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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Starbucks St Albans SHAME ON YOU!

217 replies

StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 30/10/2010 21:22

After dragging my two preschoolers (one with asd) all over town house hunting we take them into your cafe for a promised drink and marshmellow lollipop.

DH has to queue for ages as you only have one member of staff serving. My children sit quitely, well-behaved and expectantly.

You tell my DH as he is ordering that you close at 6pm (earlier than published time)but that he is welcome to sit down. It is 5:58pm. He orders.

As SOON as the children receive their consumables one of your staff members comes around saying that you are closed. We say politely 'okay'. A minute later we are told that you really need to close and can we now leave.

We point out that we were sold our items and told we could sit down. You tell us that you have already let us stay there for 5 minutes and that we were told that you were closing. You tell us that there was obviously some mis-communication but it wasn't from you because you were very clear.

We mention to our autistic ds that he needs to finish his drink but he gets distressed at the implication that the promised milkshake is about to be taken off him. This results in a meltdown making it difficult for us to get his coat on. All the while one of your member of staff is arguing with us and telling us to hurry up making ds (And now dd) more distressed.

Your member of staff tells us that she is now not being paid for the time. I tell her to take it up with her managers.

And I'm taking it up with you here!

OP posts:
gretalse · 30/10/2010 23:37

YABVU if it was so important to your ds why didn't you either go there earlier or go to a different coffee shop that was open later. You were quite cheeky in my opinion wanting to stay past closing time and they rightly tried to move you on.

MaMoTTaT · 30/10/2010 23:38

"Perhaps you should've finished househunting a bit earlier if you had promised your children a Starbucks visit. Especially if you knew you may have issues with routine disruption."

but the OP says that they were closing early than advertised didn't she?

So if they usually close (oh I don't know - what time do Starbucks usually close??) at 6.30 and they arrived before 6pm that sounds plenty of time to me? (had they closed on time and not early)

Brollyflower · 30/10/2010 23:43

YANBU It's no good selling you drinks to drink in and then expecting you to be done in 2 mins. That's shit. You should complain to head office.

edam · 30/10/2010 23:43

Actually the whole lengthy queue thing at chain coffee shops really irritates me. Is it so revolutionary to suggest that if you are going to sell something, it might be a good idea to employ enough staff to serve your customers?

RockBat · 30/10/2010 23:45

Blimey, people really do see the details they want to see on these threads, don't they... Hmm

MaMoTTaT · 30/10/2010 23:48

if I got to a pub where last orders at are 11.30pm - I don't expect to be kicked out straight away.

IF I got out for a meal and the kitchens close at 10pm (aka the chef going home) , I don't expect to be booted out at 10pm when the kitchens close

If someone is willing to offer me a seat in their eating/drinking establishment, and serve me then I would expect to be able to have a chance to finish my food/drink. Not be booted out as soon as I took a sip

Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 30/10/2010 23:48

We didn't arrive at 5:58.

We didn't pay take-away prices.

Confused
OP posts:
taintedpaint · 30/10/2010 23:49

I would love some clarification on the closing times, as I think it is 6pm (and I think the OP actually said that too somewhere on here).

taintedpaint · 30/10/2010 23:49

Stark, check with your DH on the prices. If you don't go there often, you may not know one way or the other whether you had takeaway prices.

Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 30/10/2010 23:51

On the web it says 6pm (random site, can't find it on Starbucks site). It said nothing on the door.

But the member of staff said to me that today they are closing early and that my DH had had plenty of warning.

So I don't know what that means. Unless it means that they 'usually' stop serving at 6pm but allow customers to drink until 6:30pm, but today they are not doing for some reason.

I'm a bit confused by this to be honest.

OP posts:
Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 30/10/2010 23:52

Okay, I don't know what prices he paid, but since they told him he could sit down, I would have assumed it was illegal not to add the VAT.

OP posts:
Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 30/10/2010 23:52

DH goes there often, - at least he 'did'!

OP posts:
JeMeSouviens · 30/10/2010 23:59

I'd go back and see what their published closing time is (on the door of the store), as you mention in the OP that the 6pm closing was earlier than this. That is what I would use in my complaint to HQ. ie published closing time was 7pm, they were kicking you out at 6pm.

JeMeSouviens · 30/10/2010 23:59

sorry, xpost

JeMeSouviens · 31/10/2010 00:03

Well, you've got them on failure to comply with these points of the Starbucks Mission (from their website)

Our Customers
When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers? even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It?s really about human connection.

Our Stores
When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It?s about enjoyment at the speed of life?sometimes slow and savoured, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity.

Brollyflower · 31/10/2010 00:03

From the Starbucks website under "Our Mission":

"Our Customers
When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers? even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It?s really about human connection.

Our Stores
When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It?s about enjoyment at the speed of life?sometimes slow and savoured, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity."

Starbucks St Albans didn't really manage all that for the OP today did they?

Brollyflower · 31/10/2010 00:03

Spooky cross-post there Hmm

Brollyflower · 31/10/2010 00:05

Sorry, that Hmm should have been a Confused, as I am a little freaked by the psychic connection Jemesouviens and I have going Smile. She types faster, however.

DivineInspiration · 31/10/2010 00:06

When they member of staff said they were closing early, they may have meant that sometimes they stay open whilst clearing up, but today they were closing dead on 6. Perhaps one of staff had something urgent to do which meant they didn't want to be hanging about after hours any longer than necessary?

TBH it all sounds like a misunderstanding - the barrista didn't say, "We're closing at 6 but you can stay for a few minutes after that whilst we clear up." Had the barrista served your drinks in mugs and then tried to shove you out, I could see a definite cause for complaint. But they told you they were closing at 6pm. They told you you were wlecome to sit down until they closed. They gave you your drinks in take-away cups so that when they did close you could take them with you. This was difficult for you because of your DS, but had you not had an autistic DC none of it would have been an issue, surely.

JeMeSouviens · 31/10/2010 00:07
Grin
Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 31/10/2010 00:08

LOL

How can that be a mission? All I wanted was

'We don't serve you drink-in products if we want to shut the door 2 mins later!'

Can't be arsed with all the laughing stuff.

OP posts:
Imarriedafrog · 31/10/2010 00:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Brollyflower · 31/10/2010 00:10

I think the autistic DC is a red herring. My non-autistic 3 and 5 year olds would have found this a problem too and potentially caused a significant fuss as well. However, even that is a red herring. Any customer sold a drink to consume on the premises can expect longer than 2 minutes to drink it. Anything else is, as I said before, just shit.

Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 31/10/2010 00:11

Yes it would have been an issue, because regardless of his autism he was still 3 and my dd was still 2, and both their coats and cardigans were off, as well as being sticky from their marshmellows.

I'm sure you know you can't just up and leave carrying everything, including a hot drink for both the adults onto a busy road with children who not only need to be properly dressed, but need their hands holding.

OP posts:
Original poster
StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou · 31/10/2010 00:15

Imarriedafrog Honestly, we WERE quick. I am nothing if not quick.

My 2 kids are out of the house for school less than 30mins from waking most mornings.

BUT, we 'were' slowed down by the member of staff hassling. I'm convinced ds would have been faster and less difficult in getting out of the shop if he hadn't been distressed.

She was so argumentative and liking the sound of her own voice at one point I even thought 'well, if I let you rant at me for a few more minutes ds will have finished his drink'. Eventually I had to say to her 'please stop talking, you're distracting me from getting his coat on', which she did and I did!

OP posts: