When we think about a go-to place for our coffee, Starbucks is bound to be one of the names that pops up.
Some of us may even have a regular branch we like to visit and a favourite barista we gravitate towards.
Unfortunately, one Malaysian Starbucks barista probably won’t be anyone’s favourite anytime soon after the franchise allegedly fired him for bragging about manipulation techniques to make customers spend more.
Source: Twitter
A plot twist arose later on as it was revealed that the barista had resigned of his own accord years ago.
The controversy started when the barista reshared a tweet from a fellow Twitter user last Tuesday (4 Jul).
The Twitter user called out Starbucks’ “cunning” upselling methods for their dishes, citing an example in which a barista asked him, “Single or double cheese?” instead of, “Would you like cheese with it?” when he bought beef ragu.
By doing so, the customer would opt for a cheese add-on, not knowing that it is optional.
This prompted the barista on Twitter to share his two cents in a since-deleted tweet.
Introducing himself right off the bat as a Starbucks barista, he said he knows how to pick out “stupid” customers to push add-ons too.
The blatant admission of his manipulation techniques, coupled with the offensive wording, soon prompted an influx of angry reactions online.
Although the barista has deleted his tweets and account since then, a quick search of his username still brings up replies from other users.
One asked which Starbucks outlet the man worked at and threatened to boycott that outlet.
Source: Twitter
Another directly asked Starbucks Malaysia if the man indeed works for them, and asked rhetorically if it was part of the company’s values to insult customers in this way.
Source: Twitter
Meanwhile, one user expressed pity towards the barista for resorting to such methods for financial gain due to being a low-wage worker.
As a parting message, they hoped the barista would stay poor for the rest of his life.
Source: Twitter
However, some shrugged off the controversy, saying the same happens for all fast food joints.
They then described a scenario in McDonald’s as an example: the cashier would ask the customer whether they would like to get the large set instead of the regular one as “they’ve been trained to upsell everything”.
Source: Twitter
A few days after the barista’s tweet went viral, he resurfaced to share the news that Starbucks had fired him.
The tweet also contained an image of himself in which he appeared to be wearing the coffee franchise’s trademark apron.
Source: Twitter
That said, a report by SAYS revealed that while Starbucks Malaysia confirmed that the barista did work for them, he did so back in 2021.
Furthermore, he worked for only four days and voluntarily resigned afterwards. Since then, he has not worked for Starbucks again.
As the barista’s account is currently deactivated, no further information can be obtained as of now.
Nonetheless, we hope this helps raise awareness of tactics that F&B retail workers may use. Stay safe out there, coffee lovers.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Twitter.
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