‼ DISCRIMINATION! RACISM! ‼
I had an extremely uncomfortable…read moreand upsetting experience here while picking up a large coffee order for a wedding.
When I arrived, there was a very long line, but because my order had already been placed, I went to the designated pickup area. While waiting, I watched the employee behind the counter speak politely and normally to other customers.
When it was my turn, I turned my phone around and politely said, "Hi, I'm here to pick up for" Before I could even finish my sentence, the employee looked at my phone, rolled his eyes, turned away from me, and went to retrieve the order. There was no greeting, no acknowledgment, and no basic courtesy. He handed me the order while staring at me, rolled his eyes again, and immediately returned to the register.
The interaction was so noticeably hostile that I looked back at him and asked, "What's your problem?" He immediately turned away and began helping someone else.
I then asked another employee whether there was a manager available and explained what had just happened. Her response was essentially that there was "a lot going on" and that they were busy. Being busy does not excuse treating a customer disrespectfully especially when I had just watched other customers receive normal, courteous service.
What made this experience particularly concerning was what happened next.
While I was still making sure my large order was complete, another customer approached the pickup area. The same employee who would not even allow me to finish my sentence immediately greeted this man with, "Hello, how can I help you?" and proceeded to speak to him politely and professionally.
That was the exact basic courtesy I had been denied only moments earlier.
As a Black woman, I cannot ignore that difference in treatment. I watched this employee demonstrate that he was perfectly capable of greeting customers, communicating professionally, and being courteous. He simply chose not to extend that same treatment to me. Based on what I personally witnessed, the disparity felt prejudicial and discriminatory.
I then walked to the neighboring sister establishment to ask how I could contact management because I had not been provided helpful management information inside the coffee shop. Ironically, the employee I spoke with there was also Latino, and he treated me with complete respect. He listened, offered to get a manager, asked whether I was okay, and apologized that I had experienced something uncomfortable. That interaction is important because my complaint is not about anyone's ethnicity it is about the specific behavior of the employees who dealt with me at the coffee shop.
What was also strange was that the coffee shop employees who had just explained that everything was so hectic suddenly had plenty of time to stand at the counter and watch me while I spoke with the neighboring business. They continued watching me until I got into my car. There had been an enormous line of customers, yet somehow the "too busy" explanation disappeared when it came time to watch what I was doing after I asked about management.
That made an already uncomfortable situation feel even more hostile.
The Smoking Gun needs to seriously evaluate who it places in customer-facing positions. Customers should not have to wonder whether their race affected the basic level of dignity and courtesy they received. If an employee is overwhelmed or having a bad day, take a break, ask for help, or work away from the front counter. What you do not do is selectively discard basic manners with one customer and then immediately demonstrate those same manners to the next.
I came in to pick up coffee for a wedding. I was polite. I was there to collect an order and leave. There was absolutely no reason for me to be treated with hostility.
I will be filing a formal complaint with management regarding this incident. I hope management takes it seriously, reviews what occurred, and provides its staff with appropriate customer-service and anti-discrimination training. No paying customer should be treated as though basic respect is optional.
And yes, they can run the cameras back it'll be in there !
Then to ice the cake, they literally got the order wrong and didn't give me all the items for the party that I was taking it to! Could look me up and down but not look the orders up and down !
