Mickey Kaus flags a snooty Timesman whining that his Starbucks experience isn't special enough:
Rewards are nice, but recognition is better. So if I'm one of Starbucks's best customers, I want to have elite status, as I do on American Airlines. I want shorter lines, better freebies... - Ron Lieber, NYT
Some years ago, I lived in Tours for about a month. On my second day there, I found a café where I could get two croissants and a Coke for 18 francs. I paid each day with 20 francs, dropping the remaining two in the tip jar. My fifth day I was running late and was in a mess of a line for the lunch rush. I'd pulled out my twenty francs and had been waiting in line about one minute when one of the cashiers came from behind the counter and handed me an ice-cold Coke and a sack with two croissants. I said Merci and gave her my twenty francs. She said Merci and wished me a good day. A damned sight better than any experience I've had with American Airlines, I'd add.
In most of the restaurants and cafés I frequent, I know a fair percentage of the staff by name. And they know me. I'm consistent in my habits and always glad to swap a few pleasantries. And mostly I have what Lieber's talking about. Shorter lines... as with my experience in Tours. Better freebies? I'm nice to people for the pleasant experience - on both accounts - but when there's a question about remembering to ring up an extra or not, it tends to go my way.
A tip to Ron Lieber: If you're a regular patron, drop the stuck-up, "I'm entitled" shtick and treat your baristas like real people. You'll be surprised how quickly you become an "elite" member, and you won't even need a card.
