Upselling at Caffe Nero

[CoffeeQuery]

Went to buy a coffee at a station this week. The server took my order and said very casually "Brazilian?"

I automatically agreed, then as she walked away realised they had a promotion on and it was an extra 40p. I said, in mock surprise "Did you just upsell me?" and she looked a bit weary and said "It's in my job description".

She was very happy to change it and I didn't at all want to make her job harder, but am I unreasonable to feel slightly pissed off with Caffe Nero? Station prices are quite high enough without randomly wacking another 40p on.

Or is this just standard practice now and I should get out more?

coffee #1 does the same. Barista asked if I wanted smooth, I noticed the price was the same as a large when I’d ordered a medium and queried it and got them to change to the normal coffee. I was with a large group and I checked with everyone and the barista had done the same with everyone. No one had noticed that they had been charged extra. I always decline now. It doesn’t taste any different anyway.

Brazilian ... answer no, I usually go full Hollywood ...

Tbh upselling is pretty standardly annoying. W H Smith and Superdrug are pretty bad too.

Yeah upselling is supremely fucking annoying. Sick of being asked 'do you want Beyonce's perfume' (for £25!) in Savers, when I go to by some anti-histamines for a pound! Then when I go to B & M to buy a packet of pasta, I get them asking 'do you want also some batteries, or some stamps?' then in WH Smiths it's 'do you want a nearly out of date Terrys Chocolate Orange with your magazine?!' Drives me crazy. And many of the clothes shops want your email address to send you your receipt, and also ask if want 3 pairs of socks for £5, when I am buying an other item of clothing!

I noticed even charity shops starting to do something similar several years ago. I would spend £3,79 in there, and be asked to 'round up' to £4.00 for charity. I am already buying from your charity shop, where virtually everything you're selling you got for fucking free. They are expensive enough as it is now, never mind adding money on!!!

Anyway, they have stopped that now, and recently they have started trying to sell people a 'lottery ticket.' One pound! Every time you buy anything. You probably have fuck-all chance of winning anything.

Then every other shop asks for a contribution to 'charity' at the fucking checkout. Press red for no, green for yes. Then when you press green, press whatever number you want for your contribution. 1 for £1, 2 for £2, etc... SO MANY PLACES now asking for my money.

Then I came out of Morrisons yesterday, and was accosted by a fucking charity mugger (chugger) asking me to sign up to give £10 a month to them. No. NO. NO! Fucking leave me alone.

Why does everyone want their pound of flesh?!?!! Soooooooooo many people begging, chugging, scrounging, upselling. JUST FUCK OFF!

I was quite confused when asked first time and asked what does it mean? And was explained about extra cost so refused.

I think this is why I minded.

I'm quite used to being offered things I don't want and saying no. It is mildly irritating, slightly manipulative, but not dishonest.

This felt very unclear and somewhat covert. It wasn't at all obvious I was being offered a choice, let alone a higher priced option. More like they were telling me what the blend was. But I accept that if I was a regular, or even not rushing to get a coffee before I got a train, it would have been pretty obvious what I was being offered. I'll know next time.

Yes it wasn’t clear at all its just because I’ve asked it was explained, otherwise I was about to say yes. And yes, it was somewhere in the board small letters at the very bottom. I don’t remember exactly but it was Nero or M&S

I think Cafe Nero is particularly bad for this. One near my work has a server who asks if you'd like to try a cake. First time she said it to me I assumed she meant as a sample and she was most annoyed when I asked if that was what she was suggesting!

“Brazilian?”
“No just a coffee please”
I’ll get me coat.

I prefer African blends so I'd have screwed my face up and said "nooooo thank you" 😂

It's the barista who has to do that, so when they are busy serving customers there is literally nobody to clear up tables/mop the toilet floors etc.

I'm not blaming the barista- it's the fault of Caffè Nero HQ.

It is different. Most people would know double of anything would cost more. It's not clear that 'brazilian' costs more.

Upselling is fine, not making it clear that the thing you're offering comes at a cost isn't fine.

So "would you like the Brazilian beans for an extra 40p?" - fine

Or "would you like to upgrade to Brazilian beans?" - also fine, because "upgrade" makes it clear it's going to cost more (just like asking "large?" or "double-shot?" should be clear that it's going to cost more)

But just "Brazilian?" isn't OK, as asked like that you could reasonably expect that Brazilian is just the default option.

(edited, because managed to submit before I finished typing)

@CoffeeQuery - agree - it is a cynical way of selling and puts me off going there.

I understand why a business wants to upsell but it can backfire. As a problem drinker in recovery, I was taken aback at a local restaurant when I ordered a tonic water and was asked “do you want a gin in that?”. I couldn’t help myself saying “no, as I am a recovering alcoholic”. I’ve not been back since.

That's what I was thinking!

I think there is a difference between - would you like a bag of Maltesers half price/a croissant/fries with that (which you understand is an additional cost) and a Caffè Nero style - Brazilian ok? where it is not transparent that you are being sold an extra

That's absolutely awful! I'm so sorry this happened to you. How fucking DARE they offer to stick alcohol in your bloody gin!

Showing that you didn't read the post and have zero understanding of what it means to be a sober alcoholic. She asked for a non alcoholic drink (tonic) in a restaurant - not a bar - and was offered gin in it.

This expresses why I felt uncomfortable with it much better than I did!

Thr last time I agreed to a brazillian I ended up with thrush 😅

There are signs all over Caffè Nero about the extra costs of, well, extras. You can just say No.

Not sure what that is.
Next time just so no to the assistant.

B&M, Poundland etc used to ask if we wanted any chocolate by the till. Yes I bought a lot of tins of pulses and other healthy stuff. If I wanted chocolate I grab something from the chocolate section!

We don’t upsell at work but sometimes customers buy two of the things of a meal deal which is about 80p-£1.50 more than buying the three items on the meal deal. Just saving them money. Could buy the snack for later on.

Yes! The same happened to me and irritated me too. I was asked if I wanted it, I asked what the difference was.....she described the type of flavour but did not say there was an extra cost. I presumed it was a question of would you like this flavour or this flavour. Only once shed made the drink did I spot the sign that said it was an extra 40p. As if coffee isn't expensive enough as it is.

M&S are bad for this 'do you want the summer blend?' And it's only once you've sat down with your coffee you notice that it cost 50p more.

Yanbu...it's sneaky AF.
Things like this make me feel like I'm being constantly chipped away at.