Starbucks, you’ve done it again.
As much as I try to fault you when thinkgs are not quite up to my hopes, you have a way of reclaiming my affection.
Today I was working in my Willasprings Starbucks corner office waiting for the line to shrink to a stage which would allow a quick trip to the bar.
I ended up in the line behind the store manager, Helen. That she was in line like the rest of us said something in itself. We spoke a bit about her plans for the day and about the busy-ness of the store. When her turn came to order, I joked to the clerk behind the register, “I’m with her.”
I was joking, Helen. We were supposed to laugh and go about our business.
She wouldn’t leave it there. She turned to the clerk and said, “He’s with me” and then to me said, “What do you want?” I protested, but the clerk already knew that I order the same thing every time, and so she rang it up, and that was that.
Small acts of kindness, to be sure. But it’s the small things that keep us coming back. To Starbucks, yes. But also to the church.
UPDATE: Of course, just because you’ve been kind does not mean that we can’t still have some fun at your expense. Here is SNL’s take on your new Verismo machine. Classic.
Suzanne Santana
A great leader always role models the behaviors they expect from their team. It really says a lot of Helen as a leader that she got in line as a customer and that she demonstrated customer service excellence. Most likely she was trying to see things from a customer perspective in order to provide the kind of service that keeps customers coming back. Remember it’s not just the coffee at Starbucks but rather “the experience.”
We should all do random acts of kindness more often. I truly believe that when things like this happen we should “pay it forward” even if it is just paying the toll for the person behind you.
You never know the impact you will have on others and it truly is the little things that matter most in life.
Staci Thomas
I love this story. 🙂