To feel a bit humiliated by this?

[Steaksauce]

I'm travelling for work today and stopped at the Costa place at the train station to grab a quick coffee.
I placed my order (a latte) and gave them my reusable cup.

The two women at the back making the drinks started discussing my order very loudly so I and everyone else in the queue could hear: "god, what's the point in that drink? Any strong drinks in your reusable cup? Perhaps some water?" They then started laughing to each other.

I don't think I'm mega sensitive but I guess I could be (I'm not a morning person so felt at a bit of a low ebb)
But I felt a bit embarrassed and I'm pissed off because they said what they did so loudly and wtf has it got to do with them what I order?
Plus the fact it's pretty shitty service to take the piss out of paying customers when they're right there in front of you.

So AIBU to be annoyed and embarrassed or were they just letting of steam given that they work in retail and we all know that customers can be pretty annoying at times.
(To clarify, I wasn't rude or anything, I politely asked for my order when they asked me for it - though when they gave me my drink I didn't say thanks as that was after the above and I Though if they're going to be rude then why should I thank them for the coffee?)

I once saw a Costa employee using a manky cloth to wipe the loo. She then went straight back to serve customers without washing her hands.

Tell them if you wanted a decent coffee, you wouldn't be in Costa!

Don't go to Costa. It's always a miserable experience. WQhere do they get their staff? OMG at dustbusted muffins.
Go to Pret. They always smile, make nicer coffee, are cheaper and very glad when customers have their own cups. You get a 20p discount for having one.

Reuseable cups

If people like theirs and want to do this, great. No problem.

However, I think there needs to be a bigger push for the manufacturing companies to use materials that are better for recycling and are biodegradable.

I’m often out & about all day, I want to use disposable cups.

• I don’t want to carry an empty cup around all day.

• I definitely don’t want to carry a used cup around all day.

• I don’t want to reuse a cup I’ve used earlier in the day (& can’t wash thoroughly).

• I don’t think it’s hygienic, or nice, for people working in coffee shops to be handling people’s unwashed cups, nor to have them in their prep area.

Not saying you all have unwashed, dirty cups, but some will. Some of them will be increasingly manky.

The push should be for better recycling material & better recycling bins & processes.

I used to go to Costa a lot until I had to become dairy free, their dairy free range is pitiful. I find they're generally not very accomodating if you have an allergy. The only alternative is soy milk which I can't have either. This year they started using coconut milk, but it's blended with soy milk!!! What on earth is the point? I'm sure they don't mention it every time someone orders coconut milk.

Costa coffee is so dire we avoid like the plague now. We use independents and the coffee is usually cheaper but of a much higher quality. Reusable cup good, we do this too when we realised 99 percent of takeaway cups are not recyclable.

Man that’s awful! It’s like going into a pub and the bartenders bitching about you ordering a gin and tonic. Downright weird as well, considering latte is such a popular drink.

Whatever you do though don’t defect to Starfucks! Go to the indies instead, I’m sure the service (and probably coffee) there is superior.

Working Inn retail is no excuse for making someone feel stupid or like they're the butt of a joke.
Absolutely not at all.
I manage to serve all my customers without making them feel like shit or laughing at their food habits.

Op these 2 sound like a pair of little meanies. I'm glad you complained, poor service isn't good enough in these days of high competition for customers. I suspect these people think it doesn't matter because their brand is a name. And therefore their jobs safe.
The fact they were laughing at your drink of choice and cup is irrelevant. They shouldn't have been making fun of a customer at all.

My nearest Pret is 20 miles away 🤣 There’s probably, at least, 50 actual Costa stores in that radius.

Costa isn’t always great, I’m not sure why it varies so much, but the other chains & independents are no better.

I knew there'd be someone saying don't complain in case they lose their job

If you don't want to lose your job don't bitch about the customers! I'd be a lot more forgiving of a genuine mistake like making the wrong drink. Mistakes happen. But I can't stand rudeness.

Jeez sycamore how low are your standards for basic respect and civility?
They were rude and mocking about a perfectly normal customer order. I wouldn't take that from anyone, and Op is quite right to complain - it's bad "service" in a service industry ffs.

I suspect it may have been some sort of joke entirely unrelated to you. Perhaps an in joke related to something a colleague or customer had said in the past.

None of the independents around here are worth a repeat experience. Honestly, if someone is looking for somewhere to start up a GOOD coffee shop, I know of several locations where you’d make a killing, it’s such a shame because the, 10 or more, nearest to me all have lovely locations, they just make crap coffee.

Loving being at home this morning, making my own coffee. Bliss.

I would actually send them a tweet on Twitter, naming the branch you were in and describing the 2 members of staff. Publicly name and shame! An email to head office can just be ignored.

But all of the Costa coffee is piss weak...surely if you wanted a strong drink you would have gone somewhere else?

That sounds pretty petty of them, Yanbu. I think costa staff are usually reasonably friendly though. One shopping place we go to has 5 Costas within a 2 minute walk of each other and the weirdest bit they are always busy.

Hope your day gets better OP. I agree absolutely no excuse for mocking the customer in front of everyone. Well done on the re-usable cup.

I regularly order a cappuccino in Costa and pass over my recycled cup. No probs ever, the baristas take care to make sure the top is firmly on too.

good for you op nasty little witches

I agree with your DH.

I don't think it's all Costa's; we have 2 locally; one in the train station lovely helpful staff. One in town-arsehole staff.

I don't think it's the chain per-se but I do find that if you have rude staff you have a rude manager. Fish rots from the head down.

Random fact: Latte is the most ordered drink at the Starbucks near our docks home in London.
Super weird they said anything about it tbh. I’d be embarrassed for them

I suspect it may have been some sort of joke entirely unrelated to you. Perhaps an in joke related to something a colleague or customer had said in the past.

That could explain it, for sure.

Caffe Misto is a better option than Latte I think, you get proper filter coffee in it rather than espresso.

CF, I'd have asked for the manager