Six-Shooter Cyndi

Good morning... What can I get for you?

As promised, I'm gonna tell you about Six-Shooter Cyndi (or SSC for short)... the super barista that I had the pleasure of working with at my first store as a manager. Cyndi was the quintessential soccer mom... knew everyone and their brother in town and was non-stop movement.The first day I arrived to my new store, Cyndi was there to greet me.

SSC: Hey hon, can I start you a beverage before we open?

Pat: Sure, how 'bout an Americano with 1-inch room?

SSC: Here you go... I started the safe already and the bar is good to go, so we can put out pastries and chat... I want to hear about your Alderwood Mall experience.

The entire day went like that... She anticipated and drove the entire interaction. She introduced me by name to every customer (whose names she knew as well)... "Meet our new fabulous manager", she'd say. Needless to say, it was amazing. But that's not why I called her Six-Shooter Cyndi. A line of 12 customers could appear instantly in the mornings and she would enthusiastically greet them all... at once.

SSC: Good morning all... I've got all of your drinks started, so relax and enjoy the view of the pastries.

It was like watching a gunslinger knock off other gunslingers that hadn't even had a chance to unclip their guns yet... let alone think about a gunfight. She made people smile... always. She'd give a "Hiya, Howya, Whoya" and warm your heart like no one I know. All of this and she'd been a barista for 8-years. She was a Shift Supervisor actually. She was my right hand and if I needed to implement something, she be the first to rally the troops. On top of all of this... she had 2 kids and a husband to take care of. The woman was non-stop movement, I tell ya.

So, let me tell you about the day I got to make her happy. Her and her husband always seemed to struggle to make ends meet. They had a little debt and I think she hid just how it affected her. Then one day, I got a glimpse at how much... she was pretty upset after taking a phone call... a bill collector... called her at work. Long story short, she finally told me that their debt was a weight in her life. Immediately, I asked her if she'd thought about cashing out some Bean Stock to help her out.

SSC: Jeeze, I don't have the money to buy stock let alone pay off this debt.

Pat: Oh, no, no... you've been around a long time, I'm sure you have some options built up. Bring me your statement tomorrow. Do you have a copy of the statement?

SSC: Yeah... I'll bring it in later this morning.

Later that morning...

Pat: Holy crap... I think we solved your problem... Here's how much we can liquidate.

SSC: If you're kidding, I swear I'm gonna kick your ass.

Pat: I kid you not... I think you guys should take out extra for a vacation as well.

So that was it... we rearranged her schedule so she could have a week off to go to Disneyland with the family. You could tell it really lifted off an enormous pressure. Now I'm not sure if they ever got back into the same situation... and who cares... she had a moment in her life where she'd felt like she won the lottery... and nobody could take that away.

So, we gonna see you tomorrow for your usual?... that's what I thought.

Pat Nerr...