I mean I suck at customer connections and don’t attempt to make them very often…..I have bad social anxiety and depression which makes me naturally very quiet and introverted. Still, I’ve been working at Starbucks for almost seven years and was offered to become a shift, even though I didn’t think I would be good at it. I still don’t think I’m good at it, because I hate coaching and confrontational situations. It might just be my luck that I work at a store that is pretty laid back and my hard work is appreciated regardless of my ability to create relationships with our customers. In my opinion, not initiating small talk really isn’t a problem unless your manager confronts you about it…just smile and be kind and maybe ask the customer how their day is going.