Every four years, the world comes together. Supporting their countries and backing the players representing them in the world game. That's right... I'm talking about the FIFA World Cup!
It's that time again. Just over a week into the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the world has gone crazy for soccer. Every business that's any business getting in on the hype, mooching off what ever deal they can come up with that incorporates the world cup fever. Kids dragging their parents, and parents dragging their kids in to the local sports store to buy every bit of merchandise to support their country and their team. From the small country towns who gather at the local cinema, to the large city folk who gather by the harbour, everyone comes together at all hours of the morning to watch their team play.
Now, anyone reading this might think I'm against the soccer hype; that it "grinds my gears". HELL NO! If anything I'm soccer for life! So what's the problem? It's the fans! Yes everyone, the fans grind my gears!
The following took place on Tuesday 15.6.2010, the day following the first of Australia's world cup games. The Socceroos vs. Germany.
Where I work, this cafe` you will undoubtedly hear frequently about, many upon many of athletes, trainers and other workers involved in the sporting industry pass through on a daily basis for their regular coffee (another hint as to the where abouts of my location; a rather big one if I do say so myself). It's hard to not over hear many of the conversations that come with the regular crowds while they line up for the morning brew: someone's getting married, someone is pregnant, someone's going on a holiday, "they played terrible; I could do better myself." What the?!
For privacy, maybe because I don't know their names, there was Mr A, Mrs B, and number of other lettered individuals who had no trouble in holding back their input.
Conversations including:
Mr A: "They were too busy concentrating on getting the opposition offside. You would think if it didn't work the first time not to do it again."
Mrs B: "The line up was terrible. Where was Harry Kewell?"
Mr C: "It was pathetic. I could have done better myself."
OK... Maybe I agree just a little. When I play soccer, unless I hear that whistle or I see that flag go up, I'll run that player down to stop him having any chance of getting a goal; if I happen to believe it was offside and they do get a goal, bad luck, get it back. There were a number of fresh faces in the starting line up, none of which were from the A-League competition which one could assume then that they all have a skill level that is appealing to an INTERNATIONAL standard. As for Mr C, if you think you're so good, then why the bloody hell aren't you on the team!
Every man on that team has earnt his place! Every man on that team is one of Australia's BEST soccer players! No matter the result, those players have done THEIR BEST as AUSTRALIA'S BEST! A very well known phrase which I have heard quite frequently over the past week as fits very well to my post: "there is ALWAYS someone better." Sadly, in this particular circumstance... Germany was the better. But no matter what, I'm going to back the Socceroos to the end!
So, it is with support, positive thinking, good faith, and hope that I am proud to say... AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE! (OI! OI! OI!)
Goodluck to the Socceroos in their 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup Campaign!
Flash out.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The customer is NEVER right!
No doubt some of you, if not many of you, will have passed through the work-force having heard a particular phrase. A phrase your employer will have forced down your throat and stuffed so far up your noise, so that once it reaches what brain you have left after the torture of having to agree with it, there is nothing more for you to think! That phrase me mates be the belly of the beast... "The customer is always right". Well to this I say, jog on! Introducing my first post ever for "What Grinds My Gears"... "The customer is NEVER right!"
I'm currently a barista. Where I work will remain unknown. On the average working day (Monday to Friday - 8am to 5pm), I make from anywhere up to 300 coffees in the space 3 hours. I'll admit, the coffees aren't meant to be perfect or outstanding, just fast because of the amount of people that pass through.
Let me set the scene for you...
It's 9:30am, RUSH HOUR. My assistant was on the register, while I was making coffees. It started out as usual; a group of regulars comes in at once with a few members of the public to start with. Nothing hard, a long black here, a cappuccino there, then... someone wants soy. Any other barista may agree with me that when a customer asks for soy it does hold the line up a little. When you have 4 or 5 customers waiting and say another 15 to 20 still ordering, it causes some delays.
No problems, no complaints; all the regular customers that come and go understand we do get quite busy at this point in the morning and remain patient. Except for one...
I've just handed out three hot chocolates; the customers take their drinks, add sugar, make it to their liking and begin to drink. Head down, concentrating, I hear a woman speaking with my assistant.
Woman: "Excuse me. There's no milk in this drink. It's lite and frothy. Please fix it."
I ignore the drink which has been handed back to me for maybe a minute while I heat milk for more coffees. Standing there waiting, I grab the so called "empty cup" to discover it's got a decent bit of weight behind it; not to mention it appears to have had a good two mouth-fulls swigged from it. Asking my assistant who handed this to her, she points to some blond, snotty, up-herself bimbo standing in front of the machine. Try to be calm and polite, I look up to her and say "I'm sorry, there is nothing wrong with this drink. It feels quite heavy to me. I'm not sure what the problem is."
Sticking her figure in the drink and stirring, "See this? It's froth."
Myself: "IT'S A HOT CHOCOLATE YOU STUPID WOMAN! IT'S MEANT TO HAVE FROTH!" is what I would have said if I had lost my cool. Instead I simply said "It's a hot chocolate. It's meant to be a frothy drink."
Woman: "No it's not. Don't argue with me! You're wrong!"
I put my head back down. Finished frothing/heating the milk in the jug I was meant to be concentrating on, bite my tongue and top the up the "mistake".
Fixing the problem and moving along, brushing the dust off my shoulders, all was thought to be well; apart from the volcano of anger that was ready to erupt from my head!
Woman: "That's right; milk, not froth."
What customer knows more about a computer than someone in IT? What customer knows how a pie was made better than the baker who made it? What customer knows more about a car than the mechanic? What customer knows more about a coffee than a barista? What customer knows better than the professionals in any working environment, who have been trained to specialize in their field of work for the benefit of customers themselves?
NONE!
The customer is NEVER, I repeat, NEVER right!
I have no doubt many of you have shared similar experiences in the work force, so please, feel free to share those experiences here.
Until next time,
Flash
I'm currently a barista. Where I work will remain unknown. On the average working day (Monday to Friday - 8am to 5pm), I make from anywhere up to 300 coffees in the space 3 hours. I'll admit, the coffees aren't meant to be perfect or outstanding, just fast because of the amount of people that pass through.
Let me set the scene for you...
It's 9:30am, RUSH HOUR. My assistant was on the register, while I was making coffees. It started out as usual; a group of regulars comes in at once with a few members of the public to start with. Nothing hard, a long black here, a cappuccino there, then... someone wants soy. Any other barista may agree with me that when a customer asks for soy it does hold the line up a little. When you have 4 or 5 customers waiting and say another 15 to 20 still ordering, it causes some delays.
No problems, no complaints; all the regular customers that come and go understand we do get quite busy at this point in the morning and remain patient. Except for one...
I've just handed out three hot chocolates; the customers take their drinks, add sugar, make it to their liking and begin to drink. Head down, concentrating, I hear a woman speaking with my assistant.
Woman: "Excuse me. There's no milk in this drink. It's lite and frothy. Please fix it."
I ignore the drink which has been handed back to me for maybe a minute while I heat milk for more coffees. Standing there waiting, I grab the so called "empty cup" to discover it's got a decent bit of weight behind it; not to mention it appears to have had a good two mouth-fulls swigged from it. Asking my assistant who handed this to her, she points to some blond, snotty, up-herself bimbo standing in front of the machine. Try to be calm and polite, I look up to her and say "I'm sorry, there is nothing wrong with this drink. It feels quite heavy to me. I'm not sure what the problem is."
Sticking her figure in the drink and stirring, "See this? It's froth."
Myself: "IT'S A HOT CHOCOLATE YOU STUPID WOMAN! IT'S MEANT TO HAVE FROTH!" is what I would have said if I had lost my cool. Instead I simply said "It's a hot chocolate. It's meant to be a frothy drink."
Woman: "No it's not. Don't argue with me! You're wrong!"
I put my head back down. Finished frothing/heating the milk in the jug I was meant to be concentrating on, bite my tongue and top the up the "mistake".
Fixing the problem and moving along, brushing the dust off my shoulders, all was thought to be well; apart from the volcano of anger that was ready to erupt from my head!
Woman: "That's right; milk, not froth."
What customer knows more about a computer than someone in IT? What customer knows how a pie was made better than the baker who made it? What customer knows more about a car than the mechanic? What customer knows more about a coffee than a barista? What customer knows better than the professionals in any working environment, who have been trained to specialize in their field of work for the benefit of customers themselves?
NONE!
The customer is NEVER, I repeat, NEVER right!
I have no doubt many of you have shared similar experiences in the work force, so please, feel free to share those experiences here.
Until next time,
Flash
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Pea-tear Griffin... Peter Griffin... Aww crap!
Hello my fellow bloggers! Flash here! First time viewer; first time blogger.
I was first introduced to the world of blogging when my girlfriend introduced me to her life in blogging... http://www.middlepaw.blogspot.com/
At first, blogging wasn't something I saw myself getting into; not my style.
I wanted to make a movie, Halo if you must know, with my own little twist on it. I thought well hey, I've gotta get some interest in my idea somehow, so I turned to blogging. It didn't go so well; not the making the movie part, haven't gotten around to that yet; it was the consistently updating the blog that was hard for me to keep up with.
I didn't touch my blog for months, just left it there to make myself look and feel like an idiot.
Recently, I've discovered a number of little things in daily life that like to get under my skin, like to "GRIND MY GEARS". Doing so, I found a new use for my blogging account.
"What Grinds My Gears" is inspired by a great icon, a family man, a father, a husband, and a man who's unpredictable stupidity provides humour to many of us. This Family Guy is no other than Peter Griffin himself. Those of you who are familiar with the cartoon series Family Guy might recall an episode where Peter had his own segment on the news called "What Grinds My Gears". It is those random topics through out our day to day lives that like to get on our nerves and dig under our skin that I will be addressing in my blogs.
To begin with, I will be putting up a few that have really pushed the wrongs buttons in my life in the more recent times. So until then, please do feel free to check up on my blog for updates.
Flash
I was first introduced to the world of blogging when my girlfriend introduced me to her life in blogging... http://www.middlepaw.blogspot.com/
At first, blogging wasn't something I saw myself getting into; not my style.
I wanted to make a movie, Halo if you must know, with my own little twist on it. I thought well hey, I've gotta get some interest in my idea somehow, so I turned to blogging. It didn't go so well; not the making the movie part, haven't gotten around to that yet; it was the consistently updating the blog that was hard for me to keep up with.
I didn't touch my blog for months, just left it there to make myself look and feel like an idiot.
Recently, I've discovered a number of little things in daily life that like to get under my skin, like to "GRIND MY GEARS". Doing so, I found a new use for my blogging account.
"What Grinds My Gears" is inspired by a great icon, a family man, a father, a husband, and a man who's unpredictable stupidity provides humour to many of us. This Family Guy is no other than Peter Griffin himself. Those of you who are familiar with the cartoon series Family Guy might recall an episode where Peter had his own segment on the news called "What Grinds My Gears". It is those random topics through out our day to day lives that like to get on our nerves and dig under our skin that I will be addressing in my blogs.
To begin with, I will be putting up a few that have really pushed the wrongs buttons in my life in the more recent times. So until then, please do feel free to check up on my blog for updates.
Flash
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