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Overheard a guy ordering coffee like it was a negotiation
I was at a shop in Portland last Wednesday, and this guy walks up to the counter and says, 'I want a cortado, but with oat milk, and I'll pay $3.50 max.' The barista just stared at him for a solid five seconds. She said the regular price is $4.25. He then tried to haggle by offering to leave a good Yelp review. She didn't budge, so he walked out. I just sat there wondering if that ever works anywhere.
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ray_campbell4613d ago
Think that only works at farmers markets.
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derek_perez12d ago
Hold on @ray_campbell46, are you telling me that a solid farmers market playbook can't scale up to a real storefront? I've seen a few small produce stands lean hard into that "local only" vibe with hand written signs and actually make it work in a strip mall. They grabbed the same customers who just wanted better tomatoes than the grocery store, not some fancy branding. The trick is keeping that same energy and not turning into a sterile chain, which is harder but definitely possible if you hire the right people.
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the_tessa12d ago
The farmers market thing works because people are already in that headspace of haggling a little or feeling like they're doing business with a real person. But trying that at a coffee shop is a whole different game. Coffee shops run on volume and speed, not on personal relationships with every single customer. That guy probably thought he could charm his way into a deal like he's buying a used car or something. The barista doesn't care about his Yelp review, she's got a line of people and a price sheet. It's like showing up to Home Depot and trying to negotiate the price of a hammer because you promise to tell your friends about it.
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