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Two local stores that could use courses in customer relations
By adamg on Mon, 10/06/2008 - 9:09am
Cleary Squared goes to the new Staples in Roslindale Square, reports that if it wants to retain any customers on the weekends, it's going to have to instill some pride in the sullen, put-upon teens apparently running the place on Saturdays and Sundays.
Dan Miller reports he only goes to the School Street Starbucks because he needs his morning coffee, not because he enjoys "being held hostage by the designated drink maker, who thinks he's Tom Cruise in 'Cocktail.'"
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Comments
With the Staples issue those
With the Staples issue those are probaly the part timers, I know alot of stores like that have full timers who work during the week who hate working the weekend, they tend to be more of the adult variety.
As for Starbucks I know what hes talking about. I like to have a fresh bagel in the morning and have tried taking one in with me but it never quite works so I go to Dunkin Donuts to get one. A few years ago I used to order it toasted with the cream cheese on it, and it would get done fairly fast. The I put the cream cheese on the side when it seemed to take a little too long for me to get my bagel. Then I stopped having it toasted. The I dropped the cutting, so it was just a bagel and cream cheese. I even tried dropping the cream cheese, and I still end up in "line" at the other counter for my bagel while I stand there and wait for the poor kid back there to make has browns, crescent morning things, and all sorts of other crazy things. I cant blame him he is working as fast as he can and doesnt know all I need is a bagel in the bag, the problem is the counter people put it in his pile to do. Its very annoying, I just need the bagel I can do everything else at the office...
Getting the H out of there
Shady dude, you totally need your coffee.
"crescent morning things" - love it! DD has way too many menu items and variations on menu items and clever sound-alike names for menu items and it really slows things down while that one poor kid or recently arrived English language learner tries to get it all sorted out. Meanwhile, the donuts suck more than ever.
I dont drink coffee, or
I dont drink coffee, or caffeine really. It makes me jittery and speeds things up too much for the first two hours followed by the mid day crash followed by the later afternoon jolt. Its a roller coaster I just cant handle. Although during finals season when I was in college I would pop a chocolate covered expresso bean every so often to keep me running for 2 sleepless nights.
I dont understand half the stuff that is going on with their menu. Apparently you can get freeze dried bacon and eggs on any bakery item of your choosing. I also realized "crescent morning things" makes me sound like Im 104, but I couldnt call them by their proper french names, it just wouldnt be right, not with a morning sausage stuffed into it lol. Oh yeah, about those donuts, I used to love to have the crullers, but then they got cheap and stopped braiding the crullers and just started making donut sticks. If Im gonna eat that many calories it should be what I want , not just a straight donut.
My Dunk's wish is that
they would bring back the marble cruller... ah, now that was good. Also that I could call them a creuller again and have someone know what the hell I am talking about!
(Now they are called "sticks".)
Morning Bagel
I gotta say - Finagle a Bagel. Everyone else is getting their stuff at DDs or Starbucks, so there is usually no coffee line. They move it fast, and have a better, healthier selection.
I recommend the Whole Wheat Everything bagel, toasted, with Jalapeno cream cheese.
Second Finagle-a-Bagel...
Their sandwich selection can't be beat, and they have really good pizzas. It's a little more pricey, but well worth it; the place across the street from Park St is airy and hardly crowded, compared to the BK next door.
Yuck
finagle makes crusty rolls. Those should not be considered bagels.
The closest thing around here that the chain stores can produce that remotely resembles a bagel is the bruggers bagel. It's at least dense and chewy.
I'll try my luck at one of the other stores...
I think the Landmark or Dedham store offers the same chair until October 11, and they'll assemble it for me for an additional $7.95.
I can understand the full-timers, though, who get scheduled for Saturday (a busy shopping day for 9-5 people) or Sunday (the day after the sales circular comes out, and it gets REALLY busy). That's why I never went back to retail after the old Footwear House/Crown Shoes closed back in 1990; I got my weekends back.
Sundays were time-and-a-half, though.
"crescent morning things"
I love that. (edit--weirdly, I only just saw SG's similar comment. and it does NOT make you sound 104, if that is a bad thing. It makes you sound like the Dunkin Donuts poet laureate.)
Croissants 101 ... er ... 104
Naw, yer not 104 Shady ... it just sounded to me like a great generic description of "some sort of vague breakfast food" that comes in 27 permutations of toppings if you can remember whatever cutesy name they gave it to begin with.
Does anybody else remember the generic names they used to use for house brand cereal at Market Basket? I think "Crispy Hexagons" for pseudochex was my favorite.
Yeah the thought of getting
Yeah the thought of getting a croissant loaded with ham, egg, cheese and sausage just seems inane to me lol, and apprently to you as well. Not that theres anything wrong with any of that, if its fresh... Im a certified meat eater, but like my eggs to be cooked today, preferably in the past few minutes.
Similar Experience at Stalples on Sunday
I was there on Sunday to pick up some color copies. I had placed the request by uploading the file to their server. The copies I got had two lines of text juxataposed. This wasn't on my original. The "helpful" staff told me that this is because uploading coverts the file to pdf. I know that when I ordered it said preview not available and I wasn't concerned because I had printed it already in grayscale. They gave me a card for the copy center and told me to e-mail them in the future. I had to pay $10.48 for twenty copies that I can't use. I had sent documents before to other Staples and never had a problem before. I'm
e-mail Staples HQ to see if they can help me.
Nice excuse
Too bad it's a bogus one.
Staples Ideas
Did you try refusing to buy the copies and just walk out? At least it would have saved you the $11
Try obtaining a copy of Adobe that will let you convert to PDF and then only send PDFs. That might go around their conversion process and you'll ideally get the format desired.
Confused
So what does Cleary Square or Squared have to do with Staples, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and bagels?