A smile and some manners can go a long way in this world; just ask barista Austin Simms from Roanoke, Virginia. The way people treat one another is important, and he wanted to remind people of that — he just didn’t know he’d become famous for it.
Austin was getting a bit fed up with serving rude customers, so he decided to put a sign outside to remind people about manners.
As the barista at CUPS Coffee and Tea, Austin was used to serving up a smile to all of his customers that would walk through the door. Unfortunately, it seemed quite a few of his customers woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
To send a little reminder for people to be kind, Austin created a new pricing policy and announced it on the sandwich board outside. The simple message was about to catch the attention of thousands.
“One small coffee” $5
“One small coffee, please” $3
“Hello, one small coffee, please” $1.75
Much to Austin’s surprise, a photo of his sign went viral, and it ended up catching the attention of a local news station. It seemed like people could relate to Austin’s frustrations with the lack of manners in others.
“I decided because I need to solve all the injustices of the world to start charging more for people who didn’t take the time to say hello and connect and realize we’re all people behind the counter,” Simms told WDBJ.
He put the sign out on a Sunday and by Wednesday, he had cameras showing up outside his coffee shop to get a glimpse of the sign.
The upcharge for not saying hello or please is a reminder for anyone walking in the coffee shop — a simple message of The Golden Rule, treat others as you want to be treated. Too many people forget to practice this.
The creativity and message behind Austin’s sign will hopefully encourage others to stop and take an extra second to say hello and smile. The best part is that he hoped for better manners but wasn’t expecting the overwhelming reaction from the sign.
It turned out to be incredible advertising for the coffee shop!
Austin’s simple yet creative sign should be implemented in all businesses! Thanks for spreading the love Austin.
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