I love real life. I get such incredible life lessons. Here’s a lesson from this weekend…

Locations: Starbucks – Derby, Ct USA

Time: Saturday Morning about 10:00 AM

My Wife and I were out refrigerator shopping. On a side note… I feel that if a refrigerator keeps the beer cold and the food from spoiling I’m Good – SOLD! In fact… I liked  the refrifgerator we ended up with on the 3rd unit, we ended up buying it – 7 hours, 8 stores and 46 units later…. but that’s another story…

We stopped at Starbucks for brerakfast and some morning “go juice”. I’m usually thrilled with their service, today was an exception.

There was a really nice Barista working the counter. He was probably in his late 50’s. He did a great job, and took wonderful care of us.

But as he was serving us… A line about six people deep grew behind us. Now I know that will happen occasionally. Here is where, as a business owner, I get a bit frosty… Sitting at the closest table to the counter is another Barista , jabbering with her girlfriend and enjoying a cup of Joe. Seemingly OBLIVIOUS to what was going on at the store.  She didn’t budge to help this poor Barista clear the line. We sat down, finished our breakfast and she still had not moved.

Now maybe she was on break, or maybe she was off work. I realize that in America people get breaks, but if you’re on a break, go sit in the back or leave the store.

To sit in front of a growing line, laughing with your gal pal is insulting to the Customers that are trying to get the hell out of Starbucks and on with their Saturday. It’s the true sign of someone that does NOT have an owners mentality. If I were there, especially as the owner of the business, I would have jumped up to serve whomever was kind enough to walk in my door and was kind enough to offer to buy my 31 cent cup of coffee for $2.95! After the Customers leave, there will be plenty of time to take your break.

If you have to take your break… and yes, sometimes you just HAVE to… get out of sight. Don’t insult me, the Customer by, from my perspective, ignoring the growing line. It’s just plain rude.

To make matters worse, about 8 minutes later another Barista appeared from the back room… who knows what he was doing back there, it doesn’t matter. The store is full of people who would like to give you their money in exchange for good food and good service. Making them wait 5 or 10 or 3 minutes when they don’t have to is  simply ridiculous.

Use this as a lesson for your business. Are you ready to make hay while the sun shines? Do you forgo your time to serve the Customer? Do you have lines out the door?

Lines out the door can be a good thing. At least you’re attracting people. But if you don’t have a system created and tested and honed to razor sharpness, that moves them a long quickly…. say good bye to that line. Say good bye to those pesky Customers…. Ya know what really sucks… To look out the front window of your empty store and watch that line grow out the door of the restaurant across the street.

You may have excuses for the long line, but are they just excuses or are they valid reasons.

The Customers perspective of your business and how you serve him is all that matters.

Forget about what your mom, your wife or your favorite Customers tell you.

Listen to the other customers. The ones who are just getting to know you. They don’t give a hoot about the paperwork you have mounting, the break you want to take or the phone call you just have to make. They care about themselves and what they want and need to make THEIR day better. If you make sure you serve those needs, they will always take care of you…

How can you better serve your Customers? What can you do today that will make a Customers life a little happier?

Lets discuss it. How have you been served by a merchant that either made you feel really great or made you feel like an unwanted pest? Let’s hear the great and the lousy and let’s take lesson’s from both of them!

Talk to me!