Recently, I had a chance to chat with some of these young folk. I was surprised and sometimes appalled by what their interactions with American consumers reveal. If what they say is true, I would last about two shifts at a "Dunks" before my supervisor would politely ask me to go home. And stay there.
Here's some of what I heard, and how I might respond.
1. Spare us your guilt. Nobody cares why you're having a donut. Really. We don't care if it's the first time you've broken your diet in two weeks. We don't care if you "never eat junk food." Don't apologize to us. Please, just order your donut and move along. There's a customer right behind you who never eats donuts, either, waiting to order.
2. When you place your order, please stop talking on the phone and texting. Speak directly to us. Give us 10 seconds of engagement so we can get things right. Stop being a complete and total techo-boob. Here's the truth: If you were so important that you couldn't stop conducting business for ten seconds to order, you'd have an assistant getting your coffee. You're not that important. Trust us.
3. And please, techno-rock-star, please say "thank you" when you snatch the bag from our hands. Most customers do, so when you don't it really sticks out. It's so incredibly rude.
4. Enough already with the "cream cheese scam." There's a dozen ways you try this, but here's the basics: You order a bagel with butter. After you've paid and just as we're handing you the bag you ask "Can I have some cream cheese with that?" You know cream cheese costs about a buck and we know you're trying to get it for free. It is the feeblest, slimiest scam going. If our supervisor is there we have to charge you. If not, we might give it to you, but not because the scam worked. Not because we like you. Because we're really busy and it's the fastest way to get a low-life out of our sight. For a buck? Save your pennies and order the cream cheese next time, like a real person. Preferably somewhere else.
5. This is not a life and death experience. Really. Once we ran out of lemons. That's not good, we know, but ordering lemons is way beyond our pay grade. Most people were nice about it. One woman, however, announced at the top of her lungs: "That sucks. You might as well have run out of coffee!" We smiled and said how sorry we were.Here's what we would have liked to say: Really? Running out of lemons is like running out of coffee? That bad? Maybe as bad as we're all dead from the Ebola virus?! Here's an idea for you, Dragon Lady: There's a Stop and Shop right around the corner. Go get your own flippin' lemons. And while you're there, see if they have "a life" for sale. Cause you need one.
6. Finally, never, ever, ever order "a donut, a coffee, and a smile." It's not funny. It's not cute. It's obnoxious. We're generally pretty happy, and happy to smile. But not on demand. So here's the deal: Get back into your car, look in the rear view mirror, and smile. Happy now? And, pal, there's no charge for that.
I know with this kind of lousy attitude I'd only last a shift or two at Dunkin. But--here's a scary thought--how long do you think I'd last as a barista at Starbucks, where the truly self-absorbed, massively entitled, triple-venti-soy-no-foam-latte-at-120-degrees Americans drink?
An hour? And I'd take the under on that.