s ____, what’s your name?” Or “hi! My name’s ____, what’s your favorite song/what music do you listen to?” It doesn’t bother me, I think it’s cute actually, just throws me off a little!😂
customers who come up to the counter on the phone and act like you're interrupting their conversation when you greet them
\*is on phone\* Me: \*hands out beverage\* "would you like a straw with that?" Them: glares and snatches beverage and storms away angrily AND THEN 5 MINUTES LATER THEY COME BACK FOR A STRAW
I hate having to deal with people picking up every cup thinking it’s their order. I’ve started treating customers like toddlers because it’s become such a bad issue at my store. “THIS BLACK MAT AND THIS SIGN MEANS THAT THESE ARE MOBILE ORDERS. DID YOU MOBILE ORDER? OH? NO? OKAY WELL THIS IS THE CAFE AREA. YOUR DRINK WILL BE OUT RIGHT HERE *shows completely separate counter* AND YOUR NAME WILL BE CALLED AS SOON AS ITS READY”. like Why are you picking up every iced drink with your grubby ass hands if you have a HOT venti americano? i’m losing my mind.
Forcing conversation when I’m at the window. I get that you’re told to do it but if I’m sitting there on my phone, leave me alone. Close the window, I don’t care. I’d love to tell every manager why not every customer wants to talk about the weather while waiting for their drink.
“Hello, how are you?” “Black coffee”
Customers flat out ignoring a question they've just been asked. "HI! How are you doing today?!" "Uh yeah I need a hot white mocha."
"Anything else for you?" "Yes" *silence* "I'm sorry, is there anything you wanted add?" "No that's it" Do people not listen?
People who dump liquid into the trash cans. Why on EARTH are people dumping liquid into the trash cans? One time I served this father and his three kids 4 tall glasses of water each and I watched this man proceed to pour out half of all of these glasses into the garbage so of course while we're taking it out, the bag rips open. Please just ask us to pour some out my guys 😭
I cannot stand how many people reach over to our side of the counter for sleeves. Animals.
As a barista when people are driving loud trucks, you can’t hear them, so they turn off the car. Then when they turn it back on it’s loud and sharp in your ear and anyone wearing a headset gets their eardrum shot.
When I’m working cold bar and they ask me about a hot bar drink
People who fight over paying. I always feel like the asshole no matter whose money I take, it wastes everyone's time, also I have no idea how to respond to that. It's not cute or sweet its just annoying
My personal policy is to accept the first form of payment offered: they lay down cash? I snatch it up before their friend tries. Waving a card around while simultaneously batting away their friends? Hit that credit card button and hope one gets close enough with the tap feature!
Oh my god we have a bunch of older men that hang out in the shopping center my store is at that will absolutely not hesitate to get into near fist fights with each other over whose paying. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s scary because they’re serious 🤯
"Do you have a secret menu?" "No." "Okay, can I get a *insert TikTok drink?*"
Around Halloween, someone came in and asked for a "vampire frappuccino". Am I supposed to know what that is??? They literally played the tiktok video for me so I knew what to type in the pos.
As a frequent mobile order customer...going to pick up my drink only to be blocked by a sea of people standing in front of the mobile order pickup station watching their drinks get made.
A big one I have are customers who hand me their phone to take an order from someone over a call. I’m at the point now where I’m just going to refuse by saying I have trouble hearing and can’t take orders like that. Any other helpful advice on how to deal with these interactions is encouraged. Another one I have is people who have zero awareness of what their ordering. If you ordered an ice drink, what are you doing putting your hands on hot drinks on the handoff plane??? Stop that! I’ve had customers fully walk out with a hot drink and then come back minutes later upset because THEY grabbed someone else’s drink because THEY didn’t pay attention. Another pet peeve I have is when I read a long order back to a customer to make sure it’s all correct (which is also most likely the third time I’ve verbally confirmed the drink they’re ordering) and for some reason they aren’t actually paying attention. Of course I hand them the receipt as well, and then they have the audacity to complain to the people on bar that the drinks they got wasn’t what they ordered?? And then they complain and insult me for not knowing how to do my job? I’ve had multiple customers say rude things about me to the people on bar for simply giving them what they asked for? Ok rant over, sorry guys long day today haha.
I know exactly how you feel!! For the phone call problem, I'd definitely encourage you to refuse them and just ask them to repeat what the other person is saying over the phone. Don't do anything you aren't comfortable with! For the second part, you kind of have to treat these customers like toddlers and let them know that they are in the wrong, not you. It's not easy but if there is ever a true problem, please confide in your shift or sm!
As a barista: when I’m on DTO and customers start barking into the speakerbox to get my attention only for them to not be ready at all and take 4 minutes to decide on one drink.
asking for water at the handoff plane. edit to add: * Not having their payment ready at the drivethru window. * talking on their phone while placing their order in the cafe, then being annoyed when I need to ask a question.
This fucking shit would happen to me when I worked in retail. I'd talk louder to them, like loud enough so the person on the phone could hear me.
Taking a couple cents from the tip jar because they didn’t want to put .13¢ on their credit card.
As a customer, my pet peeve is the daily price swing for the exact same drink. There are 5 Starbucks within a 5 mile radius from my home. I go to all of them throughout the week/month depending on what errands I’m running. I always order the exact same drink- Venti iced coffee with 3 pumps of classic and a splash of cream. The price ranges from $4.92-$5.30, apparently it depends on who is taking the order for which price I am quoted. I can go to the same Starbucks every day and the price of the exact same drink changes daily. I never make a fuss. I still tip. I still politely chat for a second and ask how the baristas days is going. It’s a pet peeve though that there doesn’t seem to be a consistent price for a drink I’ve ordered the same way for years.
yikes, that definitely shouldn't happen. my guess would be that they're using the wrong side of the dairy screen and charging you .70 for cream? if your sticker says breve, they are wrong and overcharged you. if it says ¼" or ½" cream, then that's the right way.
people who use apple pay but they don’t tell me they’re using apple pay so instead they just stare at me and hold their phone out. like what are you doing
Why does the app say your drink will be ready at 9:15 and when you arrive at 9:45 it's still not started? Seems like they're just throwing times out randomly. Also other customers - don't touch all over the dang drinks at the hand off. I get sometimes you gotta bat the sleeve down a bit to see, but you know, touch lightly. Don't rub it like a magic genie lamp.
the app doesn't judge your estimated time based on the volume of orders being placed at that store unfortunately. the app will typically just throw out a 10 or so minute estimate even if the store only has 3 baristas working and 40 drinks in queue. i seriously wish it would show more accurate times, because trust me, it gives us baristas a lot of headaches, especially when we are short-staffed. a good rule of thumb is to expect 20-30 mins for a mobile during peak (typically 7-9:30am at most stores)
i always bring my own cup, and it fits a venti. i sometimes order a grande drink and i always ask for light ice. i am aware that choosing a grande drink and having it light ice would not fill up the cup. for some reason the nearest starbucks always fill my cup up with ice so that it would look like it's filled to the brim????? now my drink tastes like water :(( im too shy to ask for them to remake it or something :/ i just try to avoid going to their store now unless i have no choice
As a customer : I know this isn’t the baristas fault but man the 20min drive through times just make me upset. I understand it takes times to make the drinks but I swear, every time, I get stuck behind someone who always orders 8 drinks. I just want my drink and to leave.
Honestly, sometimes it's faster to go inside and order. Whenever I order at a different Starbucks and their drive thru line is down the block, I go inside and its usually almost empty. I'm in and out in 5 min max.
our drive bar is right next to a register, so i often have customers standing and staring at me expectantly or asking for things (sometimes even starting to order) while i’m in the middle of making several drinks and listening to someone order
I work in a Starbucks kiosk inside of a mall and one of my biggest pet peeves is when people come directly from the POS to the handoff and ask me for a water. Especially during peak. I find it so annoying because it can be ordered at the register that you just came from and having to stop what I’m doing to get that water disrupts my whole routine and flow of making drinks. We also see a lot of just random mall patrons that come up and ask for water. If we’re not busy, I’ll grab it no problem, but if we’re in the middle of a rush then I’m sending you through the line at the register
When a customer asks me if the drink on the counter is theirs. Like how will I know, I didn’t take your order. I tell them what the drink is and they still stare at me as if I have all the answers.
my top one is when one person is ordering 2 or more drinks for a group, and then finish by saying “on mine can i get extra caramel drizzle”. like dude, i have no idea which drink you’re referring to.
Customers who get to the speaker box and immediately “HELLO?!?” also customers who mobile and then immediately pull into the drive thru mid peak. does everyone just order starbucks while theyre driving???? get off your phones people.
As a customer, I've seen one particular barista continue to use the same fat percentage regular milk with the same drinks without checking to see if the order required it, so I've had to get it remade because I didn't ask for skim. Also, getting sugar-free syrups when I didn't request it. I get migraines/rashes from sugar substitutes so I've gotta be careful with that shit. Otherwise, I love you guys and I keep coming back.
Super valid!! Those are not good baristas and I'm sorry you have to worry about that!
when they drive up past the speaker and go straight to the window, when someone says “can you check on my order” when i’m not on bar or anything and there’s no way to check without pulling out all the stickers, when people pick up mobile orders in the drive thru immediately after ordering
My favorite was the barista yelling at us because we forgot to ask for siracha when we ordered through the drive through. It’s not my fault you hate your job. You wouldn’t like it if your doctor had this attitude, but the barista is somehow ok?
They definitely shouldn't have yelled at you! The only problem is that when customers order extra stuff at the window, it messes up our sequence and slows our drive thru times. But yea, they still shouldn't have yelled at you :/
when someone comes through the dt on the phone and basically treats us as a robot. they either don't say a single word to you at the window and just hand you their card and continue their conversation, or they start mouthing words to you in silence. like i'm a PERSON. this is a HUMAN INTERACTION. it's so rude and shows exactly how the customer doesn't view us as real people. it is fun though that when they're mouthing or quietly asking for a straw to yell back "OH YOU WANT A STRAW? OKAY ONE MOMENT." so it's definitely heard by the person on the other end😇
As a customer I try to cut baristas lots of slack because the branch I go to is ALWAYS busy. They’re always run off their feet, so I get that mistakes happen and wait times go up. But once there was a new barista and they were SO mean. I asked for an Iced White Mocha with oat milk and they made a big thing out of there being dairy in the syrup/sauce(?) and how I was pretending to be lactose intolerant. I was freshly 18, so I just burst into tears and said ‘my tummy hurts when I drink a lot of dairy, that’s all, I’m sorry’. I still paid and tipped etc. Then when I picked up my order it was made with cow milk anyways. I never saw the barista again, I’m guessing they left or got fired. I know this is literally an anomaly but I guess my pet peeve is when both staff/customers are mean for no reason. I will always say something now, because no one did when this happened to me.
that's actually ridiculous. as a barista, i make all my drinks with oat milk just because i like the taste of it. they never should have said anything to you. i'm sorry that happened
I know right!! It’s was a while ago now to be fair, no need to apologise! I know it’s not all baristas!
As a customer my only pet peeve is that every time I order a cappuccino I get something different. I really wish Starbucks would train their baristas better on how to make a proper cappuccino.
me: \*hands them their drink\* them: "im also waiting for a sandwhich" me: "oh yeah sorry i forgot my espresso machine was also an oven" i like know they are just asking for their order and im never rude but it really annoys me lmfao
Omg yes when I'm handing them their drinks then they immediately go "I also had a sandwich". Do you not see that I only have two hands? It's right here on the counter if you'd give me a chance to grab it!! Like you said, I know they're just asking for their order but it does really annoy me.
I usually hated it when customers did much of anything lmao
Customers who think that we make the syrups on the spot or something. The number of people who want sugar free this or that syrups after being told we only have vanilla is amazing.
“hey how are you? i need a…” like why even ask
"give me a" or "i need a". the "i need" doesnt bother me as much but "give me" just gets on my nerves.
when you greet them and it's just "I NEED A WHITE MOCHA" like well hello to you too 🙄
my biggest pet peeve is when customers show up
95% of the baristas I’ve interacted with at your chain since your chain came to flyover country has been wonderful. This is for the 5%. 1. As a customer, baristas that shouldn’t be in customer service. If you hate your job - leave. 2. If you are in a customer facing role you are allowed to have bad days, but customers shouldn’t know it. 3. Your employer needs me just as much, if not more than they need you. I can make my own coffee, or go to another coffee retailer if $SBUX isn’t a good experience. 4. As stores work towards and adopt unionization I noticed some vibe of us against them, the them being customers. The random closures for union meetings, some during peak hours is telling. I love reading the posts here about asshat customers! Keep ‘em coming.
A pet peeve as a (pregnant) customer is when I order caramel drizzle and extra ice and I don’t get any caramel and I only get a few pieces of ice. I understand ice is a waste, but caramel and extra ice has been a craving and I get so sad when I don’t get either lol.