Monday, September 08, 2008

Why I like Starbucks so much.. and an encounter with a good samaritan!

I'm now sitting at my favourite Starbucks in Borders, The Gardens - enjoying a Kitamu coffee with raisin scone.

Ok, I do this quite often.. nothing significant to blog about. Only this time, guess what? I don't have a single sen with me.. In fact I had absentmindedly left my wallet at home!!

This is the second time it happens to me in the last month.. That time, as if by miracle, a friend happened to be there and gave me RM20.

But this time, no friend turned up with money. And I only realised it after I ordered my coffee.. that my wallet was not in my bag.. but I'm dying to have my coffee..! how?

As usual I can be `thick-skin' and so I related my plight to the nice barrister.. and to my pleasant surprise, he said I could have my coffee.. and they would just bill me next time I come.

Actually I was also planning to eat something since I had a light lunch.. and was planning to go to gym after this (but now depending i have enough coins for the carpark!!) So I asked another friendly barrister if I could order food too, and she straight away said: `no problem at all'.

Yey! So here I am having my coffee and scones at Starbucks sans wallet. Guess it pays to be a regular.. but at the same time, I must commend them on their excellent customer service. And oh and they even offer to give me free refill for my COW. ;)

That's also why I like to frequnt SB as opposed to other coffee chains.. The quality of the coffeee is one thing, but it's the good service that makes you feel welcome there!

p.s. I hope I have enough coins in my coin purse in the car to make it RM1 for the parking later - else I wonder if the MVM carpark management is as nice as Starbucks!?

update: 7:35pm
Ahh, horrors! I miscalculated - I've exceeded the RM1 parking fees by 4 mins and as I poured all my coins at the ticket counter, it totalled only RM1.10. So I pleaded with the woman but she was merciless, insisting I had to pay RM2. She said she had to call her supervisor but the supervisor wasn't free.. I already explained my predicament and asked nicely if I could just borrow RM1 from her and gave her back the next day. She said no such rule - and she does then everyone would ask for the same!!

I guess my half-pleading/half complaining arouse the attention of passerby. About 5 minutes on, a young woman approached me and asked if I needed one ringgit and proceeded to pass me a RM1 note! I was a bit stunned and all I could say was `thank you' and also asked how I could pay her back but she smiled, petted my shoulder and said: `no worries' and walked away with her male friend.

Such nice person... I thought, and there was this warm feeling inside me as I walked towards my car..

To be honest, I wasn't afraid to face the supervisor and spent more time there - whatever it is, they had to let me out eventually! But I'm really thankful by a kind act from this good samaritan. Although RM1 is not a big sum, it's her kind gesture of bother to help out a total stranger that really touches me..

Thank you again.. Ms good Samaritan. :)

Unfortunately I can't say the same for the ticket counter staff.. but again, I should be a bit more charitable as she's merely doing her job.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey how do you get all these cool wallpapers? ;p

jesscet said...

shih ann: i only learnt about them recently too! There are LOTS of blog templates on the Web that ppl have designed - just google `blogger templates'..and if u like my type, you can read and refer to my previous post - i linked the site!:)

eyap93 said...

Ya..sometimes you will have such a honest,kind people in town ( just like me...hehehe )
Just to say that you such a great enroller la,just a small talk and can enrol a lady give you a rm1.But than the people at the ticket counter staff was not that easy ahh...emm...( wondering how to enrol next time )
Anyway to be honest to you that next time don't be so careless,and your wallet is your whole life belonging just remember to take it when you are out from home .That not every time got so lucky. Even you are driving.Simply because i had an experince of course not real life but it was in the traning la,this trainer has thought me a very good lesson.

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

wah wat luck..i suppose u cant blame the poor fellow working there..not every1 is as "honest" in this part of the country..

Anonymous said...

wow i love the new design of your site. just lovely.

j.tiong

jesscet said...

eyap: yes i won't be so careless anymore!

joe: you could say i was lucky, well yes, in principle the staff didn't have to help me i know..

j.tiong: thanks - ya, it's nicer than those in the past eh :p how're you doing?