Inquiry for baristas: How often do "guests" try to pull these free-drink stunts?

Five ways to get free drinks, according to DC BACHELOR. One suggestion: "Go to the busiest store near you to capitalize on worker confusion." (DC Bachelor)

Comments

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Hey. These are very true words. I usually give away free drinks and could really care less if you are stealing, unless you are sociopath. Those people, I make them pay. If you intend to try this pattern time and time again, be aware that baristas do recognize you after the third time and you are black-listed. I had a customer who tried to get extra shots of espresso by confusing us. I pointed this out to the management and there were notices psoted in the communication log. Let's just say that customer did not get away with it again. Repeated behavior is not acceptable when the person attempts to deceive. I think Rule 1, 2 and 3 is basically wrong. 4 is okay I think because if the drink is waiting there for 3 minutes then the person most likely didn't want it or there was duplication. The drink would most likely be thrown away in a few more minutes. 5 is a good rule, a quid pro quo. I think this is the only acceptable rule. Rule 1, 2 and 3 is absolutely unacceptable and I will stop any person who attempts to execute them.

[Jorge]

Yeah, I get a few of these guys. Sometimes, they even have the gall to relclaim me for not recieving a beverage coupon.

[sbuxgirl]

I work in one of the busiest stores in DC, it is pretty crazy in the morning, but you won t get anything if you do it more than once, we will remember you!
The rule where you talk about calling the baristas by their names doesn t work, almost all my regulars call me by name, but if they ask for an extra shot of something, I let them know that "it is on me today, it will be $$ next time" ..I do it in a polite and professional way, they understand.

[A Cunning Stunt]

I think most people dislike scammers not because they're getting free stuff, but because the scammer's default approach is "Hey, you look stupid. Maybe you'll fall for this." It's a personal insult.

It's also fun to catch scammers in the act. Once you know what they do, it's so obvious. And they're so persistent in their belief that anyone they're dealing with is an idiot, it takes them a long time to realize they've been found out.

I had great fun working in the Starbucks Card department this past holiday season. Every day, you'd have some dedicated individual trying to pull off credit card fraud. Out goes the APB to all the phone reps, and as such a small department you could actually listen in as that individual made the rounds of all the reps, never a clue as to what was going on. Amusing stuff on a slow day. :)

[Partner 1139XXX]

Yeah, I've seen a couple of people try it, it's pretty annoying. I just don't understand why people feel the need. I mean it's not like they're ripping off the system, the price structure is built in such a way that we can lose a few drinks through the cracks, but it's still stealing. Since when did people find this morally okay?

If you think you're merely stealing from a large faceless corporation, think of this, the face of Starbucks is every barista who smiles at you at 5 in the morning as you drag yourself to work, it's the barista who smiles as you and your friends get together for an afternoon latte, it's the Howard Schultz's and Orin Smith's who went against the grain of the business world and created not just a company but an entire market. These are the faces of Starbucks, these are the people that you are ripping off. Thanks.

[StarbucksManagerPA]

It is amazing how often customers try to get free drinks or just get mad if you charge them for what they ask. I would say it's a daily basis that at least one customer tries something. For example I had a lady who want a tall latte but poured in a venti cup and then filled with foam to the top, so in other works, a venti cappuccino but she refused to pay that, she only wanted to be charged for the tall latte and didn't think she should pay for the additional milk. I could get on here everyday and list two or three attempts to get a free drink or something for free (i.e. a shot, a syrup, etc). I had a guy two days ago, who waited until he heard the timer on our coffee expire, then came up for a refill, but didn't want to be charged since we were throwing it away. I charged him anyway, it is the policy, and he threw a fit like a five year old in my store, yet he drove up in a BMW. It's amazing. And don't get started on the service recovery coupons, there are customers who will demand these for any reason. Say the condiment bar is out of napkins, they will come up and say "your condiment bar is out of napkins, I should get a coupon or something for having to wait", amazing?!?!?

[boston barista]

Our store has a guy who literally never pays. He orders a coffee, then stalls with friendly conversation or pretends to be looking for money until he gets it, then runs. He pretends to be absent minded but its obvious what he is doing. We could say, pay first, then coffee, but we are so used to being friendly and generous with everyone that it is really very difficult to be rude.

[thinksdifferent]

I will admit that I have thought about trying to scam a free drink at *$ before, but after having been a loyal starbucksgossip reader for a few months now, I'm always going out of my way to be nice to my local baristas. I see how hard they work and I wish I could tip them using my *$ card, they really deserve it. There's a lot of good baristas in the area and I feel bad for all the shit they have to put up with.

[nicebarista]

I had a customer come in one morning, she claimed she bought a venti coffee and spilled it outside. The store had only been open 2 hours and I was the only partner on register in that time, and she did not come in.

I overheard her friend say to her "hey you just stole that cup of coffee" and she just shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing.

Then to top it all off, she actually spilled the free cup of coffee in the cafe after she was 3/4 of the way finished with it and demanded another free one!

It was very hard to smile and say dont worry I'll get that for you and clean that mess up.

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Yes we had a customer who was obviously homeless. We felt bad for him so we would give him a tall cup of coffee. Afterwards he would come back and demand a free cup of coffee. A free one! The first one was given out of pity for him. He was also very rude and yelled at us for not having any cream on the condiment bar. I think Starbucks should have a list of all the people who try to steal coffee and stuff. This list would be shared by all the stores so we would all know about it. I'll see you around Boston barista.

[Partner 1253***]

I'd like a double tall decaf grande coffee please is my favorite...

People love rebelling by trying to take you...and your corporation, it is their way of getting back at society... =(

[cornfrost]

We have customers who order a tall whatever, and as soon they get their change they want to "make that a grande instead" or want it with syrup or an extra shot. You can tell who is doing it to steal and who simply changed their mind or couldn't decide. The latter say something like "how much more is that?" I charge the former the extra amount, but not the latter.
We also have people who want a venti cup of boiling water (double cup, flat lid) for their own tea or soup. They come in every day, never buy anything and never tip.
At the bar, people often point to a finished drink and say "what is this?" I never tell them but rather ask "what did you order?" Most are sincere or confused, but I figure there are some who are deciding what to steal.
There is the occasional adult ordering a kiddie hot chocolate, which is actually a short hot chocolate (and we rarely bother to make it at a cooler temperature).
But I feel guilty charging the regular amount when people order a glass of milk, so I ring it as a kiddie milk. The same goes for the new caramel mocha. It sells for 40 cents more, and it's merely a mocha with caramel drizzle on top!

[skitcher]

How about this? Every couple months, this elderly couple comes into the store. He comes up to the counter and orders his tall drip, while she goes over to the condiment stand and fills her purse with raw sugar packets. Then, she comes up and orders her tall drip, while he goes back to the condiment stand and fills HIS pockets with raw sugar packets. Anyone else have that problem?

Or the one where someone orders an espresso over ice, then fills the cup with milk from the condiment stand to make an iced latte?

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Cornforst. The caramel mocha actually includes caramel syrup and sauce. Both of them requires added into the menu so it is important to charge the appropriate price and follow the recipe. Oh yeah, I decided now when I visit Starbucks, even though I am a partner I will order small, medium and large. Also, another point that I make a point people who ask for regular and give them mild coffee because they are most likely from the other coffee stores. Unless, they are regular customers and simply call it regular, they get the dark coffee. Yummy coffee! I am getting thirsty just thinking about it.

[nicebarista]

Yeah the caramel mocha recipe was just changed for Spring '05. My store puts the customer names on all the cups which eliminates a lot of stolen drinks off the bar. It seems to work well too the customers and baristas seem to make easier connections.

[cornfrost]

I will doublecheck the caramel mocha recipe. We all looked two weeks ago, and the recipe was an ordinary mocha with caramel drizzle, but that could well have been an outdated recipe. I feel better about the price increase if it includes caramel syrup.
On the topic at hand: We keep our honey behind the counter and dole it out on request. Otherwise people take handfuls of honey packets. And what about that refill thing? We basically charge for a refill to anyone who hands us an empty cup (from when and where it came, who knows?) and says "refill."

[starbucks.visitor]

"Or the one where someone orders an espresso over ice, then fills the cup with milk from the condiment stand to make an iced latte?"

LOL i do that. I get an iced coffee, dump a fifth of the coffee in the trash and then fill it with half and half. I never have considered it stealing

[Partner 1139XXX]

I thought of another old trick tonight while closing down my store...I was told when I started that if someone tried to pay with a $50 or a $100 bill (quite common up here in Canada) that I was supposed to just promo their drinks and tell them that we don't really take those bills (assuming I knew I didn't have enough in my till).

One morning during a rush a guy and his friend come in and get two tall drips. The guy takes out a $50 and I get ready to promo the drinks when his friend "Oh don't pay with that! Here, I'll catch you this time" and pays with a $5. The guy replies with "Oh, but that's how I get free coffee!" Right at my face! Sheesh! Makes you wanna go postal on customers...

If they try to pay with a 50 or 100 and you can't make change you promo the drink. However if you can make change do it.

[CoffeeBoy]

One morning a customer came in with $100. My barista asked him if he anything smaller, he said no, so she gave him the free coffee and newspaper. As he was leaving she overheard him saying how easy it was to get free coffee.

The next morning he came in with a $100 and ordered a coffee and a newspaper. The barista again asked if he had something smaller, he said "No". She then cheerfully rang him up and counted back 90 plus 1 dollar bills. When he responded, oh wait I have a $5, she responded, "Sorry, that $100 is in my drop box, I cannot get into it until after my shift".

He never tried to get free coffee again.

TRUE STORY...

The moral of the story, we will be happy to take care of our loyal customers, even those random customers we have never seen before. But taking advantage of a kind act, will be rewarded in kind.

[sbux manager chitown]

It seems that every day someone comes in and says that she spoke to someone on the phone yesterday and that person said that they would comp the drink. Or give them a refund for 2 pounds of coffee when they don't even have the coffee or the reciept. Or someone takes a mug or a pound off of the wall and tries to "return it." I had a guy who would come in every day, be a complete asshole to everyone who worked there. He would get a venti coffee with 3 shots, which had to be poured on top of the coffee. He wanted lots of room, but not too much room. He also wanted it double-cupped. He would never tip, and always had a complaint. Too much room. Not enough room. You gave me decaf (I did do that a few times because he was such a jackass.) I watched this man a few times as he took the second cup, filled the entire thing with half and half, drank it, refilled it with half and half, drank it, and then poured half the coffee into the second cup, then filled both cups to the top with half and half. He must have drank two full carafes of half-and-half every freaking day! Then he saw me on the street one time and had the nerve to try and pass off some bullshit story about how he had gotten pick-pocketed and could he borrow six bucks from me. I told him to take a hike.

[Daniel the Exiled]

There are some Starbucks locations open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The register system has to be "closed" once every 24 hours for technical/bookkeeping purposes, the process takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to complete and the registers can't be used while this is taking place. Most stores will give customers their drinks for free if they happen to order during this time.

Apparently there many people now showing up during the closing time, even at the ungodly small hour of the morning it takes place, just to get free stuff. Stores now stagger their closing to minimize their impact.

[Realistic]

Oh my god, spare me the idiotic "trying to get free one on me." People work to make your stupid coffee; you doing that is just an insult. Starbucks coffee aren't that expensive in the first place. If you want to "save" money or whatever just go to one of those coffee shops.

[sbuxgirl]

I have that lady, she comes in everyday gets her iced grande coffee, just a little bit of ice, and her venti cup of ice, what she does once at the condiment bar ..pour the grande in the venti, and..youpi!! GOT A VENTI ICED COFFEE...hourra!...now whatever she does, i can t afford to loose an everyday customer for that, but i wouldn t even notice if she tried to smile sometime and work on her attitude...
Note for the caramel mocha: It gets caramel sauce and syrup..and the cup ID is "CRM"...please.

[Partner 1139XXX]

We've got a lady who comes in and gets a doppio over ice in an iced venti cup then goes and fills them up with milk at the condiment stand.

The sad thing is that the price points are built to reflect that...so they're not ripping off the company, they're just ripping off each other...

[teenoncrack]

Partner 1139xxx, maybe she didn't think about ripping off people. OR, maybe, just maybe, she just didnt care and the opportunity presented itself. Why would coffee drinkers care about ripping off the company? like it's the first thing one think of when on tries to pull of that sort of shit.

[shift for starbucks]

OK after working for Starbucks for 2 years and at other coffee shops before you tend to pick up pretty fast on the con artists. I don't mean the cheap people that make "poor man's latte's" at the condiment bar or the "make your own" iced coffee people or the cup of hot water for my own tea bag people. Here are some examples of what I do mean. Ex. 1)Customer comes mills around until as a fresh pot is brewing they are offered an americano for the same price as coffee but CHOOSE to wait (we may or may not ask them to pay for the coffee depending on the wait time and attitude) after handing them the coffee they ASK you to give them a coupon. Ex. 2) a wrong total is given BUT is corrected before they pay and then they ask for a coupon. Ex 3) they order the wrong drink (want iced not hot, want cafe vanilla not vanilla bean) you re-make the new drink free of charge and then want coupons. Pretty much anything else DESERVES a free drink or too. Just my humble opinion

[javajockey]

Jeez, DC Bachelor, when do we get the primer on how to shoplift and do a dine-and-dash at a restaurant? Oh, and I've been thinking about knocking over a liquor store; any pointers?

What an ass.

[Bux_n_ATL]

Can anybody remember the 'STAR SKILLS' by memory?

[Stueby]

I try not to grumble about some of the customers...b/c sometimes they are just having a bad day and they need their coffee. But come on! I dont know how some of these people look at themselves in the mirror every morning knowing that they are complete jerks to some college students that are just trying to pay their bills.

For example...I rolled into work at 4:45 am the other day and a man comes barging into the store b/c he was in a "hurry" he orders a tall coffee for him and his wife and whips out a $100 bill...and expects me to break it. THEN...after he gets the coffee for free meanders through the cafe and sits on the sofa where he reads the FREE newpaper. Now..rewind a bit, he was in a "hurry" right? Then after an hour of suckin up all he could he spills his coffee all over his wife and claims we gave him a faulty cup on purpose. He made me mad, but i am not THAT mean.

seriously...some people need to get lives.

[new_asm]

Bux_n_ATL,

Star Skills:
- Listen and acknowledge
- Maintain and enhance self esteem
- Ask for help

right?

And I could probably tell you what LATTE stands for, and the six guiding principles too. :)

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Actuall ASM you wrote them in the incorrect order. The first one is self-esteem, second is ask for help, third is listen and acknowledge. Also LATTE is actually L.A.T.T.E.

[new_a.s.m.]

Boston Starbucks Rebel,
I didn't realize there was a specific order to the Star Skills. Looking over my RMT mid-point assessment, they list them in the following order: self esteem, listen and acknowledge, and ask for help. And of course L.A.T.T.E. is an acronym-- sometimes I give them periods, and sometimes not, FWIW.

[Rich]

I love the iced doppio/iced latte trick.

I always tip around $.75 though.

Does that still make it wrong?

[djquzack]

I have this one guy come in my store who orders a doppio and a veinte ice. He proceeds to the condiment bar and uses the whole pitcher of Half and Half to make an iced latte and when hes done he'll be like the pitcher needs to be refilled! No duh!

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

This customer tried to have a venti vanilla soy latte remade because she said her last one did not have coffee. She was very mean. It was early morning so everyone was still there. Nobody remembered making a venti vanilla soy latte but of course we said yes. She then came in 10 minutes later, the cup empty and said that it was made incorrectly so we had to make her another one. We asked her which person rang her up and she said she couldn't remember. She said she came in every day but we never saw her before. We remade the drink and gave her a service recovery coupon. Then we went downstairs and sent out a general e-mail to all the stores warning of this possible scam.

[chris]

rich-
yes. very wrong. you should tip us the difference in cost because we don't call you out for being the cheapskate you are, and continue to let you think you're pulling one over on us. you're the same guy who treats the produce section in the grocery store like a buffet, aren't you?

[kitty]

thanks all you wonderful baristas

[Vancouver Barista]

Seriously... these scams really work only once, maybe twice, at a starbucks location. By the second time, everyone in the store has been informed of 1) what you look like; 2) what you sound like; 3) what you order/tricks you try to pull... so unless you plan on doing this once at every starbucks in your town (think of the gas you waste)... it really doesn't work.
If you really are a regular to a particular store, and are nice to partners, we'll just give you free stuff... it's like here... take this... TAKE IT!
The doppio over ice in a venti cup... then filled with milk at the condiment stand... yeah... ripping starbucks off will only cost YOU more... the company allows a certain amount for condiment dairy usage... and calculates that as part of the cost of operating... if you abuse that... it'll be reflected in future price changes. it is a global merchandaiser of coffee, it takes the form of your local coffee shop, and mostly is a local coffee shop in the way it interacts with its community... but behind all that is a company like all others, and losing money isn't a good thing for any company, big or small. If you wouldn't do it in a mom and pop shop, don't do it anywhere... it's wrong regardless...

[April]

Ya, well yesterday we had a customer throw her change back at us through the drive through window, because we droped one of her pennies! Can you believe that? Hillarious!

[queenie]

Are those starbucks free couponss legit? Because I want to get a few from ebay for the family for the holiday gifts. I'm a bit leary because it seems to many people are selling them on ebay.

The ads usally read " 10 coupons for $25. Each coupon will get you a free drink at Starbucks Coffee. You can choose ANY SIZE and ANY TYPE of drink, with as many number of extra espresso shots, syrup, any kind of milk or soy added to each drink as desired and you won’t have to pay anything. This makes the value of these coupons up to $10. The possibilities are endless.

Treat yourself or someone special with these coupons good for all drinks in all sizes."

[White Mocha Question]

Just a quick question for someone that works at starbucks.. I am new to starbucks & really enjoy the frappichinos.. I ordered a White Mocha Venti Frap the other day & it tasted rotten!! I told them it tasted funny & they made me a different drink. They looked at me like I was lying but was not.. Why would this drink taste rotten??

Also, I saw people selling Starbucks coupons on EBay for cheap... They are called recovery coupons for free drinks any size. Are these legit & how do you get them> THANKS

[Carolyn]

Wow, I don't have a clue why it would taste 'rotten', that's strange! I wonder if the base was bad. I've only been working at Starbucks for about a month and that's one thing I'm very impressed with and that's their quality and standards of their products. Dates (numbers 1-7) are posted on EVERYTHING like that when it's made so you don't keep it a day over. Very weird.

[Carolyn]

Also, I saw people selling Starbucks coupons on EBay for cheap... They are called recovery coupons for free drinks any size. Are these legit & how do you get them> THANKS

The only way I could think that these are being sold on Ebay is that an employee or 'former' employee (more likely) stole them and is selling them on Ebay. and yes they are probably 'legit' for lack of a better word, but 'hot', if you get my drift. Just a guess but I can't think any other way that they'd be available.

[Ken]

Thanks, If any of you are employees that are pissed with your job & need some extra cash hook me up with some coupons!!! I will pay you thru paypal or money order. I would like as many as I can get for a good price!!
email me at kenandselena@cableone.net
Put STARBUCKS in the subject line

[420BuxinNY]

So I'm online searching for starbucks information and happen to come across this website. Ive been with the company 7 years and have got to say that some of you people are pretty pathetic. Its a freaking job. The fact that you have to be a loser and come on here and bitch about how stupid our customers are and how much they try to rip us off and (heaven help me) correct someone for not putting the damn Star Skills in order is REALLY sad. Dont you people do enough of this at work? Get a life, losers.....

[doug]

wow, talk about corporate tools...seriously, what do you care if you give someone a cup of freakin *coffee* for free? its just a cup of coffee, not to mention you are all being exploited by your employers (i mean come on, you know an hour of your time is worth more than what you're getting paid). so cast down your shackles, denounce your slave drivers and be a person of the people!! its not just starbucks that ruins lives, it's all jobs that pay too little and expect too much that are the problem. so give your fellow man a break and ask yourself whos the real jerk, the guy who want a stupid cup of coffee for free or the man who robs you of your saturday afternoon to so you make 6.50 an hour while he make 400% per cup. cmon guys, dont buy into the management's b.s. we're the real working folk, serving real people, and if one of them asks for a free cup, why not give it 'em? you deserve it! who are you to say someone else doesnt?

Starbucks actually pays all of its baristas more than minimum wage even at entry. The company also ensures timely review....and I've never seen a barista not receive a raise. Then there's the HUGE amount of opportunity to move forward in the company and be paid a fair wage with that upward mobility....Oh, and how about personal days, vacation time and benefits for even part time employees....not to mention all the free beverages you can drink during your shift and one for the road......Oh, did I mention the free pound of coffee per week????

SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT TO WORK--NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE PAID!!!

[j]

I want to know where I can get those free Any Drink, Any Size Drink Coupons. If anyone has them,please drop me a line!
phoenixarise@gmail.com

[Boston!!!!]

I'm a regular at several starbucks locations in Boston, and I wanted to say THANK YOU to the nice baristas, BITE ME to the rude customers (like the ones who think they're more important than every other living creature who ever was...don't MAKE me spill my soylatte on you!), and thank you to Starbucks for having soy-based bevvies. This is the intial reason I started drinking starbucks- dunkin' doesn't have soy, nor do a lot of indie shops (yes I know, some do, blah blah). Anyhoo, you Washington Square (Brookline) kids ROCK!!!!

[Coffee Master]

@ Queenie:

If a store manager has realised a lot of their coupons have 'disappeared' they are likely to notify other stores and change the way they are marked (they are supposed to be stamped with the number of the issuing store).

If you want to get free drinks type coupons for your nearest n dearest, just go into you local sbucks and buy them gift vouchers...totally legit and they can get food with them too!

[MorningJolt]

I didn't know about this whole coupon thing... A few weeks ago I was visiting family out of town and went into a Starbuck every day that I was there and every time I was there (three total) they got my drink order wrong and 1.) never offered to remake it 2.) never offered a coupon 3.) defended their mistake as "well, at least you got a syrup for free." (which was gingerbread, YUCK!) I even asked for them to remake one that was obviously wrong (I know it was supposed to be for me, it had my name on it) and they said that they were too busy (they weren't). Is this common practice? Are baristas not supposed to hand out coupons? What are the rules to remaking drinks?

[jinx]

Hi, I'm a frequent customer and I'm just wondering what the expectations are from employees regarding tips. I very rarely tip at coffee counters, especially when I am paying $5 for my drink, and I know the employees are making a decent wage.
The reason why I'm asking about this is, I was reading comments on this site, and the one linked about stealing coffee - and several remarks were made by employees about not offering to fix drink mistakes or offer coupons to customer who do not tip.
Is this attitude common?

I have had my drink made wrong more times than I can remember - it always gets remade because I wouldn't dream of paying for and leaving with the wrong drink (never been a hassle with this) - but I had never heard of these coupons until reading this site.

So, what's the deal - do you expect tips and punish those customers who don't give them?

[barista c]

Jinx - Absolutely not.

Any barista that behaved in that matter would hopefully soon be terminated.

I think people just like to talk big here on the anonymous internet.

We like to make you happy whether you tip or not.

What we REALLY like, is when you're nice. That is better than tipping any day.

[jinx]

Thanks for the response Barista C. Nice I can do. Honestly, I could do tips as well, but how much? For every drink or just exceptional service? Who gets it? What if the register person is a slug but the barista did a fantastic job? If I tip a few times and then skip a visit, is that seen as stiffing?

I guess what it comes down to is I can't imagine what a barista would have to do to provide exceptional service, to deserve a tip. I order my coffee, they serve it to me - there's not a lot of room here for variation. And yet the tip jar is sitting there calling me a cheapskate. They only worse feeling is tossing my change in there - like, here ya go, I know this $.27 is gonna make your day, right? If it's less than a buck, what's the point - and yet, why should I be throwing dollar bills around to every person that sets a tip jar up next to their workstation?

Hmm.... you know, I might have had too much coffee today....

[imabarrista]

Don't tip if you don't want to.
Tip a penny. Tip a buck.
In the States, we tend to tip food service workers because food service workers are not paid a lot.

But if you are such a 'paralysis by analysis' person, pretend the tip jar is not there.

Unless you order 8 or more drinks at a time. Then tip.

[jinx]

Food service workers make $2.something an hour and are taxed on a percentage of their sales (presumed to receive tips). Tipping them is a no-brainer - it's the Starbucks employees I have questions about.

Why do I need to tip when I buy several products versus just one? If I buy 8 TV's should I tip the sales person? It doesn't make sense to me but I'd love to hear your reasoning - unless, in your infinite wisdom, you feel it would further paralyze me :-|

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

Jinx -- It seems that your why-should-I-tip? question has been answered. Please move on.

well starbucks workers are taxed on their tips too. It's called imputed tip income on teh paycheck

[baristadinating]

I can't imagine a barista making a drink wrong then refusing to remake it. I mean I am not doubting your claim but I just can't believe a barista would be so rude. If I make a drink wrong, I apologize make a new drink and ask if the person wants the extra drink in addition to their new drink. My asm doesn't really like giving out the drink coupons only because he likes to see people happy before they leave the store, so he often will offer people a free pastry instead of a coupon.

Also if you really want a free drink and you want it in a totally legal way, just come in when we are training someone new. If they are training on frapps and you are sitting in the cafe, you will get it, if they are training on bar you will get those too...they may not be your favorite but at least they are free.

[Angel]

So a customer comes to my store and said he dropped his coffee outside and would like a refill. I said okay we'd give you a fresh cup and asked the barista on register to just charge for a refill. Customer refused because he'd already paid for a refill - AT PETE'S!

[morningjolt]

I am a regular at Starbucks at all the the locations in my town and when I travel I usually stop at Starbucks if there is one in the area because its convenient. This Starbucks that I mentioned earlier is attached to a Shell station on my way home from a nearby city. It is the ONLY time I have ever had a problem with Starbucks and it was awful.

Some of these folks are honest people that did accually realize after you ring through their drink they forgot to tell you about that extra shot. It's cool no ones perfect so I have no problems doing it for those polite people who do make these mistakes.

Honestly though I do remember those folks as well becuase often they come back becuase you were so friendly with them before. Sometimes these kind of things are chances to make someones day rather then worry about "hey that person is making a free iced latte".

Part of being in service means being kind and polite when faced with these types of things.

By no means should you put up with that homeless person coming in and then getting upset that your not giving them a free drink. I would boot them right out of the store for that one simply due to the fact that they are an eyesore to the paying people who are just trying to relax and have a drink.

End line.

Be kind, be welcoming but don't be stupid. If you see something that you know is wrong just let your shift or manager know and keep on with your day. Were here to put a smile on peoples faces not to fret about "OMG that guy ripped us off and didn't tip!"

I don't know about you but I find the effort isn't worth the stress.

all of you who are actually putting your email addies out there, asking for baristas to give you stolen coupons are dumb.

do you think that the internal starbucks police who regulate the internet thefts by employees don't know about this site, and now your email?
or do you just think that starbucks is as dumb as this whole thread topic (the original thefty one..)?
duh.

[Sheik]

For me, the biggest scam to get a free drink is when customers pull the "I said Venti" thing when I am sure they said Grande or Tall. Most of the time they are pissed off because I made a mistake (even though they were the ones who made the mistake). But other times they explain the mistake with "I'm sorry, I don't know where my mind is today..."

People should really think about that when they say, "I don't know where my mind is today" and how true that statement may be.

[Sheik]

Oh... and THEE most irritating display of cheapness/sleaziness is when customers order 3 or 4 shots over ice in a venti cup and then proceed to use the milk at the condiment bar to make a fake iced latte. So they save about 50 cents a day... unbelievable.

[Adri]

I work in a very affluent area of Phoenix at a drive thru store and it really pisses me off when the same people driving $50,000 cars are the ones that will try to screw us over. We had a customer who would come through at least two or three times a week and tell us that she had been to another Starbucks that made her drink wrong. We would always remake it for her but after a few weeks I told my manager about it. She, very politely, asked the woman which store she was going to so she could address the problem with that store manager. The woman absolutely flipped out. She was so pissed that she got caught. She hasn’t come back since. I also think it’s a lot easier to screw us over in a drive thru since we are responsible for ALL modifications. For example “I asked for a three Splenda latte and I can only taste two. Give me a coupon” I also hate the woman that come through in her Escalades and ask us to split a venti frappuccino into two cups for her kids instead of ordering two talls and paying the extra $1.50ish.

[sbuxmanager]

To me, it's not that they're ripping off the company that bothers me. Really, what do I care that I lost $1 or 2 in sales, when my store takes in 1.5 mill a year. What pisses me off is the assumption on the part of the offender that it'll be easy because the guy behind the counter is too stupid to figure it out.

[*fuhks]

This is my first time on this website, and it's hilarious to read stories about other partners' annoying customers. We have a lady who gets an iced venti 2 pump vanilla latte, no ice, and then three venti cups of ice on the side. It drives me mad. Of course the two pumps of vanilla are free too, right? Now she sits out in the car and has her kids come in and order it for her. "Just say yes" policy in full effect. I hope she likes decaf.

[Shift Lead]

I've been a partner for 6 years off and on. I love Starbucks, and my job. My coworkers and I really enjoy the scams people try to pull on us. We have a little notebook filled with all the stupid things customers say to us. Our DM has just reinforced the "Just Say Yes" policy, so now every single thing a customer asks for must be given to them. Free coffee. Yes! Don't like the coffee we're brewing and they want a french press of Sanani...Yes. A woman came in last week with a pound of coffee she won from a Chinese Auction and wanted to exchange it for store credit. Mind you, she didn't have a receipt, didn't even pay for it...she won it! And even after my manager explained that the coffee had been donated to the Auction, she still wanted to exchange her FREE pound of coffee for store credit...That's a scam...but "Just Say Yes"

Or the practice that started up several years ago, if you purchase a pound of coffee you are entitled to a complimentary Tall Drip. The company banned it, but most stores still do it. And a customer will always ask for it and then say "Well my Starbucks does it" And you can't argue the point, you have to give it to them.

And the most annoying thing is when a customer orders BREVE and then gets mad when they're drink is made with HALF & HALF, not HEAVY CREAM. They try to tell us that our Beverage Manual says BREVE means HEAVY CREAM. They are wrong and they assume we don't know how to make these drinks....

Sorry but it's really frustrating...all they had to do was ask for heavy cream. Now I make a point of asking which they want before I steam the milk.

[Sheik]

1. We still do a free tall drip coffee with bean purchase. That's Free Tall. Not a free Venti. Not a free Venti Frappuccino. Not a Free Venti Coffee with Whipped Cream and Dolce sprinkles. Just free tall drip coffee. If you hit the DISCT button plus code 146 it will ring up as free tall drip.

2. Breve has always meant Half N Half. Whatever problem you have with that single customer needs to be resolved individually.

And in regards to the SCAMMER, she should have just been offered a replacement pound of coffee that she liked and NOT store credit.

Around our store, it's "Just Say Yes, ...Unless"

"Don't like the coffee we're brewing and they want a french press of Sanani..."

I've always thought this was starbucks standard....My manger seems to have no problems at all when I do it for customers. Of course I always offer what's on COW first.

But hey if they still want that Kenya when the Komodo dragon is on brew the french press it is.

[cbarista]

hey...I'm interested in knowing what eveyone's favorite drinks are. This is very intriguing to me because I like to try new things, but often have trouble creating them.

my favorite drinks right now are:
Quad Espresso with half n' half

and a double tall organic latte.

i have learned over the past nine years to choose my battles.I use to get so frustrated at the person who would order an iced doppio in a venti cup then make a latte..........who cares really it is them that has to live with their own greed.

The other day, this customer wanted an organic latte. We didn't realize that we were out until that day. So we apologized, yet she threw a fit and demanded that we make a free drink for her AND give her a free coupon!! jeez

my favorite drink right now is:
double tall 1pump Peppermint, soy, with whip, 1 pump WM. Yum.

[TonySan]

I am laughing my *SS off at the nerve of some people.

To all you SCAMMERS out there, you are so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Let's take a condensed look at what's going on here:

STARBUCKS:
-Starting wage that is above minimum wage for its employees.
-Excellent Total Pay Package for its employees (yes, even if you're Part-Time). Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Stock Purchase below market price, Paid Holidays, vacations, sick days, tuition reimbursement, Compassionate Healthcare for the families of employees with terminal illnesses.
-Partnership with International Aid Organizations for the development of the communities where our coffees originate (in the form of schools, hospitals, potable water, etc.)
-Partnership with the communities that we do business in, donation of pastries, coffee, time, resources, etc., etc.
BARISTAS - We come into work everyday with the desire to do our best, to give our best, and to be our best. We volunteer our time, money, and resources to help the communities where we work and live. We're Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Scout Leaders, Little League Coaches, Marathon runners, volunteers at hospitals, we visit terminally ill children and read them stories, we visit the elderly in homes whether we know them or not. We smile even when you're rude. We politely accept the lousy two bucks for your Venti Drip that you throw at us on the counter because you're too lazy to hand it to a person's outstretched hand, we clean up the filthy mess that you leave on our beautiful furniture, we give you a free drink even when we know that you don't deserve it, and the list of your idiocies goes on and on.

SCAMMERS/THIEVES: You're too selfish and cheap to pay for a cup of coffee and would rather steal instead.

Do you really think that we do the things we do that are not in our job description because we're getting paid to do it? Or that we do them because we are stupid? The answer is NO. We do it because we know that beyond us, there is a community, a society, a world. The difference is this, we think outwardly, beyond ourselves. You think inwardly, only of yourself. I am so sad for you, you truly are pathetic and insignificant.

[Michelle]

I LOOOOOOOOve ya'll coffie.

It can get really weird, this one guy I'm sure is in cahoots with another comes in pretends his english is bad, and asks for a tall or grande caramel frappaccio, always behind someone whos ordered a venti javachip, and always when it's busy or atleast alittle near full capacity in the store. The no speake inglis good always takes the venti drink and leaves the caremel frap, so the venti javachip has to be remade. Now here is the thing, I have a booming voice when I call out drinks, I mean that I make sure everyone in the store (it's a smaller one) can hear me. The guy who ordered the javachip had to have heard but didn't claim his drink, then waits at the handoff station like it's been awhile, and then WOOPS the other barista realises the other guy took the wrong drink! Apologises, remakes the drink and gives the guy a free drink coupon. A tall or grande caremel frappaccino looks ALOT diffrent from a Venti Javachip! and both times I have personally handeled it these are the two confussed drinks! The guy ordering the smaller drink (caramel frap) gets out of the store REALLY FAST, while the other guy waits. I don't know how well his inglis really is, but I know a scam!

[Becke]

Tonysan: Right on. I especially hate it when people refuse to make eye contact and throw their payment on the counter. What the hell? I smile at EVERYBODY, not just at work, but in my everyday life. So it makes me cranky when some people can't even make the effort to acknowledge that I'm human, not just a mechanical extension of the register.

I love my job. Most of my customers are great people, and they are the reason I love working at Starbucks. But the ones who come in and scam me, the ones who treat me like I'm not even there... come on. How does that make their lives any better? Seriously. It's so irritating.

[susan]

I buy my lattes from Baywalk in St. pete, FL. I am just raving about those guys and gals at the store. i get treated so well and the attitude is phenomenal. I can imagine the PITA's that give them a hard time...folks who are just miserable with their own lives. One barista named Matt has made the best caramel mochas on this side of the planet...dont know why his taste better even though everyone follows the same recipe. But one issue I hav with the pricing structure...The cost of a caramel mocha versus a mocha with caramel syrup. A caramel mocha has mocha syrup, caramel syrup, WC and caramel drizzle. But if want that drink sans the drizzle, it is not a caramel mocha...it should be priced as a mocha and then add 35 cents for added syrup. it makes a like a 10 or 5 cent difference but that adds up when i get so often.

[sarah]

I sometimes will order a venti iced coffee, pour a bit out and add milk. Ive NEVER considered this stealing. I personally dont like the ration of milk they put in behind the counter. I like to mix half and half and skim milk. Its not like I use a pint of milk! You all sound a bit jadded. I paid for the venti iced coffee didnt I?

[qtee]

I agree! I would bet you that half the people who are ordering drinks in samller cups and them adding their own milk dont consider this stealing. So what if they think "hey im paying $3 a day, 365 a year. $1,100. a year and if I want to save $.40 by mixing my own milk I will damn it." none of you are paying for your drinks. I will gladly pay for my drink, have occasionally had it made wrong, asked for a replacement nicely but never asked for more than that. i feel Im honest. I think you are getting your nickers in a bunch over some of these "scams"

As far as the woman in her escalade who buys a venti and splits it between her two kids WHO CARES!!! she paid for it! she can do what ever she wants with it.

[BNBARISTA]

It isn't people putting milk in iced coffees that everyone complains about. It's when people deliberately try to take advantage or pull the wool over the barista's eyes by ordering x# of shots of espresso and making themselves a latte, or people who purposely take someone else's larger drink off of the counter.

If I made a mistake making your drink, and you ask me to remake it, I will. No problem; you ordered something and my job is to give you what you ordered.

If, however, I took your order for a tall vanilla latte and then hand it to you and you tell me it was actually supposed to be a venti soy vanilla latte, I will take offense, because that is blaming me for something you forgot to say and for confusing your sizes. THAT is what is insulting.

If you come in and tell me you had a grande green tea frappuccino and a grande double chocolate chip frappuccino, and the cups both cracked in your car and ruined the interior, and you spoke with a MAN in the cafe who told you you could come in for free drinks, and there IS NO MAN WHO WORKS IN THE CAFE, then yes you are STEALING and being decietful. And I will not make you the drinks.

[HazelNUT]

51st baseline,laveen AZ
This is only my 4th day working as a starbucks Barista in training, and i love how its taking over my life!as soon as i get off work (which isnt work to me) i study and try to find out more (which is how i found this site!)

-but do any of u pro's have any "ancient chinese recipes/ways to learn how to be really good and fast at making their recipes!?" especially scince im gonna b working in the mornings soon already!?

[HazelNUT]

51st baseline,laveen AZ
This is only my 4th day working as a starbucks Barista in training, and i love how its taking over my life!as soon as i get off work (which isnt work to me) i study and try to find out more (which is how i found this site!)

-but do any of u pro's have any "ancient chinese recipes/ways to learn how to be really good and fast at making their recipes!?" especially scince im gonna b working in the mornings soon already!?

[DuelingDuettos]

Well, I have people try to scam me all the time for free drinks, but I work in a store in which all the partners are well trained, and if you don't know you're being scammed, someone else on the floor has seen it, and can point it out to you..Plus, we keep tabs on new schemes on the fridge, so that becomes the place to get caught up on what is new..

Hazelnut, the way you become faster on the bar is to find a system that works for you, and to stick with it..That, and you have to keep moving, you have to keep doing something..Keep milk steaming, keep going, keep working..Never, ever get caught not doing something, that's how you fall behind..But, there's one "trick" that is a good idea..Let's just say that you have 2 grande and 2 tall lattes on the line..You have two Verissmos..Take the grandes and put them both under one of the verissmos, and pull 4 shots. Because there are two spigots on each machine, the shots are divvied up equally into both cups..Now, for this to work, you have to be sure that you have enough milk to pour for both drinks as soon as the shots are finished pulling, because if the shots go bad, you have to repull, and that defeats the purpose of doubling it up..But, like I said before, the best thing you can do is find a system that works for you, and work from there..