Busting A Stereotype With Starbucks

     I got home from Fort Lauderdale late this evening and wearily cruised through the near-empty airport on my way to baggage claim and ground transportation.  When I walked outside to get the Preflight Parking shuttle over to where I had parked my car, I found that I was the only one on the van.  I was thinking of giving the driver a Starbucks gift card, but first had to overcome a bit of stereotyping.  Let me explain.

     I'm as guilty as the next person of having the tendency to judge people far too quickly.  In particular this evening, I was thinking about the kind of person who normally drives a parking shuttle.  I figured that they're likely lesser educated and more likely to buy coffee at 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts than they are to walk into a Starbucks.  To my surprise, however, the driver was listening to NPR, and more specifically, an interview that was being conducted with an economist - not the kind of thing I assume most drivers listen to.  When he dropped me off, I asked him if he enjoys Starbucks coffee, and he enthusiastically said that he loves Starbucks, so I gave him a gift card.  He was genuinely thankful, and reiterated how much he likes Starbucks.

      Thinking about it afterwards, it was another reminder to me to simply offer kindness wherever I can, without too much pre-judgment.  As I learned very early in the year, sometimes things go as I planned or expected, and sometimes they don't.  I can learn things from both.  

Transferring the Act

     I was coming home from Cleveland today and as I got to the Philadelphia airport I was thinking about giving someone a Starbucks gift card, but I couldn't decide who.  To be honest, I wasn't even sure what criteria I would be using, other than finding someone that felt "right."  After considering (and deciding against) a number of people, I settled on a woman who was working the information desk in the F terminal.

     The woman was seated behind a big semicircular counter.  As I approached her, I asked her if she liked Starbucks coffee.  Her first response was, "No, we don't have that here."  She thought I was asking if there was a Starbucks in that terminal.  I tried again, explaining that I wanted to know if she personally enjoyed Starbucks coffee.  To this she responded, "No, I don't drink coffee.  I just never liked it, though I do like coffee ice cream."  

     I shared that I don't like coffee either, but that I had a Starbucks gift card that I had intended to offer her.  "I have a good friend who would love it," she informed me.  So I said that I would make her a deal.  I'd give her the card to give to her friend, as long as she explained that it was from a stranger and that, in return for accepting the card, she had to do something nice for someone else.  The woman promised that she would convey that message, but she let me know that she would have no way of knowing whether or not her friend had complied.  Her friend was a pretty nice person though, she added, and probably would do it.

     It was a rather interesting exchange and was yet another reminder that you  never know precisely what you're going to get in any interaction.  Still, I'm finding it fun to push harder on the "pay it forward" requests.  It gives a whole different flavor to the conversation, and it's a flavor I like.  Most importantly, it has to increase the likelihood that more kindness will spread as a result.

Kindness At the Airport

      This one will take a little background explanation.  Fresh bagels are among my most favorite foods in the world, and my favorite bagels are from Bruegger’s.  Unfortunately, most Bruegger’s on the East Coast closed down a number of years ago, so whenever I’m in a part of the country where I can get them, I take advantage of it.  Well, in the Pittsburgh airport, they actually have a Bruegger’s and it was right across from the gate for my flight home today!

     As I walked up to the counter to order a bagel sandwich for lunch, the woman behind the counter asked how I was.  When I said, “awesome” she told me that she was “awesomer!”  She then proceeded to dialogue with me about exactly how I wanted my sandwich and she made several suggestions/recommendations.  Seeing the genuine pride and care with which she went about making my sandwich, I asked her if she liked Starbucks.  When she said that she did, I gave her one of my Starbucks gift cards.  Surprised, she asked if I was one of those “Starbucks company people”, assuming I was somehow tasked with spreading Starbucks cards.  Instead, I answered that I was just a guy who appreciated her taking such good care of me.  She was so pleased and touched.  Typical of people who are focused on excellence, she told me that I didn’t have to do that because it was her pleasure to help me. 

     What a great exchange this was.  My day was improved by interacting with her, and her day was improved by a surprise gift!

Doubling the Kindness

     I promise this will be the last story related to bringing my daughter home from college.  As we've done before, we rented a minivan for the trip so that we'd more easily be able to fit everything in one vehicle.  We arrived home last this afternoon and after emptying out the van, I headed to the rental car place to  handle the return.

     The woman at the rental car counter was particularly pleasant so I decided I might use one of my gift cards for her.  When I noticed that she had a cup of coffee behind her that was from Starbucks, I asked her if she liked going there.  Following her affirmative answer, I presented her with a Starbucks gift card.  She was quite surprised and commented that it was so nice of me.  I told her that my only request was that she do something nice for someone else today, to which she readily agreed.

     As I've noted before, I'm trying to be better about gently suggesting a pay-it-forward notion to recipients of my acts of kindness, wherever it feels reasonably appropriate.  In this way, I can at least double the kindness that gets put out into the world from each act.

Starbucks (almost) Always Works

     When I left home earlier this week I had intended to bring a few of my gift cards with me.  As you may remember, over the past few months I've bought a handful of $5 gift cards to Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, and McDonalds.  These come in very handy for spur-of-the-moment decisions to make someone's day.  As it turns out, I forgot to grab them out of my car where I usually keep them, so I'm traveling "naked."  

     When I arrived back at O'hare today, I noticed a Starbucks near the baggage claim area, so I decided to pick up 2 gift cards I could have at my disposal.  I noticed that I felt like a little kid!  I had liquid gold in my hands and unlimited possibilities of people to give one to.  I intended to give a gift card to a worker I saw sweeping the floor in the men's room at the airport, but he disappeared before I had the chance to give him one.  Not to be discouraged, I chose to give one to a very friendly man who was working the exit booth at the car rental agency - you know, the guy who checks your documentation before you leave.  Anyway, he had an interesting first name so I chatted with him about it and then handed him the gift card, telling him to enjoy a coffee on me.  He smiled broadly and thanked me, sharing that he had a good friend who worked at a Starbucks.

     One other observation from the last few days:  I've noticed that the vast majority of people traveling through the airports seem to be reasonably happy, and so many have been genuinely kind.  Whenever I've seen someone struggle with a bag, several people have quickly offered to help.  I've seen lots of people move seats on buses to make it easier for other passengers.  If someone drops something, strangers are quick to pick it up for them.  Yesterday through several flight delays due to mechanical issues, most people seemed much more patient and understanding than I would have expected.  I don't honestly know whether people are becoming friendlier or I'm just tuning in to it more, but it's a good thing nonetheless.

Starbucks for the Stressed

     Airports are such interesting places to observe people, and they're certainly filled with opportunities to offer assistance or to make someone's day.  I was flying from San Francisco to Phoenix and I decided to check my bags to make it easier to negotiate my way through the airport.  When I arrived in Phoenix I made my way to baggage claim to retrieve my bags.  As I was doing so, I noticed the US Airways baggage office was a bit crowded with people trying to locate missing bags and make arrangements to have them delivered. 

     The 2 women who were behind the counter looked stressed, but seemed to be handling the frustrated passengers as effectively as possible.  It occurred to me that that must be a tough job  - spending the entire day dealing with people for whom a mishap had occurred, and people who were usually tired and cranky.  So when the room eventually cleared, I went up to the counter and offered a Starbucks gift card to one of the women as a way of brightening her day.  She seemed really touched and couldn't thank me enough.

     It was nice to make a small and unexpected difference for someone today.