The Starbucks "we're closed" experience

• You're trying to run away from a knife wielding attacker, but you're unarmed and your legs have turned to rubber, rendering you defenseless
• You've entered the movie theater to see Iron Man, but the movie never starts
• You just began your final examination, but just realized you can't answer a SINGLE question

Have you ever had dreams like these? I had a similar one last night: I'm in line to buy ice cream. There are 10 or 12 people in front of me. I look down to check my watch, and when I look up again, the ice cream window is CLOSED.

They say dreams speak to what is real, and in fact something like this happened to me a few months ago, only it wasn't at an ice cream place. Rather, it was at a Starbucks at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. I was about the fifth person in line, with another six or seven people behind me. All of a sudden, a Starbucks barista comes forward, tells everyone "We're closing" and shuts the gate (and it was right at their closing time). Those of us in line are left looking at each other in amazement.

What arguments can one make on either side for why they were right or wrong for closing this way, with people in line? What alternatives could they have considered?

On the one hand, Starbucks wants to be considerate of its employees. They have schedules and families, and an expected closing time. On the other hand, how do you think all of us, as waiting customers, reacted? We spent time in line, getting there before their closing time, expecting to get service. But we received none. Is it possible the negative reaction from the customers outweighs the benefits to Starbucks of closing "on time"?

I actually wrote a letter to Starbucks, suggesting an alternative: if customers are in line, stay open until all of the ones who entered the line prior to closing are served. At closing time, instead of shutting the gate, maybe the barista could put an orange cone in back of the last person in line. Then, he or she could tell the line that they were welcome to stay in line, and that they would get service. However, no one else would be able to enter the line.

Does that sound like a good solution? What others could you think of? More importantly, can you apply this lesson on "expectations" to your own job situations?