Team member recognized by Starbucks Corporate Office for kind act

New Year’s Eve proved to be a slow day for Starbucks at the TA in Lodi, Ohio. APCM Chelsea McCurry was covering the counter when a guest walked in. The guest ordered her drink and went to scan her rewards. Chelsea informed her that Starbucks Rewards could not be redeemed at the location. The guest was having a rough day and this bit of news made it worse.

The guest took a step back and laughed in frustration. She then took a deep breath and vented to Chelsea. Chelsea stood there and listened to the guest, understanding that sometimes a person just needs to vent.

The guest apologized to Chelsea and went to leave the store. Chelsea called out her name and insisted the guest take a drink on the house to help redeem her faith and brighten her day.

The guest wrote into Starbucks about Chelsea, saying, “I realize we live in a different world now and times are tough for a lot of folks and a cup of coffee shouldn’t have gotten me so upset. I just didn’t want this specific act of kindness and her pleasant demeanor to go unnoticed. So, KUDOS to Chelsea! She should be recognized as a valuable part of your team.”

After receiving the email from the guest, Starbucks Cleveland-area DM Janise Spangler surprised Chelsea at the site with the help of Starbucks PCM Christina Nichols, Site GM Marc Miles and DM Chris Scheppner. Christina and Chelsea each received a pin representing great customer service to wear and a Green Apron card for the team’s recognition board.

“I was shocked and humbled to have been recognized for this encounter. After hearing and relating to our guest about the frustrations she had encountered, I felt a big push to do what I could to relieve her stress and see her leave happy. I wanted to be able to make her day better anyway I could. For me, it was one simple drink and an easy problem to fix; to her, clearly, it meant a lot more and it makes me happy to know I made a difference in her day,” Chelsea commented.