Jeff the Great takes over Starbucks!

I am up at 1am blogging tonight because I had a venti coffee at around 9:30pm. You might be saying, "dude, you could have gotten a decaf!" Well, I'll get to that in a minute.

I am blown away by how poorly Starbucks seems to be managed these days. They have the world in their hands but are pulling a Munson (if you've seen King Pin, you know what I am talking about).

I used to walk into a Starbucks and the friendly employees behind the counter knew my name and my drink.....I never waited more than 30 seconds. Now days it's so much different. The status quo is to first wait in line for 2,3, even 4 minutes. On a good day, when I get to the counter I am greeted with a "hi..." then a long pause. Most days it's just the long pause and a stare. No, "what can I make for you today" or "good morning sir, what drink would you like?" Just a look of entitlement, like I'll give them my order regardless so why bother with the pleasantries? They are lucky that their coffee is so damn good that I still suffer through the bullshit described above.

Tonight, on my way to help out with the high school youth group at church, I decide I needed some caffeine to help keep me awake until midnight. I stopped by the Starbucks on the way, as this summer they advertised "now open 24 hours!" Of course, I got there and they weren't open. Would it kill them to give it a few months before throwing in the towel?

I travel a few miles out of the way to a Starbucks I know is open. I wait in line, and am greeted with the same blank stare and sense of entitlement that I described earlier. I order my half decaf, half regular drip coffee and am told that they hadn't changed out the old pot of decaf as they are required to do every hour. "Did I still want it," she asked. Well, no, not after what you just told me! She reluctantly tells me she can sell me a half caf americano for the same price, but after my smart ass comment she tells me it's on the house.

Now, do you think they made my half caf americano correctly? Of course not, the put a decaf on the bar, and when I questioned if it was correct the friendly barista just about bit my head off for questioning him! After it sat unclaimed for nearly 5 minutes, he asked what I ordered so he could make it up. I wanted my half caffeine for god sake....That's why I was there!

Well, to make a long story not so long, I asked if I could just have my original drink as they surely had brewed a new pot of coffee while I was waiting for my free americano. He stared at the timer for an unusually long amount of time, then proceeded to poor my drink. When he handed it to me I asked if it was the same old pot of coffee from nearly 1o minutes ago when I had ordered and indeed I was. "So what do you want then" he asked. "I JUST WANT A HALF DECAF SOMETHING, IS THAT TOO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!" I asked.

Since then I've been wired all night. I think the asshole made me a quadzillion, regular caffeine americano. Son of a bitch....I hate that place (until tomorrow morning when I want the best cup of coffee this side of Paris). O well....nite.

-Jeff the Great