Yea, I'll admit it. I spend a lot of my free time at Starbucks. And I guess it's really starting to show because now, the baristas know my name.
I'm not sure whether or not to be embarrassed or proud. Because it's a bit of both. I always knew I had a coffee addiction, but this just confirms it. Also, this confirms that I spend too much time at this Starbucks.
I also forgot to mention that the baristas also know my order now too. I guess that's important. Just ~spending all your time at Starbucks~ things.
But there is something sweet about the baristas knowing my name and order. They take the time to notice. Notice who walks in and out of the coffee chain almost daily and what each person's poison is. They are not just workers making your coffee, but humans just like you and I observing and noticing the habits of each and every customer.
I forget that, sometimes. I forget that being a worker you begin to notice returning customers. From working as a waitress at a diner, I would get regulars at the counter who I began to get to know. I found out their names and snippets about their lives just by serving them a few eggs and some toast. And I loved this aspect of being a waitress. It made my job more personal and I actually cared about my regulars and customers more because I realized I was a part of their day or weekend dinner run. It made me feel important, and I hope I made my customers feel important because I remembered details of their lives, like when I wished them a good trip because I remembered that they were going on a cruise next week and wouldn't be coming in as per usual.
The personal touch of the baristas knowing my name confirmed to me that I do not go unnoticed as I am always at Starbucks, but instead that I am remembered. And, as we all know, feeling remembered is satisfying. It disregards the feeling that sometimes we as humans feel that we are just running through our daily lives like a simulation. This personalization from someone you barely know confirms that we humans do indeed take the time out of our days to notice, remember and care, regardless of if we feel that others don't.
I was a little embarrassed that the baristas knew my name and order. I can't lie. But now, I am remembered, regardless of how small remembering my name may be. My coffee addiction may be a good thing, sometimes.
