The Race for Coffee

     Many of the customers that come into my store are simply interesting and that is the only, well, the kindest way to explain their behaviors. Some particular customers grab my attention by the uncanny ability to avert my attention from whatever task I’m doing and either laugh or cry to myself. For example, there are the customers that have apparently just come from some sort of jog or a running marathon, and have chosen my coffee shop as their finish line. Countless customers have come in drenched with sweat only to exhaustedly wave a hand to my greeting of “hello! What can I get for you?” as they proceed to the bathroom to pass out from their exhausting journey to our store.
   
     These customers also tend to leave the store without ordering anything with the exception of free water, so while they are evidently dead in our bathroom I always begin to think to myself – “are there no other rest stops on their long journey except our coffee store off a busy intersection? Is this the first time they have ever gone jogging and are thus unaware that they can and should actually bring their own water if they plan on jogging any distance on a 100° day?” Perhaps I should be honored that these athletic individuals have chosen my store’s bathroom out of the no doubt countless miles they have traveled to arrive at a coffee store.

            There is another type of customer of the athletic orientation that similarly amuses my often “bored-at-work” mind as well. We often have many cycling customers that, like their marathon running brethren, have apparently detoured from the Tour de France, and have graced our store with their sweaty, tired presence. They come in to our store with tight spandex cycling apparel looking as though they’re only taking a second break before jumping back on their bikes and continuing their race. The thing I find most amusing however, is that they always come in wearing their helmets causing me, without fail, to duck and look towards the ceiling while covering my own head as if some part of the ceiling is falling and only our customers had the foresight to wear protective gear before coming into our deteriorating store.