Wednesday, December 2, 2009

to phone or not to phone?


I'm quite perplexed about something. Maybe you can help me. Yesterday morning I was on my way to work when a good friend from Canberra called. We don't speak all that often so it was lovely to hear from her (Hi Kim!) So I'm walking along when I hit my cafe, line up, get my money ready and order my large skim cap with two raw sugars (does the skim milk cancel out the sugar? I don't know but it always lightens my guilt slightly) to which the coffee man responds 'don't do phones any more. Next', waves me away and takes the next order in line. Umm ... excuse me? I tell my friend calling from Canberra to hold on a minute, I then re-order my coffee and turn the slight colour of beetroot and go hang in the corner. 'I don't do phones anymore.' The words over in my head. Why? It's 2009, we're not friends, your job is a service, to make coffee, which I pay for. Isn't the customer always right? What if I'd had my ipod in-would I have been denied service then as well? When my coffee was ready I felt like accidentally-on purpose dropping it on the floor and saying 'I don't do steady-grip anymore.'
Interestingly when I got to work and told the story people's opinions were divided. Apparently this cafe is now a 'no phone zone'. Personally, I don't get what the big deal is, but all my gen-x friends thought I was in the wrong, while my gen-y buddies were aghast at the rudeness of coffee man. I still don't know what to make of it. all I know is that I now can't get coffee from the closest cafe to work.
What do you think? Generation gap thang?

love from a slightly embarrassed/self-righteous cactus.
x

6 comments:

  1. So with you Gen-Ys. RUDE! He is working - that is his job and he needs to TOUGHEN UP! I deal with WAY more rudeness than that. I bet you smiled at him anyway. BOOO coffee man.

    But YAY to your blog sweet xx

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  2. aww thanks Allie :)
    I'm glad of got a lady of class agreeing with me.
    xx

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  3. Well I'll preface that I don't particularly like this whole culture of constantly talking on the mobile that a lot of people (predominately females and gay men) are into.

    I'm sure the shop owner is just sick of those obnoxious types (not that you are one) who lose all manners and decorum and don't bother with a civil exchange when purchasing their beverage. I can understand that.
    However I don't like the way he rudely told you that new rule - it came across as quite righteous and pretentious.
    Also not all phone calls are meaningless phaff, as you said it was a call from a friend in Canberra you rarely connect with. So there is judgment there on part of coffee shop owner on the significance of the call.
    But all in all, I don't think it is such a big deal not to use the mobile while in the shop.

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  4. I am outraged, and the person I am outraged at is YOU, Cactus, for electing to still order the coffee after you were publically shamed and treated like a small pile of dirt.

    Who is he? A coffee guy, that's who. Oh, sorry, the term is "Bariiiista". Whatever. Small man syndrome we got there, and I'm not talking about his height. You know what you should do? You should never shop at that coffee cart again. EVER. You should tell all your friends what a bunch of wankers work there, and how they should never go there either. EVER.

    Don't do phones? You could have been talking to your dying mother on her last words and this prick is denying your one pleasure for the morning because he goes and cries in a corner every time the world doesn't work in his warped sense of fairness.

    I repeat: he sells coffee, not the key to eternal life.

    And oceanpowernow, well, sorry, but you're retarded.

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  5. I will add that there are certain occasions where use of phones is not allowed. They are:

    - in a cinema during a film
    - when having dinner with your mother
    - whilst having sex
    - when the phone is plugged into the charger which is plugged into the electric socket, as I hear that's very dangerous.

    Thanking you in advance.

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