I’m on the road for a business trip and stop off for a coffee. With the masks, it takes a few attempts to get through my order, even face to face, but we get there and the cashier repeats it back to me. While he doesn’t say it, I definitely get the impression that this is all too frustrating for him — lots of sighs and terse replies.

I stand down the way and wait for the coffee. The same cashier puts a cup on the table with a slam.

Cashier: “Coconut latte!”

Me: “Sorry, is that mine?”

Cashier: *Sighs* “Did you order a coconut latte?!”

Me: “Well, no, I ordered a coconut vanilla latte.”

Cashier: “No, you didn’t.”

Me: “My receipt is here.”

Cashier: *Taking the receipt and muttering* “Should be clearer when you order.”

Another worker brought me my drink and I left. I understand getting fed up if you’ve had a long day, but this was only an hour after opening and it wasn’t even busy.

I’m a broke university student.

I should be going to university on a scholarship because I come from a low-income family, but a last-minute £100-a-year pay rise for my mum pushes my family over the threshold for what defines “low-income” and I’m suddenly no longer eligible for £15,000 a year in scholarship money. This news comes after I’ve been accepted to university and signed the lease for my accommodation.

Despite my family not being labelled low-income anymore, I still won’t receive any financial support from my family as all the income goes toward taking care of my disabled brother and paying their own bills. It will be tight, but because I have savings from working, I decide to go to university anyway. After paying my rent and utilities, I have £10.20 a week for everything else including food, toiletries, and school supplies.

As I’m in a new city, I really want to make friends, which is difficult when most of the social activities are expensive, so I jump at the chance to do a relatively cheap coffee shop trip with my dorm.

I have £20 with me to get a cheap cup of tea and my food shopping for a few weeks and I head to the coffee shop. While paying, I pull out the note and a handful of change and realise I can pay without breaking into the note, so I put it back in my pocket. It isn’t until I’m at the supermarket that I realise the note is gone. I’m devastated as it’s the equivalent of two weeks of money gone, and I go home empty-handed.

As a last-ditch effort, I message the coffee shop’s Facebook page asking if they’ve seen it, saying I know it’s unlikely, but I want to try asking if it was handed in because money is tight. By some miracle, they reply saying they have it!

Cashier: “Here you go. That was lucky we found it!”

She hands me a shiny new note. Mine was crinkled and beaten up with repeated fold marks.

Me: “Oh… This isn’t mine; my note was an old worn one.”

Cashier: “No, no, it is yours. I’m certain it is. Don’t worry; just take it.”

At her insistence, I took it, and it wasn’t until later that I realised they were most likely trying to help out a struggling student with the coffee shop’s own money. A few months later, things got easier with a part-time job, and now I’ve graduated and have an okay grad job. I make sure to head in there regularly; I’m definitely a customer for life!

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

Read the next Feel Good roundup for February 2021 story!

Read the Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

My local coffee chain offers a free beverage on your birthday.

Me: “Good morning! It’s my birthday! I’d like my free beverage, please!”

Cashier: “Oh, happy birthday! What would you like?”

Me: “How about that new fancy drink on the poster behind you? Have you had it yet?”

Cashier: “No, I haven’t had it yet.”

Me: “Then please take some of mine, okay? I don’t mind getting only half of it. Keep some for yourself and taste it, okay?”

Cashier: “Oh, wow. That’s very kind of you. What size?”

Me: “It’s free, right? Give me the biggest one! And you’ll get some of it, right?”

And thus, it is agreed upon.

Then, I look at the empty shop, with four employees busily taking care of the drive-thru. And I announce:

Me: “Hey, [Coffee Chain], it’s my birthday and I get a free drink! So, I got the biggest, bougie-est drink of them all, and I want to share it with you guys! Just put half of it in my cup and split the other half amongst all y’all, okay? It’s free and I am happy to share!”

And that’s what happened. Thirty ounces was more than enough to share, and OMG, wow, I am glad that I shared it! That coffee was strong!

My boss is really cute and funny. Every so often, she gives us a little friendly competition to boost sales and morale at the same time. For instance, she’ll promise you a free lunch, dessert and all, if you make so many sales in one shift, or a small cash prize if you sell so many loaves of bread by the end of the month.

I have a tendency to repeat myself an awful lot. Being a cashier, that’s all part of the job. But one day, during a quick break, my boss mentions just how often I repeat certain phrases a day.

In this case, I tell customers who ask for water to drink, “Water’s free!”

Boss: “How many times do you think you say that in your whole shift? Go ahead, guess!”

Me: “Oh, I dunno… Thirty or so?”

Boss: *Teasingly* “Okay, thirty. Listen, I’ll make you a little bet. If you can say, ‘Water’s free,’ sixty times tomorrow, I’ll give you ten dollars!”

So, the very next day, when my shift begins, I get a little slip of paper, keep a pen close by, and tally the number of times I say that phrase.

Luckily for me, we have a HUGE turnout, with Thanksgiving just around the corner and people placing orders for our pies, breads, and cheesecakes like crazy. And, of course, there are the standard “take your friends/family out for breakfast/lunch” customers, as well.

At least half of them ask for water, and I’ll confess I milk it a little, but I make sure to mark down every single time I say those words out loud. After all, there is no rule that I can only say, “Free water,” once to a customer, or to only one customer in a large group!

The end result? Sixty-nine!

At the end of my shift, I present my special paper to my boss. She is a bit surprised at first, and then she bursts out laughing.

Boss: “Wow, I didn’t expect you to take this bet seriously! But a deal’s a deal.” 

And she handed the ten dollars right over!

I work at a very popular chain coffee shop. A woman comes in with her young son and approaches the register.

Me: “Hi, welcome to [Coffee Shop]! How are you doing today?”

Customer: “Yeah. I need a kids’ hot chocolate, but cold.”

Me: “So… a chocolate milk?”

Customer: “No! A kids’ hot chocolate but cold!”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but per food safety regulations, I can’t steam milk for a hot chocolate and put it over ice; the milk will go bad.”

Customer: “What don’t you understand? I’m asking for a kids’ hot chocolate but I need it cold!”

Me: “Right. So you want milk, mocha sauce, whipped cream, and ice in a kids’ size, right?”

Customer: “Yes! Finally!” *Rolls her eyes*

I ring up a kids’ chocolate milk.

Me: “Okay, so one kids’ chocolate milk and… anything else I can get for you today?”

By this time, the woman seemed to have noticed her mistake and completely changed her attitude. She sheepishly finished ordering and then apologized afterward. I guess she was having a long day.

Related:
When Even Chocolate Can’t Save The Day