Need a light?

Good morning… What can I get for you?

Today’s customer story comes from my time spent in the Downtown Seattle market. The store I managed there had 2 locations… “one up, one down” as we called it. An actual store at the lower portion of the building… and then a kiosk located inside of the building. A logistical challenge, but not insurmountable.

Our lower store had it’s own crack whore customer. A washed up lady who usually dropped by and spent her last venti coffee of the day’s worth of money on… a venti coffee. Well, one day she came by a little later than usual. She bought her coffee… slurred a “goodbye” (oh yeah… she was usually drunk too) and went to sit outside on the patio.

Then… she fell asleep… holding her coffee still… and her lit cigarette. We all watched for about 40 minutes as her head bobbed and she was deep in REM. We waited for the coffee to drop… or the cigarette… something… As the cigarette reached full cherry (and was STILL intact) she woke up, took a puff, flicked the ashes and stomped on the butt. In one motion she did all of that and got up to ask if she could get a warm up.

We were all impressed… Now that’s how you crack whore!

Hey… we’ll see you tomorrow for your usual… and be nice to your crack whore please. They are people too.

Pat Nerr…