Are You A Pitbull or Chipper?

I go to this coffee shop often called La Bou near my son's preschool. The staff that works there are mean as pitbulls. I prefer the lattes of this coffee shop, plus it is the only one in that vicinity that has a drive thru which (I know what you're thinking...you are a lazy ass, which in some ways is true..) if you have an infant who is sleeping, you don't want to disturb her and possibly wake her up just to get coffee.

It is a constant, their bitter nature,and I typically go there at 9AM or so. You'd think at 9:00, the women (as they are all women working the window) would have been working long enough to have "woken up" and have some endorphins going from running around all morning. But no.

And they yell at each other. Don't they think I can hear them? The one making the latte the other day was supposed to stir in an equal for me and was shouting at someone to give her an equal. I guess that person didn't hear her. And three times she screamed at the top of her lungs, "I NEED AN EQUAL!" You'd think maybe she could have gotten it herself?

And there are no smiles when you come to the window...no basic customer service. Not any of that basic just make me feel like I am welcome here kind of stuff. I was thinking what it would feel like to be a customer at 6:30 in the morning when you are feeling like crap going to your job, and these cranky wenches are throwing your coffee at you. Kind of a good start for the work day, don't you agree? I was laughing because in the window of the drive thru there was a poster (to apply for work) that said La Bou Has A Job For You. Yeah, I guess if you're a masochist.

Conversely, the Starbucks near my house, with convenient drive thru, has not friendly, but chipper, staff. I hate chipper. Chipper is tolerable when I'm in a good mood, but when I'm in a not so good, chipper makes me kind of non-chipper like. Let me explain.

Friendly is maintaining professional distance and doing your job, making my latte to my satisfaction, and getting me checked out expeditiously. Chipper is being a little too interested in my order (like you really give a crap about my order), making stupid conversation with me or trying to talk about how great the new "muffin of the month" is, or trying out new ways to get people's orders down. (For example, instead of writing people's names on cups, they asked on this particular day at this store what your favorite color was and your pets name..oh so flippin' hilarious!!) Chipper is phony. Friendly is sincere. Chipper drives me nuts. I think they insert Chipper chips into the necks of these Starbucks employees because they all act the same. I don't think people are actually that way. Can you be that damn goofy happy all the time? Or maybe it's a nice state to be in. Maybe I need a Chipper chip.

Why can't I find a coffee shop with just a nice in between? Just a smile and a thank you very much? That's all I want. Nothing too difficult in that, eh?