Party-Timers

People Behind the Counters (PBC's) are still people.  People are capable of making mistakes.  People are also capable of being jerks.

Work is not an enjoyable place to be.  That is the very reason people get paid to do it.  Past a certain point in one's life, having a job becomes a necessity.  However, before the absolute finality of the real world imposes itself upon us, there is the trial work experience known as the "part-time job".  Part-time jobs are ways to earn a little extra spending money.  Part-time jobs are generally held by students but there is a trend for those impacted by the current economic situation.  Regardless of who is in the PBC position, attitude counts.

The expectations of customer service are as simple as they are frustrating because they go against our instincts to have the last word.  The phrase "the customer is always right" is deeply ingrained in our society and is often how many customers justify their actions as a Barista Bully.  On the other side of this issue is the basic fact: Customer Service is about making the customer happy.

One of the most often observed ways to encourage a customer to become a Barista Bully is for the PBC to deliberately ignore them for no observable reason.  Wandering around a department store trying to find a specific department, or a PBC to ask if they might carry the item, approaching a counter with intended purchases and patiently waiting for assistance only for the PBC to be visibly annoyed that they have to stop what they are doing (a conversation with another PBC or friend, texting, reading a book, day dreaming etc...) in order to help them.  This is unlike other situations where a PBC might be visibly irritated with a customer for a more justifiable reason: the PBC is clearly in the middle of a task that can't be put down half finished, a customer on their cell phone at the check out,  digging every item out of pockets or purses to find a coupon/card, lack of listening skills when asked a question, paying entirely in change, asking a series of overly specific questions while a line forms and so on.

In the first mentioned scenario, the customer has followed basic retail common sense: approach a PBC when you need them to find something or to pay.  The PBC has failed the first rule of having a customer service job: do your job when someone is watching.

The notion that all work is suffering is, in this case, self-fulfilling.  By actively avoiding the basic job requirement (help the customer), the PBC has lined themselves up to look bad in the customer's eyes and more importantly, in that moment they have become a reminder of everything that customer has to be upset about.  The time and effort required to handle the customer would undoubtedly have taken less energy if the PBC had walked over versus making the customer wait and get aggravated. 

This is not to say that while at work, a PBC must always stand at the ready, eager and willing to help any and all customers with a genuine smile and a high level of work ethic.  The point is that while at work, recognizing the primary and secondary aspects of the job (customer service and assigned mini tasks) makes it easy to identify the required components to a rapid completion of the shift with minimal abject torture.  This means, getting all the work related tasks done possible while at work makes the day go by faster and keeps customers from crossing over to the dark side.  

The expenditure of energy wasted on finding ways to avoid work can in many situations cause more disgruntlement. Aside from the unnecessary stress of switching back and forth from "work mode" to "non-work mode", customers actions are impacted by the appearance of the work place (how clean/stocked/organized/welcoming everything is), PBC appearance (basic hygiene/facial expression/clothes) and PBC attitude.  The efficiency of focusing on the job rather than the thousand and one little aspects that grate on your nerves has the potential to leave the PBC with a fresh mind for personal life issues as well and the energy to explore their options. 

Simple awareness of the circumstances and situation is the easiest way for a PBC to be proactive in their efforts to not encounter a Barista Bully.  Socializing and taking breaks during the work day can help ease tensions as long as the PBC retains the important knowledge that they are being paid to be where they are and it is up to them how much resentment they will leave the day with.  

It is true that there is always work to be done, but the imperative thing to remember is that by consistently following through with work expectations, PBC's are actually easing their work load.  Next time a PBC will be able to focus on quick tasks so that a customer in need of assistance isn't a major interruption to their day.

Party-Timers: A PBC who regards their work day as a hindrance to their social life and strives to make sure every day is a party with little interruption from killjoys (customers) as possible. General opinions and attitudes about work are negative so they think about what they want to do versus what they have to do till they are free next.

If you have a story or a topic you would like me to discuss on this blog feel free to e-mail all the relevant details  (minus the specific names of the people and places involved) to: baristabullyblogger@gmail.com

Origins of the term "Barista Bully"

Have you ever waited to pay for your coffee while the customer at the register yells at the barista behind the counter?  What about at a big retail store while you waited your turn in the returns line?  Or maybe you were at a restaurant and you happen to overhear a dissatisfied diner?  At some point in your life you have probably been shopping and witnessed an uncomfortably loud exchange between a customer and a person behind the counter (PBC),  Perhaps you shook your head and felt bad for the PBC.  Perhaps you shook your head and agreed with the person yelling,  Perhaps you shook your head and walked away, determined not to get involved because it's certainly none of your business.

Unfortunately, that last point is a common occurrence.  Why is that?  Does it even matter what the person is yelling about?  Probably not.  What matters is the customer wants something: A refund on a purchase, an item that isn't in stock, for the store to accept a coupon, an upgrade, etc. and the PBC is unable or unwilling to provide that.  The customer isn't happy that they aren't getting what they want and the PBC doesn't have many options:

1) They can say no and risk the customer taking their business elsewhere.

2) They do what the customer wants (even if it is against their company's policies).

3) They can call in someone with more options to offer.

Many times the PBC is able to choose one of these options and life can go on.  But hold on, what if they choose Option #1 and instead of the customer walking away they start yelling?  They have raised their voice, startling the PBC and maybe other people around them.  They are drawing attention to themselves and the employee they are dealing with.  Depending on the situation this can be very intimidating, certainly so for employees who are new or not very high up in chain of command.  Yelling is an aggressive behavior and the PBC can't escape to a less stressful location.  They're trapped dealing with the unhappy customer.

Asking the person to lower their voice can have the opposite effect.  Yelling back at the customer is even worse.  The customer is putting pressure on the PBC to do what they want.  They may indicate that they are no longer willing to do business with that company and they will spread the word to others to do the same.  In this day and age, social media makes that a very easy to execute threat.  Make no mistake, that is a threat.  The PBC may try to offer alternative options, such as a free food item or a discount coupon or the number of a customer service hotline or even granting the original request.  The PBC is no longer able to stand behind their answer of "no". Was a supervisor able to step in and solve the problem?  What if that didn't make the customer happy or there was no supervisor available?  Did you intervene to diffuse the situation?  What if the customer turns on you next?

The PBC has been bullied into rewarding the yelling customer so they can get out of a stressful situation.  The customer feels justified that their behavior was appropriate and acceptable because no one stepped in and stopped it.  The PBC is left upset/scared/angry/alone/uncertain or all of the above.  It doesn't matter if the customer was big or small, male or female, young or old, what matters is the customer intentionally caused the PBC to experience fear to one degree or another.  Whether or not the customer was right, they have acted like a bully and by getting their way they may bully again.

What is a "Barista Bully"?  Someone who yells at the PBC about their coffee.  Just coffee, this time.