Page 105 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 3

there for three hours drinking coffee and listening to music,
and all the music listening was free. Unbelievable!” Duane’s
reaction was rather strong, since all he received was a few
music-listening tips from a partner. But that small amount of
help turned into hours of enjoyable discovery and surprise
for Duane.
While information can enhance positive customer experi-
ences, introducing an element of play into regular day-to-day
(and often commonplace) activities can also achieve memo-
rable results. Regular Starbucks customer Brad Montgomery
is a motivational humorist by profession and therefore is very
aware of those rare instances when people engage one
another with playfulness. Brad encountered the light-hearted
spirit of one Starbucks barista who made an ordinary coffee-
buying experience something far more meaningful.
90 According to Brad, “I was chatting with the woman behind
the counter at Starbucks. She was just a fun person with a big
smile. When she gave me back my credit card, she held it out
for me to take back. But here was the great part: when I
grabbed it, she didn’t let go. I pulled, but she hung on. I
looked up and met her eyes, and bingo! A huge smile was on
her face. She was doing it. She was using this tiny bit of
humor on the job to inject a playful moment into our day.
Humor in the workplace? You bet! She proved that adding
or creating a smile or two here and there can turn a day
around. And if you string enough of those days together . . .”
As Brad’s experience illustrates, simple acts often create the
greatest connection between people. Ira Shull, a customer
from Shirley, Massachusetts, tells of a time when genuine
interest took him by surprise. “This past summer my wife
and I were visiting Seattle,” he explains, “and I wanted to get
my morning coffee and get back to the hotel as quickly as