Photo credit: Ally OBoyle

Freshman Ellie Silveri holds a Starbucks cup with the word “Enjoy!” written on it by a Starbucks barista. Compliments written on these cups are often scripted, but, in a hectic day of a barista, one should acknowledge their efforts.

When we receive a compliment from others, our brains sense it as a reward. This triggers a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in our brain’s reward and pleasure systems. A major beverage company has began to trigger this feeling millions of customers: Starbucks.

Since paper cups have completely replaced their usual plastic ones, new instruction has been introduced as well. With each order, Starbucks baristas are expected to write words of appreciation on customers’ new, sustainable paper cups. These include “You rock!,” “Espresso yourself!” and a personal favorite: “Livin la vida mocha.”

Most people are always happy to receive a compliment. Starbucks’s attempt to build community and spread positivity is valid. In our fast moving world, we don’t get much time to stop and chat with one another as often. The written messages portray Starbucks as a welcome and comfortable environment, which is always desirable when deciding where to grab an iced matcha. 

Kind? Sure. But personal? Nope.  

While these vague compliments are looked upon an attempt to spread kindness, the fact that they are writing the same compliment on four different cups for four different people stands out. Starbucks has been built around hand written orders on cups, custom drinks and loyal consumers. From a company that praises personalization, this idea seems surprisingly impersonal. Why would Starbucks want to limit their interaction with customers to scripted compliments? Authenticity matters.

The issue with mass produced compliments is they lose their value. Instead of a disingenuous message, people would much prefer to receive a real compliment.

Of course, nobody expects a barista, who is already juggling a demanding job, to leave you with an extremely deep and personal compliment. Even to baristas this practice of recycling a few different compliments may begin to become exhausting. When given the freedom to engage with customers authentically, more meaningful connections would be made. When a barista asked me where my bracelet was from and said it was “so cute,” I felt like I was making a real connection. 

Ask how your barista’s day is going. Their weekend plans? Engage in conversation yourself instead of forcing already stressed employees to do so themselves. Baristas interact with tons of people in a day. One meaningful conversation will stick with them out of the many scripted ones.

Forced interaction will never feel the same as a genuine connection. Rather than waiting for Starbucks to get personal, learn to do so yourself.