A Costa worker has unveiled a list of things they wish they could tell customers – and it’s pretty eye-opening.
High streets up and down the country are littered with coffee shops, from big chains with a global presence to independent haunts offering something a little more quaint or quirky. Regardless, everyone has their favourite.
These sites aren’t merely just a spot to stop off and order a steaming cup of beloved coffee; they’re so much more. They often provide the perfect destination for workers in need of respite amid a busy, stressful day; they can be the ideal place to catch up with friends and family; they can provide the setting for a casual first date to gauge whether to progress to dinner; and so much more.
This isn’t always the perception of staff, though. What serves as a sanctuary to customers may sometimes be a source of tension and irritation for workers.
Customer service is not for the faint of heart – dealing with members of the public can be tiring, exasperating and tough. Understandably, some employees have a litany of complaints they wish they could share with customers.
With that in mind, one former Costa barista took to Reddit to enquire with fellow coffee shop workers about the things they’d most love to tell patrons. In a post titled, ‘What’s something you would like to say to customers?”’they shared: “I’ve made this post as I’m just curious to know if there’s something you would like to tell customers but are not able to.
“I’ll start: Dear customers, please stop putting your empty sugar sachets and napkins into your finished latte glass”.
Fellow Costa workers were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “Stop rearranging the bloody furniture” while the original poster agreed: “Or at least put it BACK”.
Someone else added: “Stop stuffing napkins in those tiny milk jugs. I’ll admit I used to bin a few when I genuinely could not be a***d after a long day.”
Another Costa worker replied: “If one of the milk jugs accidentally falls into the bin I am NOT waving my hand around in there to get it out”.
A fourth commented: “Don’t leave your trays in random places? Or give me your full tray when you can see I’m serving other customers or making food. Leave it on the table, we’ll take it when we’ve got a chance.”
Echoing this, the original poster said: “Also stop taking the tray to your table, taking your drinks off, and putting the tray back on the bar. Go to clear the table later and there’s like 12 glasses and no tray!!”
But one customer asked: “But genuinely what to do with the tray? In Costa near me, the tables are quite small so there’s no place for the tray…” The OP advised: “Just leave your drinks on the tray or put it on the floor leaning against the window so the barista can put the cups back on it after you’re done”.
Sharing an unexpected level of horror, one Costa barista added: “In the name of holy God, learn to use the toilet, it’s like a dirty protest in there and we are not issued with hazmat suits.”
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