Confessions of a Barista

Wow. I never saw myself resurrecting this blog but today, we'll give it a shot. Why? Well let's just say I have the time. When we left our heroine, she was about to embark on a teaching career-- she loved the teenage girls she worked with (really) but it was just... hard. On lots of levels. Then she worked at Starbucks, which was very fun for about 3 months, and not so fun once the bank account just kept shrinking and shrinking... But here are 10 things I'd like to share with you about your workers at the coffee shop:

1.  We are people. That means we have good days and bad days, and we don't exist just for you. Say hello. 
2. Don't dump your coffee into the trash can. For heaven's sake, you don't do that at home, so don't do it here. (And you know why you don't do it at home: because the bag will leak all over your pants when you go to take it out) If you want a lot of room in your coffee, just *say so*. Happy to oblige. 
3. Don't leave wrappers on the ground. If you drop it, pick it up. 
4. If you move the furniture significantly, put it back before you leave. 
5. Don't watch the barista like a hawk, but don't get so absorbed in texting that you don't hear your name called. 
6.  Around 12 or 1pm, we are very very tired. We got up at 4:30am to make your coffee. Be nice. 
7. If your (average-sized) eleven-year-old daughter orders a drink, do NOT interrupt her with, "SKIM" and a significant look. That's just wrong. 
8. If you're standing in a long line, that's a really good time to decide what you want to get. If you get to the register and THEN look at the options, not only will I be annoyed, but so will the 10 people who came in after you. I'm mainly annoyed because those 10 people will now be snippy with me even though the delay was your fault. 
9. Yes, brewed coffee and tea come with free refills. That doesn't mean that you should get a coffee and refills and nurse it for 8 hours while you take up a table with your laptop on a Saturday. 
10. Get off the phone. I mean it.