Massachusetts is famous for having Dunkin' Donuts around every street corner. But as many Dunks as you pass on your way to work every day, have you ever stopped to think about what the employees go through on a daily basis in there? Did you know that they are people too?
Krystal Thomas, known as KP by her coworkers, has worked at the Dunkin' Donuts in Halifax, Massachusetts for over a year. She works mornings and weekends and sometimes has to wake up at 4 a.m. to open the store.
"I personally am awful at waking up," KP said. "But once I drink a coffee or two I'm fine."
KP said that working at Dunks has spiked her obsession with coffee. She works eight or nine hour shifts and drinks at least three coffees per shift.
"Then when I get off I take one to go," KP said.
The best part of working at Dunkin' Donuts for KP is the relationships the forms with her coworkers. She and other employees even started calling one of her managers Mom.
"I love all the people I work with, probably more than anyone else in the entire world," KP said.
Another good thing about the work is the upbeat regulars. KP said they have a lot of great people that come through her Dunkin' Donuts.
"We have this regular that comes through and every time he comes to the window he screams 'Woo' and then we all scream 'Woo' in unison," KP said.
But not all customers are as pleasant as the 'Woo' man. KP says she has to deal with a lot of rude customers on a daily basis.
"There's this girl that comes in and her coffee seems to be wrong every time we give it to her," she said. "She either asks for more ice or more mocha, but she still comes in three times a day."
And the altercations don't end with just the customers. KP said there is also a lot of drama that goes on in the store between coworkers.
"Most people love me but there was this one girl who didn't like me and she started rumors that I got fired when I really just left for school," she said.
She said she still has to work with that girl from time to time.
KP likes to work Sunday mornings because she stays busy all day, which makes her shift go by fast. Not to mention the tips are great, but there have been times when she has been so overwhelmed with the work she almost cried.
"When I worked in the afternoons it was awful because I worked with a lot of people who didn't know what they were doing," KP said. "So they would be asking me questions while I was trying to get my work done too and it was a lot."
This summer, Dunkin' Donuts has created a new feature to the Dunkin' app where people can place a to-go order from their phones.
Customers can select which food they want, how they want their drinks, and which Dunks they want to go to, and the store will have it ready when they arrive.
"To-go orders are not popular yet, but I feel like they will be," KP said.
She said the new addition to the app will make the work a little easier for employees.
"We make mistakes all the time, but we get through it by laughing at each other. And we just remember that we can remake anything in like 20 seconds."
So the next time a Dunks worker drops your coffee on the floor, like KP said she has done many times, remember that they are just like you, a person who hates waking up early and is just trying to get through the day without crying.
