A barista at my local Starbucks is interested in my caffeine intake. A recent conversation with said barista went something like this.

Me: I’d like a tall Chai Tea Latte, please.

Barista: Sure. Uh, do you know that the Chai has caffeine in it?

Me: Yes.

Barista: Well…you’re pregnant, right?

Me: Uh, yeeeees.

Barista: (Hesitantly) I just needed to let you know that.

Me: O-kaaaay.

A bit surprised and not able to eloquently communicate all it was that I was thinking in that moment, I feebly walked over to the pick-up counter to wait for my drink. (Perhaps one of my biggest weaknesses is not being able to clearly communicate in uncomfortable situations.)

In my mind though, I was hopping mad. I do happen to know that a Starbucks Chai contains caffeine and I also know exactly how much – 75 mg for a tall cup, well within the daily 200 mg recommendation for pregnant women. I’ve done the research so that I can indulge every now and then when I’d like a treat.

Standing there waiting, I could feel the eyes of other customers on me, no doubt thinking that I’m a horrible person for drinking a caffeinated beverage while pregnant. I might as well of whipped out a cigarette and a flask of whiskey and really indulged myself.

Over dinner that night, I told the story to my husband. He said, “Maybe it’s a Starbucks policy for employees to notify pregnant customers of beverages that contain caffeine. You know, for liability purposes.”

“Well then do they inform obese customers about the number of calories in their brownies?” I shot back at him.

In all honesty, I hadn’t considered his point of view and it got me thinking. So I called Starbucks Customer Service and spoke to a very pleasant woman who wanted to help answer my question. She called the location of the Starbucks where I purchased my drink and asked about the store’s employee policies.

After a couple of minutes, she returned to the line to tell me that it is not an employee requirement to inform pregnant women of the amount of caffeine in its beverages. She went on to say that the barista probably had good intentions, but it was clearly not an appropriate thing to say and proper communication skills would be defined to the barista.

And would I like to receive a couple of coupons for my next visit to a Starbucks? Sure, I would like that indeed.

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