Starbucks asking your name

I have a part time job at Starbucks and had my first shift under the new customer service package on Saturday. This is where the barista will ask for your name and call your name for you to collect your order rather than what drink you have. I thought this was a good idea (although rather time consuming) as people often walk out with the wrong drinks when it gets busy. However, lots of people seemed genuinely bemused at the fact I was asking them their name and numerous people refused. I even had someone thinking I was chatting them up! I have looked on the BBC website article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17356957) and many people seem to find it uncomfortable. Just wondering what everyone else thinks? I understand that it's not a very British thing to do, but it's just your first name... it's not like we can commit identity fraud. One comment from the bbc article that took me aback was;

"Well good luck with that. I go to Starbucks and all I want is a cup of coffee and not some phoney-baloney 'have a nice day' type deal. Is a cup of regular coffee and a bit of civility too much to ask for when you're paying Starbucks prices ? I don't want strangers addressing me by my first name (or my last). There has to be a bit of distance here."

I understand the idea of 'just wanting a cup of coffee' but distance seems a bit harsh? I wouldn't say shouting your first name for your drink was particularly close? Opinions please!

On a side note, if you don't like being asked your name please don't take it out on the person serving, it's now part of passing our mystery guests that we ask so we have to! :wink:

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Reply 1

Cast No Shadow

I can see why people might be uncomfortable with it, I think I probably would be, but I don't like Starbucks, so it's not a situation I'll ever be in.

Reply 2

Memento Mori

It doesn't bother me - it's no different from giving your name when ordering a take away, or a taxi. If people are really that bothered, they can just say their name's "Smith" or something.

Reply 3

TheStudent.

Slightly irrelevant, but when the person serving asked for my name, she wrote down the first two letters, asked me to spell out the last two letters of my name about 3 times, gave up, and told me to write it down myself. I believe she was thinking, "Is that really her name? lol"

I could've done without.

Reply 4

whyumadtho

I'm not really fond of a pretence of friendliness projected at every customer for the sole purpose of increasing footfall. :colonhash:

Reply 5

Annie72

I'm quite shy and I wouldnt like my name shouted out in the shop, so I'd probably give a false name.

Reply 6

Norfolkadam

I found it odd when I lived in the US and I find it odd now it's happening in the UK. I'm not going to stop going to Starbucks over it but I felt awkward the other day walking around town with a cup in my hand with my name and a smiley face on it.

Reply 7

kiss_me_now9

Not my cup of tea. For one, I have a very common first name so what's to say the person in front of me doesn't have the same name/initials? I'm not giving out my full name to someone for a cup of coffee, that's ridiculous, and would make the massive queues even longer as most people think my surname is something totally different the first 10 times I tell them.

Reply 8

Tigzie

I think thats a main issue - the fact that it is for Starbucks' benefit. However sometimes it is genuinely nice to have someone smile at you while you're doing your job - it does make time go faster.

Reply 9

Yumnaarrhhh

They do that in 'EAT.' don't they?

Reply 10

-Illmatic-

It's effort because they ask you to spell it and often (no offence to Starbucks barristas, I bet you guys are wonderful people et al) they misspell your name and you have to correct them and its just long and annoying and I just want my coffee tbh.

Reply 11

TurboCretin

Original post by Tigzie

It's an American-style custom being shoehorned into English coffee culture. It just isn't quite right. I'd find it slightly invasive for someone serving me in a shop to ask my name unless they needed it to do their job.

Reply 12

Tigzie

Original post by kiss_me_now9

Yeah, we had this the other day. It feels even more silly at a slow time of the day when they're the only people in the shop and you still have to ask them.

Reply 13

Tigzie

Original post by -Illmatic-

It's worse reading the tickets people have written with names on and not quite getting it right... I could deal without it too tbh!

Reply 14

mcneilio

I don't see what it could possibly achieve. There is a reason you don't ask names in coffee shops, because it's irrelevant and the dialogue you have with the staff is so brief that it isn't worth doing. It isn't more polite or friendly to ask someones name when it isn't actually necessary, it's just unnecessary. I can imagine on particularly hectic and busy days it could get rather farcical!

Still, guess you got to credit them for thinking outside the box. If we were all friendlier to each other I guess that would be good.

Reply 15

TurboCretin

That said, I reckon a bit of fun could be had with this. I might start introducing myself as Mahershalalhashbaz.

Reply 16

kiss_me_now9

Original post by Tigzie

Yeah, we had this the other day. It feels even more silly at a slow time of the day when they're the only people in the shop and you still have to ask them.

The trouble with my surname is that it's not uncommon is it a hard word to say or pronounce, it's just very easily misheard for other surnames. In the end normally I just give in and go with whatever the person thinks they've heard!

Reply 17

HARRY PUTAH

You know there is this revolutionary system takeaways use at prime time drunk hours called numbers on a ticket.

If a bunch of pissed up people can identify what numbers are on a ticket (inc myself) then I am sure sober people can at starbucks.

Reply 18

Tigzie

Original post by TurboCretin

That said, I reckon a bit of fun could be had with this. I might start introducing myself as Mahershalalhashbaz.

I would SO rate you for doing that. The first bloke I served was called Vladimir, not particularly strange but did make me smile! He thought it'd be too complicated for me to remember!

Reply 19

TurboCretin

Original post by mcneilio

Still, guess you got to credit them for thinking outside the box. If we were all friendlier to each other I guess that would be good.

Thing is, it's the exact opposite of thinking outside the box. It's an American company implementing an American procedure. It's blinkered if anything. It's like when Abercrombie caused an absolute outrage in Japan for employing Westerners in their stores who couldn't speak Japanese. Except nowhere near as bad as that.