Starbucks "Customer Service" = Calling the Cops
 

English Professor refuses to use proper Starbucks corporate-speak while ordering. Starbucks employee refuses to respond to standard english. Starbucks manager calls the cops. Cops escort the customer from the premises.

http://www.popfi.com/2010/08/17/engl...ith-starbucks/
http://gothamist.com/2010/08/16/cops...omer_who_w.php
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/67327,...m-coffee-venti
http://blogs.jta.org/telegraph/artic...my-plain-bagel

As UT recently noted, if Starbucks wants to hear about what you want, they will TELL YOU what you want.

What a twat. I bet it's not the first place she's been thrown out of.

I'm with Jinx - although the person behind the counter could have been more accommodating. I very rarely go into this kind of chain, and have always been treated politely when I say obvious things like, "Which of those is cold?" or simply ask for a small black coffee (my poison before the sleep-issue/ caffeine thing became a reality).

In a decent establishment, asking for a plain bagel should suffice. If asked further a "Just plain, please" should be adequate.
But she is an English Professor. Does she not understand that language changes and adapts? Does she not value the importance of communicating in a way other people understand? What we call English now would be incomprehensible to the Normans post 1066.

And in the end, if she wants personal service, and the right to be as pissy as she likes without complaint, then she needs to go to an independent shop, not a massive chain. When it comes down to it, Tiffany at Starbucks doesn't really give a shit if the whiny woman walks out. Whereas Isaac round the corner is happy to serve her bagel any way the shiksa wants it.

I occasionally get coffee from Starbucks. I have been corrected on more than one occasion by the order taker (actually, this is an interesting turn, who is ordering whom?) when I ask for a large drip coffee. "A venti drip coffee?" "No, just a large please." <insert condescending look here> "Venti it is then."

What hubris.

Last I checked, "butter" and "cheese" are words in the English language, not kitschy marketing slang. She was asked a direct question ("would you like butter or cheese on that?") and decided to be a bitch instead of answering. I hope the manager stands up for himself and reiterates that it is store policy not to allow customers to harass their employees.

I've never said venti and have never been corrected for saying large. I've never corrected them either. I don't care what they call it as long as we're both talking about the same thing, and somehow we know we are...

Did some people not get their "Happy Meal" this week ?

What direct question would require her to say either "butter" or "cheese"? The answer to your proposed question would be "no".

....instead of getting to the register and bitching that she didnt get her cream cheese and holding up the whole line. All she had to do was say "no" or "plain". Shouldn't be too hard for an english speaker of her impressive caliber.

Yes you do....

I asked for a coke. Was immediately corrected. "Pepsi". I did not use proper English.

Business transactions have become so difficult now that so many are angry and hateful. Good thing I did not have my burka on.

CHEESEBURGER! CHEESEBURGER! NO COKE! PESPI!

Belusi was not speaking good English. He looked like a Muslim. Back then it was humor. Today he must be evil.

How dare he serve Cheeseburgers near ground zero. Cheeseburgers in NYC that are not even Kosher? He must be evil.

Nothing destroys boredom more than intolerance. Hate, improper English, and the destruction of boredom. Life is good.

tw... you light up my life.

Right. Which she refused to say. If you walk around with a chip on your shoulder and then call store employees "assholes" for not understanding your brand of passive-aggression, don't be surprised when the cops escort you out.