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Starbucks Employee Donates Kidney to Customer

nytimes.com — After years of small talk at the cash register, a barrista at a Starbucks offered to donate a kidney to a longtime customer suffering from polycystic kidney disease.

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  • EwMo, on 03/05/2008, -2/+60Wow. How amazingly and admirably selfless.
    • taffyhealscrowd, on 03/05/2008, -18/+20Or, the farthest anyone has ever gone for a better tip.
      • beankitty, on 03/05/2008, -10/+4boooooo.
      • moofer, on 03/05/2008, -13/+8I hope a 400 lb leper takes a ***** in your mouth when you're sleeping. What a ***** thing to say. Jesus. Go ***** yourself.
        • haydesigner, on 03/05/2008, -3/+5"Jesus. Go ***** yourself."

          Wow. Just... wow.
          • diggonaut, on 03/05/2008, -2/+4:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
      • TobiasParker, on 03/05/2008, -3/+9Bravo Taffy, people need to develop a sense of humor.
    • Kardall, on 03/05/2008, -8/+1And that's when you know you're going to suffer by the hands of death and suffering for all eternity, regardless of what deity (if any) you like... That was crude and uncalled for. Even if it was a joke, that was a little off the deep end of thought patterns.
      No one should ever think like this. How is helping someone else a sign of "wanting a better tip" type of ideal. Man, you need to kill yourself before you contaminate the gene pool.
      • taffyhealscrowd, on 03/05/2008, -0/+4Well, it was just a joke built on the absurd contrast between doing something as selfless as giving a kidney and something as insignificant as garnering more of a tip. Personally, I don't see how you can condemn a person for saying something "immoral" and then launch into a tirade which calls for someone to commit suicide.
    • DesertDude, on 03/05/2008, -0/+13Indeed. But it's going to be a little awkward if she forgot to tip from now on.
    • zxof, on 03/05/2008, -1/+10especially when her employer gets the credit (Starbucks employee) not Sandie Andersen
      • dinostabOMG, on 03/05/2008, -1/+5Yeah, that's absurd. Is that how she defines herself? "Starbucks employee?"
    • navyseel616616, on 03/06/2008, -1/+1I am a barista at starbucks, and that is beyond ledgendary service...thats...i dont even know what to say, amazing
    • BabyDaddy1972, on 03/14/2008, -0/+1I don't care how gay this makes me sound, but I teared up as I watched this story on the news. I thought that it exemplified the ultimate in selfless sacrifice that a person can make, and I wish like hell that there were more people like this out there. On some level, it gives me a glimmer of hope for our future to know that we're not completely lost yet....
  • KewlerKid3, on 03/05/2008, -12/+32He get any overtime pay for that?
    • Dokument, on 03/05/2008, -6/+9Employee: " Is there anything else you would like with that?"
      Customer: " Um i think i will take a kidney, can you add that on there or is it to late?"
    • h4mx0r, on 03/05/2008, -2/+20She*
  • daftie, on 03/05/2008, -2/+87“My husband said, ‘Next time someone comes in and says they don’t feel good, don’t give away another body part,’ ” Ms. Andersen said.

    What a nice lady.
    • davidamerland, on 03/05/2008, -9/+4This is an amazing story and it proves selflessness still exists in he world. Without wanting to detract in any way whatsoever from its feel-good impact I wonder what would have been his reaction had a longtime customer been complaining of erectile dysfunction?
      • moofer, on 03/05/2008, -2/+5Without wanting to detract in any way? if you didn't want to, you'd have stopped typing at the word "world" but instead, you had to show what a douchebag you are.
      • homietheclown, on 03/05/2008, -0/+6WTF does a kidney donation have to do with erectile dysfunction?
      • directrix13, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2She would suggest the grande viagrinni.
    • taffyhealscrowd, on 03/05/2008, -8/+3Why did you choose that particular quote to make your point? Seems like there were better ones out there to illustrate what a nice lady she was than a humorous quip from her, apparently, down-home, rough-around-the-edges husband.
      • daftie, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2Sometimes, outlining a light-hearted comment is what it takes for people to read these kinds of articles.
      • diggonaut, on 03/05/2008, -3/+1bkz that was SARCASM of course!
  • VikingoTJ, on 03/05/2008, -22/+14Voluntary charity has always done much more than any government program can ever do.
  • dtele, on 03/05/2008, -3/+140THATS customer service
    • thepuma77, on 03/05/2008, -1/+11That is Legendary service!
    • Raian, on 03/05/2008, -2/+12Starbucks' coffee was probably the cause of the problem
      • picsectionpleez, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1Yep- all that coffee could not have helped the kidney.
    • moofer, on 03/05/2008, -8/+3I really don't understand the insensitivity and callousness of the comments so far. I am a regular at a couple of different establishments, and have developed bonds with several of the employees there. Some of them have become very dear friends of mine. Putting myself in this situation, even with the bonds I've formed with these people is difficult. Who is anyone in this forum to dictate what a "friend" is or to dismiss the gift of life as "good customer service" - have any of you actually stepped back to think about what has transpired here? Someone has given of themselves, an organ that is redundant, but now puts them at risk for serious illness in the future, in the hopes of saving a life of someone that isn't immediate family, but means something to them all the same. THAT IS HARD CORE. That is courage, that is thoughtlessness, that is humanity in it's rawest form. For anyone here to trivialize such a gift only illustrates ignorance and childishness.
      • kettlehead, on 03/05/2008, -1/+5Oh shut up; we all know it was fantastically awesome sandie to donate her kidney. dtele just told a joke, and it was damn funny.
        • moofer, on 03/06/2008, -1/+1No, I won't shut up. I'm entitled to my opinion the same as you. You might think it was the pinnacle of hilarity, I see it as a waste of time and insulting. I'm a member here and am entitled to say WTF I want, when I want. That's the beauty of it. If you can't deal with it, you're on the wrong website.
      • diggonaut, on 03/05/2008, -1/+2Do you have redundant organs? May I offer you coffee?
    • regression, on 03/05/2008, -1/+5I just went into starbuck's the other day...I had an interesting experience. The service was good for what i witnessed. Here's the story.

      So, I walk in to my friendly neighbourhood Starbuck's shop. I proceed to stand in line with the other suckers that are willing to spend way too much money on sub-standard coffee. As I am waiting for the other suckers to get finished with their order I casually look around and notice the crappy paintings, the horrible recycled crap that said shop passes off as music...other inanities. Well, it's almost my turn. Just one lady in line ahead of me...


      This is where it all goes wrong...


      "welcome to Starbuck's how can i help you?"

      "I want a coffee drink that doesn't taste like coffee"

      look of complete bewilderment on employees face before regaining composure.

      "Any drink that has coffee in it WILL taste like coffee"

      "But I don't want that, what do you have"

      "We have chai tea-"

      "No, I want a coffee drink".

      More bewilderment on employee girls' face. I can only imagine her thinking, Is this for real? Am I on TV? The manager realizes the absurdity and makes her way over. Now we have two employees helping this one lady. This lady just can't understand that coffee tastes like coffee.

      Forever the observer, I look over at the barista. He has his head down pretending to be doing something, when in reality, he is listening to the complete and utter absurdity of the conversation, trying his best not to burst out laughing.

      Fifteen minutes later, the lady orders something. She receives it and leaves. I walk up, look into the eyes of the poor tortured soul of a girl, and we immediately start laughing. Complete hysterical laughter. It felt good. I place my order and give her a five dollar tip. Ten dollars for crappy coffee, and it was worth every penny.
      • diggonaut, on 03/05/2008, -4/+1Lololol!!! Amazing, thank you! May I copypaste this story all over the net and say it happened to me? :))))
      • gardenwife, on 04/04/2008, -0/+0It's too bad Starbucks makes them pool their tips and split them by hours worked for the week. That girl may not see much of the $5 you left. Your story made me laugh out loud! I work in a coffee shop, so know this kind of thing definitely happens and it IS hard to keep from laughing sometimes!
    • dominikkom, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1No,

      THATS an amazing person!
    • Synova, on 03/06/2008, -0/+1See, that 3 hour training session actually paid off.
  • simplesue, on 03/05/2008, -0/+27It never hurts to have a live conversation with somebody you meet. This is great, may both of them have long happy lives.
  • ElRaval, on 03/05/2008, -0/+10freakin' rad.
  • squishee, on 03/05/2008, -6/+86I bet the customer just wanted a tall kidney, but the employee talked her into upgrading to a venti sized one.
    • moofer, on 03/05/2008, -13/+2I wish I could dig you down about 40 times.
    • spookyttws, on 03/05/2008, -2/+4Dude it was a joke. And a mildly funny one at that.
  • VTCastle, on 03/05/2008, -2/+17Talk about your ultimate payback for buying $4 lattes.
    • AJoseph, on 03/05/2008, -0/+0Meh. $12 lattes are where it's at. I'm not satisfied until there is artwork in the foam.
  • bonkeykong, on 03/05/2008, -3/+6You want whipped cream with that?
  • wontstoptalking, on 03/05/2008, -10/+8Would you like a liver with that?
  • Ytse, on 03/05/2008, -0/+16As a recently hired Starbucks barista, this is totally inspiring.
    Also, there's a common acronym, CDR (Connect, Discover, Respond), that makes this comment towards the end of the article really funny:
    "She joked about Mr. Schultz’s recent, well-publicized emphasis on having employees make a 'human connection' with customers."
    • MetaMars, on 03/05/2008, -2/+10Totally inspiring? You're looking forward to giving away a kidney?
    • LoveYouSomeEric, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2I don't know... it's very nice and all, but it might be taking the whole "legendary service" thing a bit too far.
    • Ebeach, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1She could have used a damn comment card!

      But seriously, as a former barista, really reminds me of the culture around the company, a culture that just isn't there when you work in an office. Sigh.
    • rickytan, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1It's funny, I work in a bunch of corporate kitchens now but I started as a "barista." I miss it... I'd go back but I make 4x as much now. It's really a great part time job for extra cash or a good place for teens.
  • michelle70, on 03/05/2008, -2/+61In related news, a new study has found that excess caffeine consumption will cause kidney failure.
    • porco, on 03/05/2008, -0/+6Actually, it's worse than that. I read the article and the woman has "polycystic kidney disease" and has known she has had it for nearly 20 years.

      I googled +"polycystic kidney disease" +caffeine and found many references to PKD and how sufferers should avoid caffeine, specifically;

      " In animal research studies with Polycystic Kidney Disease, caffeine is harmful to Polycystic Kidney Disease. It increases cyclic AMP which stimulates polycystic kidney cyst growth. Caffeine raises blood pressure, and in PKD animal studies, causes an early death."

      So, this woman has had the disease for 20 years, irresponsibly ignored the consequences and continued to drink caffeine based beverages. Now that her kidneys have finally (and inevitably) crapped out she has taken a healthy persons kidney... nice!
    • FLLawLibrarian, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2I was wondering if I was the only one thinking this. But still, you got to give the Barista props for sticking her "kidney" out, as it were.
  • BackEnThaWomb, on 03/05/2008, -3/+11Where was that on the menu?
    • LordVance, on 03/05/2008, -2/+1"Turns out, Ms. Andersen had made Ms. Ausnes a special offer, off menu."
  • Brian48216, on 03/05/2008, -1/+15I hope she gets tipped....
  • yellowsnowcone, on 03/05/2008, -3/+94Wow. I feel bad. When I worked in customer service I would only give my customers the finger.
    • moofer, on 03/05/2008, -16/+2Jesus. I can't read any more of this *****. I hope none of you find yourself in this situation in the future. If you do, I hope I'm there to crack jokes at your dying ass.
      • Methodius, on 03/05/2008, -2/+7Lighten up, man.
        • moofer, on 03/05/2008, -11/+2make me, ass hole
          • Methodius, on 03/05/2008, -1/+9Even the lady that's giving her kidney is making light of an enormously charitable deed. It's only human, come down off your high horse.
          • Sprung, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1OK, last time you ridiculous dumbass. No one here has anything but admiration for this lady or anything less than sympathy for the sick woman. It is a lighthearted joke, one I'm sure the subjects of the story might even appreciate. No one said anything even remotely insulting, offensive or degrading regarding these two women. You don't need to defend them against imaginary slights. Stop trolling this article and GTFO, absolutely everyone here is sick of it.
  • megagram, on 03/05/2008, -10/+2Just make sure it's a skinny, extra-hot one with no foam!
  • McMaster88, on 03/05/2008, -9/+3Did he do it him self in the store?
  • marine63, on 03/05/2008, -8/+1kidney... not a heart...
  • 1timeuser, on 03/05/2008, -6/+30LOL THATS FUNNY, WITH THE COFFEE BEING BAD FOR YOUR KIDNEYS AND ALL!
    Good, now that I've preemptively ruined some poor bastards joke I must be off.
    • jerryterhorst, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1apparently that didnt stop michelle70, 8 comments above, or her diggers.
  • xGuerrillaRadio, on 03/05/2008, -3/+5This must be part of what they learned in that three hour training session. Can't argue with that kind of customer service! Well done, Starbucks. Well done.
  • coresnake, on 03/05/2008, -10/+2I wish people would stop calling them 'barrista's. All they do is hit a switch and catch liquid in a cup. How is that anymore advanced then your average clerk?
    • TheWorm, on 03/05/2008, -1/+5I work in a coffee shop, and I can tell you there's more to it than you think. Making a good drink is an art, and when you order a cappuccino, there is definitely a developed skill in getting the milk to foam that way, or making a good shot of espresso.
      For any drink you order fancier than a house coffee, there are multiple steps involved in making it.
      • Sprung, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1Starbucks all use superautomatic espresso machines now. The art of pulling a good shot is moot.
      • coresnake, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1HAHA WORM I ONLY ORDER TALL BLACK COFFEE WHAT NOW BITCH
    • LordVance, on 03/05/2008, -0/+4Ahhh... because that's all a barista does in the first place? That's like bitching about calling a bartender a bartender because all he does is catch cold liquid in a cup. It just happens to be what they are called...
      • Methodius, on 03/05/2008, -0/+3To be fair, mixing drinks is a lot more complex than "catching cold liquid in a cup," not to mention the fact that a bartender is responsible to some extent for all of his/her customers.
      • coresnake, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1No way man, its like calling someone who flips burgers at McDonalds a 'Chef'
    • DelayedEraser, on 03/05/2008, -2/+0you're right that Starbucks has switched entirely over to automatic machines, so the side of it that's making a good espresso shot is gone (though the milk foaming art is still there)

      but is that really the point here? or even worth bringing up? WOO! ANOTHER DIGG ARGUMENT ABOUT STARBUCKS!
  • Bologner, on 03/05/2008, -3/+18Faith in humanity just went from destroyed to diminished.
    • tobikow, on 03/06/2008, -0/+1you saw the puppy tossed off cliff video too then?
  • Ratteler, on 03/05/2008, -2/+24What the hell did they "teach" them during that 4 hours they were closed?
    • rrbest, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1How to manipulate society into believing you are important
  • stutimandal, on 03/05/2008, -9/+22It is pretty sad to see all the sarcastic or "trying to be funny" remarks on this benevolent act.
    • Methodius, on 03/05/2008, -1/+5The lady donating the kidney felt comfortable enough joking about the act. Not all humor is malicious, and making light of big things is part of human nature.
  • mbraynard, on 03/05/2008, -11/+3"barrista" - what a fancy name. I'm sure it has some meaning behind it but why do the people at Starbucks get a fancy name and not the people at McDonalds? Does it have anything to do with, despite the unhealthyness of most of their offerings, McDonalds isn't ripping you off like Starbucks?
  • erad222, on 03/05/2008, -10/+2Starbucks did this!?! Good God, the world is ending!
  • dragonrice, on 03/05/2008, -11/+2This was all set up by Starbucks to increase their popularity.
  • Blindside462, on 03/05/2008, -8/+0Now that is some good customer service, try to get that from the eveil folks working at miccy D's
  • sailorofthesoul, on 03/05/2008, -5/+5I'm still glad I just quit.
  • vhold, on 03/05/2008, -0/+10Can you imagine how profoundly tasteless it would be for Starbucks to work this into their advertising? You know some marketing exec is just dying to figure out a way to do it.
    • bxblox, on 03/05/2008, -0/+7theyll give her an award so they can have a press conference about it
    • HaloZero, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1I highly doubt they'd mass market this, they might give her employee of the month and probably the year if they have those kinda things.
    • geezluweez27, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1they just did. it's called a Press Release.
  • stavrogin2, on 03/05/2008, -1/+9I was surprised that both people are women of the same age. I have this notion that if someone is going to donate an organ to someone they don't know, it's most likely to a person of the opposite sex or a younger age. I guess she is just a good, caring, selfless person. How strange.

    Seriously. I'm not being sarcastic. It's ***** weird.
  • Akraz, on 03/05/2008, -1/+4So im not sure, does this mean now that I must indulge my coffee-cravings into Starbucks?

    I believe that the Liver-donating individual's employment status is extremely irrelevant.

    If i gave my kidney to a dying kid, would the title of the article read "TigerDirect employee gives his kidney to random guy!"
    • zetec, on 03/05/2008, -0/+16You work for TigerDirect?
      ...where's my ***** rebate!?
    • Calcularius, on 03/05/2008, -0/+3If the only way you knew the "dying kid" was through work, because he is a regular customer, then yes, probably.
  • Zeigy, on 03/05/2008, -3/+2Starbucks is cool.
  • sherm420, on 03/05/2008, -5/+1In other Starbucks news... their President got fired.
    While this was a courageous, righteous and heartfelt instance of humanity, it is nothing more than the starbucks pr machine in motion. this story is what 3 months old at least?
    http://www.palladiumconsulting.com/blog/sebastian/ ...
    • sherae915, on 03/05/2008, -0/+3ugh god that blog was awful, dugg down
    • rrbest, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2the ceo was replaced by the original founder of the company though....................................................
  • nikomo, on 03/05/2008, -2/+1Too bad a cup of coffee from Starbucks costs less than a kidney.
  • Calcularius, on 03/05/2008, -9/+2"Yes! You've shortened your life significantly so someone else can have a slight extension of theirs!"
    • Calcularius, on 03/05/2008, -4/+2Don't digg me down, I'm just quoting Marge Simpson, bitches!
  • AnthonyC, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2So someone can get a kidney but the rest of us can't get a consistent latte?

    That is pretty cool though. There are plenty of good people out there and its always worthwhile reading stories like this.
  • maehem, on 03/05/2008, -2/+1That's Starbuck's health plan. One must give up kidneys upon demand.
  • HaloZero, on 03/05/2008, -1/+1Wait, if shes married, shouldn't it be Mrs. Andersen?
    • sherae915, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1No
    • Failchan, on 03/05/2008, -1/+3Many women choose to keep Ms. rather than Mrs, as it gives an old feel to the name.
  • CrankyHippo, on 03/05/2008, -0/+11I wonder if the customer said "thanks a latte"
    • Failchan, on 03/05/2008, -2/+1You brilliant bastard. If this were not Digg, I would have ripped your head off and shat down your neck for the pun though.
  • Shadowsnake, on 03/05/2008, -2/+1Coffee is sooo good for the kidney... WAI!!!???
  • shulkman, on 03/05/2008, -0/+7That's kinda like a bartender giving one of his customers his liver...

    Caffeine is a diuretic, makes the kidneys work harder... not much problem for a healthy person, but one with kidney disease? Not good...
  • Wynner3, on 03/05/2008, -0/+5Of course her kidney function had been declining, it's from drinking starbucks.
  • weirdness67, on 03/05/2008, -0/+5You realize that this woman has just earned herself guaranteed job security for the rest of her life, right? She could piss in every latte from now till retirement and they can't fire her, the media would find out about it, run a story, and people would raise hell...
    It was very nice to hear about someone doing something like this though.
  • plizard, on 03/05/2008, -0/+1i hope she didn't have to share her tips that week with the other baristas
  • lphchld, on 03/05/2008, -3/+1hope he got a good tip!
    • Chromatik, on 03/05/2008, -1/+1I see you have read the article...
  • xatx2, on 03/05/2008, -1/+2starbucks was just waitin to throw this down the viral chain...sheeeeit
  • buntee, on 03/05/2008, -0/+2heart-warming :-)
  • Shaman760, on 03/05/2008, -0/+3Gonna go buy some Starbucks Stock. A company cannot PAY for that kind of good publicity. They (S'bucks) won the lotto on that one....

    Nice to see a happy story.
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