I spent most of my growing up years in South Louisiana. A beautiful place where the trees are dripping with long strands of gray moss and just sometimes, if you are on the right road you can see alligators inhabiting the road side ditches.
I suppose I am thoughtful of Louisiana today because of the Saints in the Super Bowl, and a little something that happened at my local Starbucks. Don't worry, I am not here to talk about football. I did catch the last two quarters of the game, and feeling no allegiance to any team, found myself cheering for whoever had the ball at the time. How about that interception though!!!
What I really want to talk about is lagniappe. This is (very, very) roughly pronounced Lon-yop.
It is a word that was thrown around in my childhood days in Louisiana like howdy is here in Texas. It means an extra unexpected gift or benefit. In the old days it was mainly done by a shopkeeper to show favor at the end of a sale. He would throw in something a little extra to top off the deal.
I stopped by my neighborhood Starbucks yesterday to buy a bag of Guatemala Casi Cielo coffee beans. Oh, this coffee for me is just the yummiest, most wonderful, can't wait until it comes out each year so I can stock up coffee.
Anyway, did you know that when you pay for a bag of beans with a registered Starbucks card, you get a free tall beverage? You gotta love that. Now don't rush ahead, that is not the lagniappe in this story, because I went in knowing about that, so it doesn't qualify as an unexpected gift.
I walked in and there it was across the room. It is in a beautiful brown bag with gold touches, really wonderfully designed to make you think of decadence. I strode over to the counter to pay and the Barista said "Did you know that if you buy 2 bags of beans, you will get a 20% discount?" BTW... Barista-a coffee house employee who prepares and serves coffee based drinks
Oh no!! He was speaking to me in bright, colorful, flashing neon language. I just love a good deal. I hesitated momentarily, scrolling through my mental budget, quickly looking for a tidy place to list coffee addiction in my spending categories, then placed another bag on the counter top heaving a heavy sigh of resignation. I told him, I just couldn't pass up that kind of deal seeing as how this is my very favorite coffee.
He then went over the top and said "Oh, your favorite huh! Well, if buying two bags gets 20% off then three bags must mean 30% off." Yes, I do think I stood there with my mouth agape. I composed myself quickly and with no thought whatsoever of the budget, placed another bag on the counter.
You are probably thinking at this point that we have gotten to the extra benefit portion of the story. Nope! While it was definitely an unexpected benefit, it was not what ultimately captured my attention.
Oh, and before you ask... I did think about asking him about a fourth bag, but didn't want to press my luck!
As I was paying for my coffee he reminded me that I could get any tall beverage with my purchase. I really just like a good cup of drip coffee and let him know of my preference. Recently Starbucks made Pike Place blend their everyday coffee, and I say "ICK" to that. I know others really like it but after suffering through a few cups, I decided I didn't have to drink it ever again. They were just starting up a batch of Verona to brew, so I handed him my plastic cup I'd brought from home and set out to meander a bit while it was percolating.
As I approached the counter to check on the progress, I saw my Barista fellow dispensing hot water into my cup. He then walked over to the sink and poured it out with a flourish, then quickly back over to coffee to get it in while the cup was still warm. That, my friends was lagniappe to me!!!
That was an unexpected benefit. He turned around to hand me my cup and saw me standing there mouth agape again. He looked a little taken back. I quickly exclaimed "I saw you heat my cup!!" He thought it an accusation of some kind and tried to mumble out an explanation. I cut him off quickly and let him know that that little touch was just pure barista love and I appreciated it! I think maybe he blushed.
Little things like that speak loudly to me, probably because acts of service and gift giving rank high on my love languages list. (You should read more about love languages, it is very interesting!)
I know everyone doesn't speak the same love language, but I could almost guarantee that everyone appreciates lagniappe, if they take the time to notice it. So, this week as you are going about your regular routine...try to throw in a little something extra along the way. An unexpected gift or benefit.
You will more than likely not be noticed for it at all, but then again a crazy coffee loving fool might come across your path and want to hug your neck for it.
And, on the flip side, be aware of those around you who do choose to bestow lagniappe on you....and take the time to be grateful.
This is not meant to be an advertisement or guarantee of any discounts or services offered by Starbucks!
