the tale of three coffee shops

something that's ticked me right off?
let me tell you.
let ME tell YOU.
LET ME TELL YOU.
yes, i will tell you.
i will tell you
The Tale of Three Coffee Shops

coffee shop #1: it was a bright bright sunshiny day and the anniversary of my dear friend Lauren's birth. we were on a walk down to the local coffee shop to get ourselves something like but not neccessarily a hedgehog mocha. the line was long and the price high, but still we persisted. we ordered, took a seat. my coffee came quickly, but hers never materialized. we waited ten minutes, twenty. i drank mine, we talked about her soon-to-be fiance, we glanced at the clock.
to make a long story short, we found out [later, much later] that the girl making our coffees had made mine, and then discovered that her shift was over. and left.
her boss called her on her cell phone, and she came storming back in, about ten minutes afterward. she poured the coffee, angrily mixed the drink, slammed it down in front of lauren, "here," stormed out, slamming the door behind her. we took it to go.

coffee shop #2: it's date night; barclay and i need coffees. we know of this one place just down the street, in fact, two or three blocks from coffee shop #1. the sign on the door says "open til 9" so we have time. it is 7:35. we stand at the counter for twenty minutes. a grouchy looking girl shows up. "you guys don't want food or anything i hope."
we exchange glances. "just coffees, if that's ok?"
"to go?"
we exchange glances. "well..we were hoping to sit inside. when do you close?"
"nine."
"is it ok if we sit inside."
her forehead is furrowed. it is not ok but her mouth moves slowly to say that it is.
we stay. as we sit, she stomps up to the front of the shop and deliberately turns off the neon open sign. she starts putting the chairs up. she mops. it is 8:06.
we leave. 54 minutes before closing.

coffee shop #3: it is last night. there is a little coffee shop located just between coffee shops 1 & 2. it is 7:28, and this coffee shop doesn't close until 11.
we step in, smile at the girl behind the counter. "we'd like a couple coffees please."
her smile is strained. "actually, we don't serve coffees here after 5. it just gets too busy."

the moral of the stories:
if you work at a coffee shop, you should, a) give people all of what they paid for b) not be upset about having to work right til closing time and c) sell coffee.
love, me. the unhappy camper of a customer who is going back to starbucks.