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Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#41

Post by SyneRyder »

beachstartup wrote: post #27
qewrffewqwfqew wrote: post #20

Not a spook, but it bugs me also when I'm asked to give my name to identify an order. I have an unusual name that people find difficult to pronounce and spell. Meanwhile, there are five Matts behind me who have each ordered different things. All six of us have to keep visual attention on the service area so we can identify our stuff when it comes out, because I won't know whose name they're trying to call and latte-M…

i'm sorry but it sounds like you're making things up. if your name is hard to spell or pronounce, why give them your real name? these kinds of social constructs are meant to be gamed, not taken at face value. i know people who give baffling names to baristas just for the fun of it. also, every starbucks i've ever been to say the name you give them, and the order description when they call out for pickup. MIKE DOUBLE…

At the cafes in Australia they rarely call out the order description, only the name, repeatedly until someone collects their order. Which often tempts me to give my name as "Bueller"...

I used to give an easier name to baristas (even though it turns out 75% of baristas can't spell "Colin" either), but once I signed up for a loyalty card it caused issues that my "Starbucks name" didn't match the one on my loyalty card, so I mostly use my real name now. Nowadays the baristas at my local have memorized my real name & my order, so it's no longer an issue.

Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#43

Post by wtracy »

mkhpalm wrote: post #42

So the moral of the story is secret agents get uncomfortable when a barista asks to put their name on a cup? These people sound super easy to spot in a crowd.

Well, they get uncomfortable being asked for their name in a context where they are already known to be doing covert work for the CIA. If it was a normal Starbucks where nobody in the room knew about their day job, they probably wouldn't care.

Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#44

Post by wtracy »

chrissnell wrote: post #15
tzs wrote: post #10

> The baristas go through rigorous interviews and background checks and need to be escorted by agency “minders” to leave their work area I would have expected the baristas to be actual CIA agents in training. Barista is a job available all over the world. Starbucks itself has locations in 65 countries, covering most of North and South America, most of Europe, and most of Asia. They also have pretty good coverage in t…

This is pure conjecture but I've served in the military and know how these things work in the more security-sensitive areas of that organization: My guess is that they are contractors, placed there by whatever corporation handles the rest of their foodservice. They could be former military servicemembers (cooks, quartermaster, etc) who have clean enough records and credit to obtain the security clearance. I'd be will…

"I'd be willing to bet that they are the most highly-paid baristas in the country."

Rumor also has it that the CIA has the highest-paid trash collectors in the world. (All paper waste is incinerated on-site, and is never touched by anyone who isn't cleared by the organization.)

Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#45

Post by thret »

r0h1n wrote: post #37

>>“But giving any name at all was making people — you know, the undercover agents — feel very uncomfortable. It just didn’t work for this location.” >> There are no frequent-customer award cards, because officials fear the data stored on the cards could be mined by marketers and fall into the wrong hands, outing secret agents. What? CIA agents don't like a real-name policy or their coffee consumption being mined by m…

This reminds me of the Seinfeld joke:

Jerry: This isn't a good time.

Telemarketer: When would be a good time to call back, sir?

Jerry: I have an idea, why don't you give me your home number and I'll call you back later?

Telemarketer: Umm, we're not allowed to do that.

Jerry: Oh, I guess because you don't want strangers calling you at home.

Telemarketer: Umm, no.

Jerry: Well, now you know how I feel.

[hangs up phone]

Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#47

Post by JacobAldridge »

SyneRyder wrote: post #41
beachstartup wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i'm sorry but it sounds like you're making things up. if your name is hard to spell or pronounce, why give them your real name? these kinds of social constructs are meant to be gamed, not taken at face value. i know people who give baffling names to baristas just for the fun of it. also, every starbucks i've ever been to say the name you give them, and the order description when they call out for pickup. MIKE DOUBLE…

At the cafes in Australia they rarely call out the order description, only the name, repeatedly until someone collects their order. Which often tempts me to give my name as "Bueller"... I used to give an easier name to baristas (even though it turns out 75% of baristas can't spell "Colin" either), but once I signed up for a loyalty card it caused issues that my "Starbucks name" didn't match the one on my loyalty card…

I always give my beautiful wife's name as it's much easier to spell and yell than mine, and slightly less common. It's amazing how many brains seem to process 'Jacob' as either 'Jason' or 'Joseph'.

But I am always tempted to give my name as Primrose Everdeen [1]

[1] http://hungergamesfandom.net/tag/i-volunteer-as-tribute/

Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#49

Post by qewrffewqwfqew »

beachstartup wrote: post #27
qewrffewqwfqew wrote: post #20

Not a spook, but it bugs me also when I'm asked to give my name to identify an order. I have an unusual name that people find difficult to pronounce and spell. Meanwhile, there are five Matts behind me who have each ordered different things. All six of us have to keep visual attention on the service area so we can identify our stuff when it comes out, because I won't know whose name they're trying to call and latte-M…

i'm sorry but it sounds like you're making things up. if your name is hard to spell or pronounce, why give them your real name? these kinds of social constructs are meant to be gamed, not taken at face value. i know people who give baffling names to baristas just for the fun of it. also, every starbucks i've ever been to say the name you give them, and the order description when they call out for pickup. MIKE DOUBLE…

> why give them your real name?

Reflex/conditioning? I've actually had exactly this conversation with a Matt, and we came to the common conclusion that we should both use a name like "Zorro" that's unique and easy to spell. But I haven't trained the reflex enough yet: generally when asked for my name, I have no reason not to give it.

Re: Inside the Starbucks at CIA HQ

#50

Post by nandhp »

owlish wrote: post #8
nandhp wrote: post #2

Isn't Starbucks Store #1 at Pike Place in Seattle? That seems like it would be suspicious; wouldn't it be better to borrow the store number of the one inside the Safeway or something?

According to the article, the receipt just says "Store Number 1", nothing about Starbucks.

Yes, but one guess where a receipt for a "Grande Mocha (Decaf, Soy, No Whip)" might come from.
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