it sang praises of the inner workings of the organisation; the personal services of the baristas, their professionalism, their cheer and their warmth - the coffee place with a heart. perhaps it was laid a little too thick in the book, so much so that it began to sound like a 'chicken soup' edition. somewhere in the midst of the book, the artificial sacharrin sweetness became too much and i laid the thick 'fiction' to rest.
today, i stepped into a local starbucks. the baristas confirmed that the book was a piece of fiction; the perceived warmth and 'heart' was all in the mind of the author. there was no smile for this beautiful lady, albeit there was the obligatory 'good morning'. my friend, who came later and was unfortunate enough to be of the opposite sex, didn't even warrant a greeting until much much later. so much for the personal touch.
i've never heard of any local baristas re-chanting their regular clients' distinct preference off the tips of their fingers. actually, a sincere smile would have been sufficient but it seems in this country, that in itself is a feat. for such an overpriced coffee, besides the comfortable ambiance, there should be more, don't you think?
there is.
my friend, who was having a croissant decided, nearly three-quarter way through, that it was not quite up to standard. yes, seeing that we were there so early in the morning, in all likelihood it wasn't freshly baked. infact, the problem seemed to be that it wasn't even fully baked. so, he, with his canadian upbringing, brought the croissant to the barista and complained, asking for a swap. hurray for him for having the nerve to do that in the first place, i would have rather squirmed into the ground (for that, i have made a mental note to have his number ready should i have any future problems with any merchandise or subsistence. who's the man to call? swap-busters!) the miracle was....he actually manage to swap it, for a donut even, with the croissant in its mostly-consumed state. the secret, it seems, is to complain infront of another client, a foreigner if you are so fortunate. (shhhhhhh, don't spread the secret now)
there is hope for starbucks yet.
now, if they can only remember to give me a knock on the head everytime i order a coffee. that would be THE personal touch.
13 comments:
my coffee better!! Nescafe 3 in 1 Finish half can top up free.
A knock on the head when you order coffee. Whatever is that for?
dear ah pek: u drink coffee meh? i tot the only liquid u ingest is oh kau, oh kau and more oh kau :-P
dear jonzz: tsk tsk tsk...of all ppl, i would hv tot u follow my blog closely. soooooooo disappointed. u didn't read my old post meh ?
http://whysokaypo.blogspot.com/2007/01/apply-within.html
*grins*
Eh, at least I'm honest enough to ask. Forget ma... don' be so critical lar... KE KE KE KE KE KE KE
*Cough* Confirming okay. One should not guess too much.
Ha ha ha... sorry gone a bit nuts there. I think I need coffee. *Ouch, don't knock me*
The ones I go to, do offer that chirpy greeting wor.
Did you stroll in like in auntie shorts, torn T-shirts, curlers in hair etc ordering kopi-O kau?
If u like just drink all u like! :)
i am speaking as a person who once worked in a starbucks in KL before. when i was in training... this starbucks experience was a very Very VerY VERY big thing. during my tenure there, we do stress that extra service. honestly, i was impressed by it.
as time goes by.... i think the culture died. but not after i left. i thoroughly enjoyed my short stint there as a part timer before i flew to england.
i guess nothing last forever.
dear jonzz: heehee, sorry lah. the virgo streak again. ok, honesty..1 point.
dear cocka: no woh. i damn 'cun' one lah. maybe it was too early, before they had their first cup of coffee even. :-p
dear pooh: gasp! the results would be harzardous! u'll be letting a lunatic loose in kl. ok, maybe the looney is already running loose in kl....a little more crazy than usual then.*grins*
dear zewt: i've always wanted to hear what their training is like. i've read that it's really good and u get a different colour apron if u hv gone for training. they supposedly even give u packets of coffee to take home for u to test d different types. n a thick manual for u to remember all about coffee. u must be the expert in coffee now. how envious. :-( what i really want to know is....whether the culture still exists in all the kl starbucks. only a very small handful of ppl, i think. the ppl that they are looking for...it's not easy to find in our malaysian culture. we hv the 'sorry, no stock' even before they check, 'the stalkers that follow yr every step 2 check if u r stealing', the 'i don't care if my black gloomy face spoils yr day' type. there are always exception, of course. were u the exception then? or part of the norm? keke.
simple la, they localised the starbucks. when something kena localised, the standard needs to be on par with the local standard. no?
dear zewt: waitaminit...if starbucks started here in '98, then u went over to uk...say for 4 years..graduate...comes back worked for a couple of years...that makes you in your late 20's!! eeeeee, so young ah?! belum masak!! kekekekeke.
dear sengkor: ohhhhhhh, u mean lower standard ah? liddat i understand. sheesh! if liddat, better disneyland and universal studio don't kena localised. i don't want to see a grumpy mickey mouse.
loving mom of zewt passed away peacefully yesterday. let us all cherish our mothers if they are still around.
and yes, i am still in my 20s
dear zewt: i am so sorry to hear that. it must be a difficult time for you...*hugsss* take care, ok? she will want you to be happy.
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