Starbucks PR! Plus, Rules of Conduct Apply to You Too!

I used to be a Starbucks fan in my early years of grad school. In the last 4 years though, I rarely ever go to Starbucks since Second Cup coffee agrees more with my stomach and is closer to my house. However, by unusual circumstances, I ended up at Starbucks twice this week. I was walking from a meeting on Tuesday night and needed a little pick me up. The barrista was having a hellish time with the order of the previous customer so I ended up waiting about 10 minutes for my coffee. I wasn't in a rush though so I didn't really mind. But the barista felt bad so my coffee was on the house. I thought, "Nice." First comped Starbucks coffee ever. Tonight, I went to a totally different Starbucks near the hospital, because I needed a little fuel (Cinnamon Dolce Latte, to be precise) to finish my reports and it was 6 pm and everything was closed at the hospital. Anyway, again, I was waiting for my coffee, but the barista forgot about me, and it took a bit of time to get my coffee. But who cares, it is Friday night, and I am not in a rush. Nevertheless, he gave me a coupon for a free coffee. Is this a new policy at Starbucks thought up by the PR department? Or do I unconsciously put on a bitch face when I have to wait for a cup of coffee? LOL Although I guess the fact that you pay 4$ for a latte should probably buy some efficiency in the process of obtaining your coffee. But I will say that it is ironic that I never got free coffee when I was truly in a rush in the morning and I was actually genuinely annoyed at having to wait.

Speaking of being annoyed, as you may know, I help manage a fanfic archive in the Office fandom. Most of the community is great, but as always when you work with people, there are some who are a bit more difficult to deal with. Today, one of them decided to post a story that she knew was against the rules. It is not like she is a newbie who is unaware of the rules; she even acknowledged in her summary that she knew it was venturing in that territory that we don't allow. So I emailed her about it, saying I had deleted the story and explaining why. She actually replied back, acting all surprised and trying to challenge me on it!! I had started my email with "You probably know what I am going to say about story x", and she had the guts to reply "No, I don't read minds." Then, after arguing certain points with me, her defense was that she had no intention of offending anyone. I am not offended; I am annoyed. Because somehow, I actually don't enjoy feeling like I am talking to walls, and having to play bad cop with grown-ups who should know better. Shocking, I know. Why do some people disregard simple rules & then act surprised when people call them on it? Actions have consequences. What a concept.