I had a very poor experience at this Nespresso "Boutique" store today. I'm an American living in Rio and have been to this Nespresso shop many times. In fact, I spend lots of money there every month. Or should I say, I used to spend lots of money there every month. I will now find a different coffee to buy, or at least a different Nespresso store. The problem began when the clerk offered a free coffee, as usual, after I had purchased my pods. It's very nice they offer free coffee when you go in to buy their coffee pods, I admit, but it's one of the reasons people continue to frequent their shop - the little extras that you come to enjoy when you go there and pay top dollar for their coffee. She asked if I'd like coffee with milk and I said yes, but when she gave me the coffee it was black. That was ok, a simple mistake. So, I went to the barista making coffee and asked for a little milk. Mind you, the milk was sitting right there in a little pot. After I asked, in my broken Portuguese, he said something I didn't understand...very rudely, I might add. I tried pointing to the milk, and he became very agitated and turned his back on me. I thought it was a language barrier problem, so I tried asking again, to his back. He then went and got the clerk that had helped me with my purchase. She spoke English. When I explained that I just wanted a little milk in my coffee, she explained that the type of coffee she had made for me didn't come with milk. I asked if she could please add a little milk...it was right there. She explained that only two types of coffee were allowed to have milk added to them. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone. To her credit, she did offer to make a different coffee for me, but by then I was embarrassed by the whole exchange. It was the attitude of the employees more than the incident. The store was full and I felt like everyone was watching this unfold. I left feeling embarrassed and unsettled over a free coffee that I didn't really want or need in the first place. read more
