Jacob Lubner
Final Blog Post
During my time in Italy, I had the ability to experience a whole new culture. I enjoyed learning about the Italian language and people. However, there were some confusing moments. One time I was very confused was my first-time ordering coffee. The coffee shop culture is very well known across the world but can be confusing to Americans. Traditionally, we pay for our coffee then receive it. In many coffee shops, the opposite happened. We ordered our coffee directly with the barista, drank it, then paid. I believe this culture of coffee shops demonstrates not only the trust in Italy, but also the Italian’s enjoyment of their time. Instead of rushing with Starbucks like we do in the United States, the Italians sit and enjoy their coffee before proceeding with the day’s activities.
There were many times at first that I tried to pay first but was quickly rejected by the employees. I do not enjoy this because I’d rather pay and leave at my leisure. In many experiences, I was not able to properly enjoy because I had not paid yet. Moreover, there were a few instances where I forgot to pay! It reflected poorly on me, but I simply had forgotten because I was used to paying first. Additionally, from a customer service perspective, it can be challenging in a fast-paced environment to remembered who had paid and who had not. In one case, I was chased down because the shop keepers did not believe I had paid when in reality I did. These interactions were very awkward and put a damper on my day.
Someone from the United States might view these interactions with annoyance. In the United States, many prefer convenience and practicality. As mentioned, Starbucks has their system very practical and efficient. Other fast-casual restaurants and coffee houses have their business model where the customer pays first then received the product. This alleviates a surprisingly high bill at the end or confusion between staff and customer. Even at a higher end restaurant, you are unable to leave your table without paying the bill. All this to say Americans would be very confused and unhappy at the popular system of many Italian coffee shops. Specifically, many might be annoyed and upset if they were to be chased down or questioned about if they paid a bill or not.
These reflections have helped me to prepare for future interactions because I now understand a critical part of many cultures. In many businesses, they are far more trusting and casual with their customers which means a laid-back environment like in Italy. While I do not prefer this, I can understand the general appeal. Especially in local neighborhoods with regular customers, the business owners can be far more trusting. On the other hand, the United States is far less local and more corporate with its businesses. Therefore, many American businesses by policy are less trusting. In all, I prefer the methods of the U.S. restaurants and coffeeshops because it is a much more convenient experience.