Before I can get into my story, you need a little background. I worked at a Tim Hortons during the summer after my senior year of high school. It was my first job and I just wanted to do my best. However, this was difficult for a number of reasons. First of all, I was assigned the opening shift on weekends as well as scattered shifts throughout the week. I lived just around the corner from the store, so any shifts that people didn’t show up for, I got called in to work for too. I was really nervous to start, but I was ready to start earning of my own money. So, I get two days of actual training. Most trainees have to watch a bunch of videos that illustrate how drinks are made and what goes in which sandwich, but I didn’t get that. They figured that since I was only working there for the summer, that I didn’t need the formal training. Most of the stuff wasn’t that hard, so I didn’t complain, but I was constantly asking questions. At least, when there was someone I could ask questions to. I was there by myself for most of the shift. That includes the morning rush. Oftentimes, I had three people in the drive thru and four people at the counter. Trying to juggle all of those people who were really cranky because they hadn’t had their morning coffee by yourself when I didn’t have any formal training was… a challenge.

But I persevered. I got through it. Then one day, around ten in the morning, after the rush, a woman walked in. I was just behind the counter cleaning up a little bit. I look up, see her and give her my usual forced smile and start to say, “Good morning, ma’am.” I didn’t even get to the second syllable of “morning.”

She announces, “Alright. I’m Canadian, so if this isn’t the best Tim Hortons ever, then I’m calling corporate.” At first I thought she was joking, but I soon realized she wasn’t. She said, “I want a large steeped tea with cream and sugar. That’s just for starters.” Now, one thing that was made very clear to me while I was training, was that this particular store didn’t carry steeped tea.

I say to this woman, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we don’t carry steeped tea.” Once again, I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

She yelled, “Don’t tell me you don’t have steeped tea.” She muttered something under her breath in French. Since I took Spanish in high school, I had absolutely no idea what she said. Although, to be honest, even if she was speaking Spanish, I still probably wouldn’t have a clue as to what she was saying. I apologized again and asked if there was something else I could get her. “Alright, fine,” she says in a big huff, showing that she wasn’t happy at all, “Just get me a large coffee with two creams and two sugars.” I start to make her coffee, put the cream in the cup, and then realize that our automated sugar machine wasn’t working.

I say, “Our sugar machine isn’t operating properly right now, would you like me to put in two spoonful’s or would you like me to grab you some sugar packets so you can put it in yourself?” She slams her hands down on the counter, her face extremely red.

“You can’t even make me a coffee right?! How useless are you?! What kind of Tim Hortons is this,” she yelled in my face. Now, I had gotten up at three in the morning, come to work, made all of the food, went through rush hour by myself, and had to start getting ready for the lunch rush. My filter was not working properly.

I’ll admit this probably didn’t help the situation, but I looked at her and said, “An American one, ma’am.”

This woman got so mad that she started yelling at me in English and then switched to French. I had no idea what she was saying, but it ended with, “I’m calling corporate and I am never coming to this Tim Hortons again!”

I said with a smile, “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you have a wonderful day.” She yelled at me some more in French and then stormed out. I never did find out if she called corporate or not. Nobody else was in the store with me, so no one heard what she said or what I said.

All that happened was I got a pretty funny story to tell everyone.