[WirelessGigabit]

> I’m baffled that so many people who sell coffee for a living, think they know a lot about it, and act like coffee snobs, don’t seem to understand what cold brew even is.

Anecdotally, this is something I've experienced in the USA more than in Europe. When I ask a question in store a lot of times I get the feeling that the person answering considers themselves an expert and quickly make claims that I know for a fact are false.

It's like in the USA saying "I don't know, but let me get someone who does" isn't allowed.

[lb1lf]

   > It's like in the USA saying "I don't know, but let me get someone who does" isn't allowed.

-Anecdotally, I believe this sentiment is inversely related to worker protections - it appears that the easier it is to fire you, the less likely you are to volunteer that you are not at the top of your game at all times.

[dmix]

You're saying Europeans are less smug than Americans?

[Spivak]

It's less about smugness and more that customer-service people are expected to behave like AI and always have an answer whether it's correct or not. I hope at some point we can drop the facade and "I don't know man, I just run the till. Do you want coffee or not?" becomes an acceptable response.

[ClumsyPilot]

It’s more about behaving like a chatbot or pre-programmed robot.

If dealing with situation B is not in the manual, they will tell u situation B can’t happen, even if it happening right now.