Question and Answer time!
Because I'm stalling on the whole clean house/shower/get moving thing...
You're supposed to leave me a comment, and I'll ask you 5 questions. Then post them in your own journal, and see the fun continue! These are my questions from
1) What was/is your favorite subject in school?
Hm. I'm hoping it's going to be either Anatomy and Physiology (which I have loved every time I've taken it) or Chemistry, since those are my two upcoming classes. I enjoy science, how's that? I really have not enjoyed this quarter's English class. I'm not a writer, not into analyzing themes and summarizing essays. Let me have a formula, some logic, and figure something out that has a real answer!
2) Butter or margarine?
Butter. All the way. I grew up on margarine. In fact, I don't think I had butter until I went to Kimi's house. Since then, though, I've decided that I prefer processed animal products over processed chemicals any day.
3) What's the best thing about living in Kirkland?
Kirkland is small town, but convenient. I can grocery shop at midnight if I want, but still feel comfortable leaving my car unlocked in the driveway. I didn't explore as much as I wanted to this summer, so I'm really hoping to do more of that over the next year. We have no plans to move any time soon.
4) Any dumbest customer moments / favorite customer anecdotes from Starbucks you'd like to share?
Well, if I worked at Starbucks, I probably would. But I know you meant Tully's, so I'll go from there. I have a regular customer who pushes for every discount he can get. He claims to have a passport dining club card, which gets him $.50 off his drink. New policy says we do not have to see the card, so even though we KNOW he doesn't have it, he gets the discount. Also, he buys 2 pounds of coffee at a time, and since you get a free drink with a pound he demands a coupon for a second free drink. This week we've been running a special that gives you a dollar back if you spend $5 or more that has been loaded on your pre-paid card. He thought it was one dollar for every 5, and when he realized that wasn't the case, he almost had me void his transaction and ring his 2 pounds of coffee separately, so he could save a dollar on each of them. I was beyond drained when he came in on Wednesday, and when he said this, I snapped, "You're pushing for everything you can get, aren't you?" Not my best customer service moment. Seriously. He has to "feel" the coffee as you grind it, to make sure it's fine enough, even though he never has us change the grind. He's pushy, intimidating, and while he doesn't scare me, he's been known to make baristas cry.
Then there was the customer at my first coffee shop job who ordered a 20oz DRY cappucino. To get that much foam, you go through (read: waste) a whole lot of milk. We would make the drink, and he would take it to the condiment station and STIR IN 3 SUGARS. This caused the foam to fall into flat milk. We offered to add the sugars before the foam, but no luck. So he destroyed the drink we wasted a bunch of milk making, at least 3 times a week.
I could go on. Seriously people; your barista is just trying to make a living. We are usually friendly (well-caffeinated) and want to please you. Just don't be a jerk.
5) Favorite coffee-based drink?
Lately it's gingerbread lattes. The flavor is really mild, not overly sweet, and a nice change from my usual vanilla business. I've had a rotation of 3 drinks for years now:
Grande 2 pump extra foamy not too hot vanilla latte
Grande americano with one raw sugar and extra room for cream.
Iced viente Americano, extra ice, with a pump and a half of caramel sauce stirred into the shots and about a quarter inch of cold water, topped with cream. (That one is really obnoxious, and I don't order it when anyone making it has a line. Because there is a certain way to make it)
That's what happens when you're behind the bar for 10 years. You get really picky.
You're supposed to leave me a comment, and I'll ask you 5 questions. Then post them in your own journal, and see the fun continue! These are my questions from
1) What was/is your favorite subject in school?
Hm. I'm hoping it's going to be either Anatomy and Physiology (which I have loved every time I've taken it) or Chemistry, since those are my two upcoming classes. I enjoy science, how's that? I really have not enjoyed this quarter's English class. I'm not a writer, not into analyzing themes and summarizing essays. Let me have a formula, some logic, and figure something out that has a real answer!
2) Butter or margarine?
Butter. All the way. I grew up on margarine. In fact, I don't think I had butter until I went to Kimi's house. Since then, though, I've decided that I prefer processed animal products over processed chemicals any day.
3) What's the best thing about living in Kirkland?
Kirkland is small town, but convenient. I can grocery shop at midnight if I want, but still feel comfortable leaving my car unlocked in the driveway. I didn't explore as much as I wanted to this summer, so I'm really hoping to do more of that over the next year. We have no plans to move any time soon.
4) Any dumbest customer moments / favorite customer anecdotes from Starbucks you'd like to share?
Well, if I worked at Starbucks, I probably would. But I know you meant Tully's, so I'll go from there. I have a regular customer who pushes for every discount he can get. He claims to have a passport dining club card, which gets him $.50 off his drink. New policy says we do not have to see the card, so even though we KNOW he doesn't have it, he gets the discount. Also, he buys 2 pounds of coffee at a time, and since you get a free drink with a pound he demands a coupon for a second free drink. This week we've been running a special that gives you a dollar back if you spend $5 or more that has been loaded on your pre-paid card. He thought it was one dollar for every 5, and when he realized that wasn't the case, he almost had me void his transaction and ring his 2 pounds of coffee separately, so he could save a dollar on each of them. I was beyond drained when he came in on Wednesday, and when he said this, I snapped, "You're pushing for everything you can get, aren't you?" Not my best customer service moment. Seriously. He has to "feel" the coffee as you grind it, to make sure it's fine enough, even though he never has us change the grind. He's pushy, intimidating, and while he doesn't scare me, he's been known to make baristas cry.
Then there was the customer at my first coffee shop job who ordered a 20oz DRY cappucino. To get that much foam, you go through (read: waste) a whole lot of milk. We would make the drink, and he would take it to the condiment station and STIR IN 3 SUGARS. This caused the foam to fall into flat milk. We offered to add the sugars before the foam, but no luck. So he destroyed the drink we wasted a bunch of milk making, at least 3 times a week.
I could go on. Seriously people; your barista is just trying to make a living. We are usually friendly (well-caffeinated) and want to please you. Just don't be a jerk.
5) Favorite coffee-based drink?
Lately it's gingerbread lattes. The flavor is really mild, not overly sweet, and a nice change from my usual vanilla business. I've had a rotation of 3 drinks for years now:
Grande 2 pump extra foamy not too hot vanilla latte
Grande americano with one raw sugar and extra room for cream.
Iced viente Americano, extra ice, with a pump and a half of caramel sauce stirred into the shots and about a quarter inch of cold water, topped with cream. (That one is really obnoxious, and I don't order it when anyone making it has a line. Because there is a certain way to make it)
That's what happens when you're behind the bar for 10 years. You get really picky.