Starbucks apologizes after barista’s diabetes joke irks customer

[Deleted]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sta...mer-2016-04-12

Starbucks apologizes after barista’s diabetes joke irks customer

A Florida man is steaming mad at Starbucks for serving his sugar-laden espresso drink with a label reading, “”DIABETES HERE I COME.”

The customer found the tag on the Grande White Chocolate Mocha he ordered Friday from a branch of the coffee chain in St. Augustine, Florida, ABC news reported.

But the beans-for-brains barista apparently had no clue that the man had a family history of the illness — so the joke fell flatter than a bad cappuccino, according to the station.

“2 of my sisters are diabetic, so…not funny,” the man, who asked not to be named, shared on Facebook.

The large version of the drink contains 59 grams of sugar — more than double the amount contained in two regular-sized Snickers bars.

Starbucks SBUX, -3.53% was quick to apologize on Monday.

“Starbucks strives to provide an inclusive and positive experience for our customers, and were disappointed to learn of this incident. We are working directly with the customer to apologize for his experience, and with our partners (employees) to ensure this does not happen again,” a company rep told the network.

[Gheld]

I have a family history of diabeetus, and make offhand remarks about diabeetus all the time. Because high blood sugar is the cause of Type 2 diabeetus.

The guy is just trying out for the victim Olympics.

[Graeham]

I find this paragraph particularly interesting:

“Starbucks strives to provide an inclusive and positive experience for our customers, and were disappointed to learn of this incident. We are working directly with the customer to apologize for his experience, and with our partners (employees) to ensure this does not happen again,” a company rep told the network.

Each and every time there's a 'scandal' for a company they use almost the exact same wording in an attempt to defuse the situation. I know it's all PR speak but it feels very clinical. It's such a shame that companies aren't allowed to communicate in such a way as to suggest that there's actual people with different thoughts and feelings in charge.

[GennGreymane]

Dont insult your customers choices? Business 101

[Gheld]

I don't normally use SJW lingo.... But If a note on your 5 dollar cup of mocha is worth getting mad over, you need to check your fucking privilege.

[Ripster42]

I have a family history of diabeetus, and make offhand remarks about diabeetus all the time. Because high blood sugar is the cause of Type 2 diabeetus.

The guy is just trying out for the victim Olympics.

To be clear, it's not high blood sugar that causes type 2 diabetes, it's the release of large amounts of insulin... which can be released in response to some sweeteners used in diet sodas.

[ItachiZaku]

After fighting crime, our hero, Florida Man, just wanted a got damn coffee.

[nextormento]

beans for brain
I feel the urge to add that to my snarl vocabulary.

[Gheld]

To be clear, it's not high blood sugar that causes type 2 diabetes, it's the release of large amounts of insulin... which can be released in response to some sweeteners used in diet sodas.

That's not true. That claim is based on nonsense woowoo pseudo-science bullshit. Namely the supposition that Pavlovian conditioning can be applied to the release of blood insulin. (Spoiler alert, it can't).

Had you bothered to follow the convoluted attribution chain to those claims it would lead to a dead end at some shitty amateurish .com website that is permanently under construction.

Give up already.

[Reeve]

It was a stupid joke to make. Not a good idea to make fun of your customers choices in your products.

That said, I don't think I'd be making a big thing out of it either.

[Ripster42]

That's not true. That claim is based on nonsense woowoo pseudo-science bullshit. Namely the supposition that Pavlovian conditioning can be applied to the release of blood insulin. (Spoiler alert, it can't).

Had you bothered to follow the convoluted attribution chain to those claims it would lead to a dead end at some shitty amateurish .com website that is permanently under construction.

Give up already.

It's not pavlovian, it's because they attach to the same receptors.

BTW, I didn't know the NEJM was some amatuerish .com website.


Edit: My bad, not NEJM, but JAMA.

[Gheld]

It was a stupid joke to make. Not a good idea to make fun of your customers choices in your products.

That said, I don't think I'd be making a big thing out of it either.

In all fairness 59 grams of sugar is nearly 1/3rd of a cup of sugar. That's fucked up.

[nextormento]

Are Starbucks employees in the US trained to engage in amicable exchange? the kind that borders burlesque.
They are here, and I find it so fake and unproductive that I hate the place.
If they are, I can see how the barista simply misjudged the customer on what level of complicity they shared.

[Demona3]

Eh... insults are the way of business. Anyone remember this? Wonder what that lady got.

[Gheld]

Are Starbucks employees in the US trained to engage in amicable exchange? the kind that borders burlesque.
They are here, and I find it so fake and unproductive that I hate the place.
If they are, I can see how the barista simply misjudged the customer on what level of complicity they shared.

Pretty much. Starbucks baristas are supposed to act chummy with the customers. So that's more or less exactly what happened here.

[Deleted]

I don't normally use SJW lingo.... But If a note on your 5 dollar cup of mocha is worth getting mad over, you need to check your fucking privilege.

I think you got it wrong, overweight people are part of the victim society so making diabetes jokes is actually thin privilege

Am I doing this SJW thing right

[Reeve]

In all fairness 59 grams of sugar is nearly 1/3rd of a cup of sugar. That's fucked up.

Sure, but if it's a product you're offering, you shouldn't be making fun of your customers for buying it. It'd be like if when a woman bought an XXL dress, the sales associate wrote "One dress for Fatty McFattFatt" on the receipt. Or if an attendant at a sex shop, selling a sex doll to a guy, said, "So I guess you couldn't get the real thing, eh?" You offer the product, don't make fun of people for choosing to buy it.

[Deleted]

I think you got it wrong, overweight people are part of the victim society so making diabetes jokes is actually thin privilege

Am I doing this SJW thing right

You're the worst SJW I have ever seen.
We will get you some traning courses.

I wonder what Kangdango charges these days..

[WhiteFlagofWar]

In all fairness 59 grams of sugar is nearly 1/3rd of a cup of sugar. That's fucked up.

Not as if that's all that out of the ordinary these days.

A can of Mountain Dew has something like 46 grams, Dr. Pepper is around 35 if I recall correctly. It's an excessive amount of sugar, but not exactly a unique amount.

[Dezerte]

Florida Man is a SJW?!