A regular at the coffee shop changed how I see 'difficult' customers

I was talking with Mr. Henderson, who comes in every morning at 7:15, and he mentioned he always asks for his latte at exactly 160 degrees because his hands shake from his medication. For years, I just thought he was picky. It made me realize a lot of specific requests probably have a reason I don't know about. Has anyone else had a customer explain a rule that made you see things differently?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_murphy167d ago

That part about "specific requests probably have a reason" is so true. It's easy to get annoyed when someone seems high maintenance, but you never know what's going on. I had a customer who always wanted her sandwich cut in a very specific way, and it turned out her kid had sensory issues and would only eat it like that. It just makes you want to be more patient with everyone.

the_richard6d ago

Right? @wendy_murphy16 that's a perfect example. I always try to remember that if a request seems weird, it's usually solving a problem I can't see. Saves everyone a headache.