It’s not supposed to take 15 minutes to get a cup of coffee.

Let’s rewind for a second to this past weekend.  A group of us spent the entire weekend on the slopes of Whistler/Blackcomb.

And, on the way home this past Sunday, we thought we’d make one final stop in the village before getting on Highway 99 back to Vancouver…Starbucks.

This is nothing new.  I’m a huge coffee drinker and make daily visits to my local Starbucks for my Americano Misto fix. So I thought, hey…why not in Whistler?

This particular Starbucks is located in the Crystal Lodge in Whistler village (4229 Village Stroll) opened in early 2006 and is just like any other Starbucks you’ve been into:

• jazzy-pop-seasonal music on the sound system;
• mountains of espresso machines with lights, dials and meters you probably will never understand;
• an array of odd mugs, cups, stuffed animals, and chocolate-covered beans/wafers/CDs/what-have-you; and
• some price tags with a C$/US$ exchange rate that begs further inspection (or use of a calculator at head office).

So…this should be nothing new to you (or travelers like (Julie and Jessie). What I want to bring to your attention is the fact that on this particular Sunday, and at this particular Starbucks in Whistler village, I had to wait 15 minutes from entry to exit to get my Americano Misto!

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that line-ups are common and that some drinks take longer than others. Having been an Americano Misto ‘fan’ for a number of years now, I know how long it takes (a few minutes, max) and what’s more, a line-up of about four people ahead of me shouldn’t take 10 to 15 minutes to get through.

The hub to my spoke in this circumstance was a particular staff member who was taking the orders (and whose arm was in a sling) was taking it upon himself to engage each customer in a conversation. Not just a ‘Hey…nice snow this weekend, don’t you think?’ or a ‘You guys up for the day?’ kind of thing, but rather a ‘Hey…you look like you’ve been skiing, what’s your favourite colour?’ type of deal.

My point…the customers, if not ready for it and without the proper tactics, were trapped in a rapidly downward spiraling small talk episode that upon listening to it made me think that Tim Horton’s would be a good idea.

I’m not bashing fraternizing with the customers. That’s a great thing to do in the service industry, I think. What I am saying, though, is pick your spots! As a ‘barrista’ (or any other customer-facing employee), know when and how to engage your customers in ‘small talk’ and when to press the pause/mute button.

Sometimes customers want to talk, sometimes they don’t. And, in this example, sometimes a long line-up may necessitate more efficiency with your ‘How was the snow today/What movie did you watch last night?’ delivery.

For the most part, I think most of timinganddelivery.com’s readers (and others) would agree that well-timed and well-delivered customer interaction is appreciated and makes you look like a rock star. And, in industries where tips are involved, will hopefully see you paid like one as well.

darren