Two middle-aged women come up to my counter and order their drinks. After ringing them up, I tell them their total.

Customer: “We’re going to wait for our friend to pay.”

Me: “That’s perfectly fine. Your drinks will be waiting for you when you’re ready.”

I finish making their order pretty quickly and place their drinks by the register. Five minutes pass, and they come up to me.

Customer: “Are our drinks done yet?”

Me: “Yes, we’ve just been waiting for them to be paid for.”

Customer: *Flipping out* “We were just planning on taking the drinks and then coming back and paying with our friend!”

So, essentially, they wanted me to give them free drinks and trust that they’d come back to pay. I do not think so.

I visited a new cafe. While waiting, I noticed that their small coffees came in cups with tiny handles, while the other sizes were served in mugs. Their coffee machine was fully automatic, dispensing the exact amount of coffee for the size selected.

Me: “Can I have a small coffee, but in one of the mugs, please?”

Server: “Those are for medium coffees. Did you want one of those?”

Me: “No, I only want a small coffee; I just find those cups hard to hold.”

Server: “Sorry, but if you want a medium, you have to pay for a medium.”

Me: “I don’t want a medium. I want a small, but in a medium mug.”

Server: *Huffing* “Fine.”

He made the coffee and handed me the part-full mug, looking smug.

Server: *Sarcastically* “Here is your small coffee. Do you want milk?”

Me: “No, thank you, could I get a splash of cold water instead, please?”

Server: *Giving me a dead stare* “You want me to top it up with water.”

Me: “No, I just want a bit of cold water so it’s not boiling hot.”

He took the mug and came back with it literally filled to the very top. I touched my finger to it, and it was barely warm.

Me: “Why did you fill it up?”

Server: *Smirking* “You want a medium coffee, you pay for a medium coffee. You want to only pay for a small coffee, you’re gonna get cold, weak coffee. So, that’s £2.85 for your small coffee.”

Me: “No, that’s not £2.85; that’s me having a word with your manager.”

I got my new small coffee, in a large cup, with a dash of cold water. The server got a chewing out from the manager. And I got a full stamp card for a free drink on my next visit.

My best friend and I are regulars at a coffee shop in our city, so much so that our baristas know our order and we all know each other by first name. We know to expect to wait on busy days as sometimes the shop is busier than others, being close to downtown.

One day, we come in and it is packed and there is only one barista on shift. Luckily, we find ourselves a seat.

After waiting for our drinks and watching the line grow, we hear a gentleman loudly complaining to who I assume is a friend and his son.

Customer: “How long does it take to make a hot chocolate?”

After a bit, he and the two others get their drinks. Then, he is at it again.

Customer: “This isn’t even that hot. Can I get this microwaved or something?”

Barista: “I can remake it for you if you’d like.”

Customer: “I don’t want to have to wait.”

He went back to his companions and continued to complain loudly to them.

After he left and it quieted down, I went to talk to our barista. I let them know that it was rude of him to complain so loudly. The barista could clearly hear everything, as could other people around. After talking, I gave them another tip as they deserved it.

Please be nice to your baristas. They work hard to get your drinks made properly and in as timely a manner as possible.

I used to work at a [Coffee Chain]. The building we were in caught on fire and was being evacuated.

Customers asked us to not evacuate and finish making their Frappuccinos. I told them:

Me: “I’m not dying for an eight-dollar smoothie!”

And I made security escort them out.

Me: “I’d like a medium mocha, please, but made with skim milk.”

Barista: “I’m sorry, what kind of milk?”

Me: “Skim milk. Do you have non-fat?”

Barista: *Pauses* “We have non-fat, but we don’t have any skin milk. I’ve never even heard of skin milk. Will non-fat work?”