1. No matter how good your intentions, you will be ridiculed if you can’t keep up.
Newbies beware; the public will see any insecurity you have and fire it right back at you. Prepare for the fire under your ass at all times.
2. Speed is more important than quality.
This does depend on the type of establishment you work at or the customer flow at your location. More times than not, no one pays attention to the perfect peaks in the foam of your steamed milk or the delicate bitter to sweet ratio in that latte. Stanley is waiting for his mocha and doesn’t have time for your shit.
3. There will be favorites.
Oh, will there be favorites. Everyone has a preference, and it may have to do with looks or brains. But your service will not be everyone's cup of tea. Don’t walk into a shift without that set in your mind.
4. Flirting is part of selling.
Or at least, what some people could call flirting. Making the customer feel unique and cared for means smiling a little more than usual. It’s all about presentation. When you create a comfortable environment people are more willing to buy. Even if at the expense of your comfort.
5. You will be judged if you don’t know everything about everything.
Knowledge keeps them coming back. The people who know more about their product leave a lasting impression. Mastery of your craft is expected. No one cares if this is your 5th job or if you’re here to make a little extra side cash. They think your life revolves around pleasing them.
6. You will also be judged for working here in general.
The assumption is that, clearly, you aren’t intelligent if you are spending your time serving drinks. Shouldn’t you be in college or partaking in a tech startup? You’re probably doing both. They don’t know that of course. But that won’t stop them from sharing their unsolicited opinions while ordering their morning diabetes.
7. Learning to tell people what they want to hear will become your specialty.
Conflict resolution is key. On occasion (or most of the time) you will find yourself telling little white lies to avoid an interpersonal disaster. People are really fussy so you spend the majority of time trying not to step in it.
8.Your coworkers are not always working with you.
Scratch that, they never really work with you. They work for themselves and work around you. Keep your wits about you when someone’s personal troubles cause them to lash out at you, because that will most likely happen.
9. Speaking of coworkers, a lot of them will suck at this job.
They don’t really want to be there, and yet here they are four years down the line working the same position they stink at. The customers complain about them, the manager doesn’t know how to get rid of them, and the coworkers are fed up with them. That just goes to show that not everyone has the skills to work in customer service.
10. There will be a customer you can never please.
It doesn’t matter how many times Nancy has come in and ordered the same drink. Every time you make it, something is wrong with it. It never dawned on her to try a different store because, on some personal level, the day is not complete until she puts you down. Just comes with the territory.
11. Gossip is the second language requirement.
You better be well versed. Even if you choose not to partake, it will find a way to come right back into focus. Some of it may even be about you.
12. The job will be extremely draining.
Even if you have every nice customer in the world come in that day, or pride yourself on being a people person. Working with the public is and always will be an exhausting business.
13. You will probably work off the clock a lot.
There is always someone who needs a shift covered. If you don’t learn to say no, you can quickly become go-to for pick ups. There are also always new promotions to keep up with or scheduled to change.
14. There’s no way you can live off this job.
The wages are dirt poor because it’s considered a transition job and not a career. You’d have to clock in ridiculous hours to even have a chance at making ends meet, and even then you will need to compromise and sacrifice a lot. Hard work doesn’t always mean financial comfort.
15. No one really appreciates what you do.
Now this is just a given. The real world doesn’t give you a gold star every time you do something right. It’s all part of the job. You get paid to be here. At the same time, this job requires a lot of multitasking and precision that doesn’t get acknowledged or compensated for nearly enough. A simple thank you and smile on occasion goes a long way. Remember that the next time you order your vanilla latte.
