Letter to Starbucks Gossip: What's with the freezing Starbucks stores?

Dear Starbucks Gossip webmaster: I'm sitting in a Starbucks on Lincoln and Marine in Santa Monica, freezing my ass off. This is a common feeling in Starbucks around the country, I believe. Employees always say the temp is set and they can't change it...but one girl working here complained that they're all freezing, too, and said it's worst at 6 pm. Anyway, I was wondering if you might want to post a question or comment about the Arctic environment in Starbucks...and maybe some corporate honcho will comment -- and/or consider the waste of energy, etc. (Of course, per somebody's comment on the loud music post you had a few weeks ago -- maybe they want to freeze all the computer squatters into going home sooner rather than later!) Amy A. [In Evanston, the coldest Starbucks in the summer is the older store on Central Ave. The thermostat is set at a ridiculously low temperature.]

Comments

[exSFBarista]

Even if you can control the air in your store, the AC units don't work properly half the time. It's really a big pain in the butt.

[TW]

That is ridiculous. Our baristas change the temp all the time. The issue is that behind the machines they get hot, so they turn the temp down low. Especially at down times when a customer complains it is easier to say "can't change it"

[Kyle]

It's quite simple -- cold temperature supposedly increases hunger and hopefully leads to increased food sales.

Of course, if customers get too cold, they'll leave instead of buy food. Personally, I like it cold but my wife has other opinions.

[The Skirt]

I agree with Kyle - a colder temp means more food and presumably hot beverage sales.

[Nickie]

Temps are supposed to be set at and stay at 68.

I happen to like it colder than the average person. I also happen to be about 80 pounds overweight.

I have been in SBUX and other places where I feel it war and find a 85 pound woman in shorts and a halter drinking a frapp. complaining about the chill in the room.

Obviously, it's tough to please us both.

Would you rather see her put on a sweater or see me start taking things off?

[Denise]

It's definitely not set in the store I work at; it gets hot behind the bar, so we turn the temp down ourselves.

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Actually in some stores in Boston the enviromental systems completely failed so those stores would have temperatures soaring into the 90's and even 100's which made it really bad. Please, be appreciative of the low temperatures and yes the ambient temperatures during occupied times is suppose to be 68.

[Florida Barista]

You can definitly control the AC. It is always unbarablely hot behind the machines so we turn the AC down low. I think the Barista just told you she had no control over it because she didn't feel like dealing with it.

[Regular Customer]

It's probably important to remember that customer's comfort does come first. In many bars and restaurants, the A/C is set way too low to accomodate the folks that are admittedly working hard, and therefore far more warm than the customers sitting down. Regardless, the environment should be more inviting to the people that are paying for the privilege, not getting paid to be there.

[anonymous]

At my store the baristas are not able to adjust because the brillant designer put the thermostat on the outside wall, so the temperature is always off. It drives everyone crazy

customers come before our own comfort. I don't give a crap if it's hot behind the machine. I can always get a glass of ice water inbetween rushes. It's my customers I care about.

[JustSomeBarista]

We've had people bitch about our store being 72 when it was 90+ outside. I don't know why single customers think they are more important than the 30-40 people in there obviously enjoying the temperature. But, then again, most people only think of themselves.

[phonemicwarrior]

My store is way too hot. I wear shorts year-round and I still sweat like crazy. I have to tell my manager that I'm sweating into people's drinks in order to get her to turn the temp down.

[coco]

I find in my store in the San Diego area that the cold case in front of the counter area interferes with the thermostat in front of the store. The case throws it out of whack. Not much they can do about it. While the front of the store is like an icebox behind the counter it is like a sauna.

I have never had a problem with temp, unless I am in drive thru in the winter. But it should probably stay cool because you don't want to see someone making your drink and serving your food with sweat pouring down their forehead and rings under the armpits

[Lyra]

"Regardless, the environment should be more inviting to the people that are paying for the privilege, not getting paid to be there."

On the other hand, I'd put up with cooler temperatures if it means that the wait staff is not sweating into my food or drink. Furthermore, even with deodorants and whatnot, sweat will make people smell, and I think it would be much more off-putting to have a reeking waiter than a chilly dining room.

[deusx]

Despite the assertations by the all knowing "b.s you can definitely control the temperatures" people, not all stores can. For instance, stores in an office building often are at the mercy of whatever temperature the building management firm feels it should be set at. Also mall stores often have no contro over their temp.
I try to keep in mind that the customer's desires should come first, but when it's 95 degrees behind the bar and 65 in the cafe, my sympathy tends to sway away from the customers who will be in the store on an average of maybe fifteen minutes versus the employees who will be there for hours. Thank god we are allowed to wear shorts.

[Minnesota Barista]

Our store is a drive thru, the warm air coming in keeps the AC running all summer so its colder int he store and realitivly nice behind the counter

[imabarrista]

C'mon folks. It is simple. The thermostat is placed, and has been for more than 6 years, unless a lease or fire code prohibits it, in the back: Where the walk-in refrigerator is; Where the freezers are; Where the sanitizer is; Where the sinks (and faucets) are; And where a computer that is always on is. It is hot back there.

So, in the summer the AC kicks in. In the winter, the heat does not kick in.

Now you know.

[CA Mgr]

It's true, many stores cannot change their temperature. The thermostat in my store is indeed located in the back room, preset to 68, and electronically locked so that we are unable to change the temp without calling out a technician. Sometimes "we cannot change the temp" isn't a lie.

My employees do complain about it being warm behind the counter, but they understand it's the nature of the job.

[James the Barista]

Never leave home without a sweater if your cold at starbucks or order something HOT for once instead of a iced or cold beverage. Easy fix.

[Sheik]

I absolutely can't stand it when 5-minut-ers enter the store and bitch about the freezing store. You are in the store for all of five minutes! We are there for 8 hours!! We are working our asses off (ESPECIALLY on order days when us shifts are dumped to unload 10000000 boxes) and sweating like pigs. I, for one, can't STAND the heat and hate it when it gets stagnant in the store. Keep it cool is what I say.

[Sheik]

"Regardless, the environment should be more inviting to the people that are paying for the privilege, not getting paid to be there."

Excuse the bluntness but this absolute crap. Sure, we are supposed to be treating customers as our guests but have you ever heard of OSHA (Occuppational Safety Health Administration) that monitors work safety issues? Store gets too hot, employee suffers from exhaustion and BOOM... lawsuit. Hey, call it crazy, but it could happen.

Whether or not you choose to believe it, customers are just as equal as us employees and if we have to be in our store for 8 or even 9 hours, we damn well better have the comfortness we deserve.

[joy]

Without sticking my head into this raging firestorm, I'd just like to comment that in Delaware, as soon as the first warm days started, an icy temperature gripped our Starbucks. I was in yesterday and waiting for my drink when another customer commented out of the blue, "Wow, it is cold in here."

Whether or not it should be, every starbucks I have been in during the summer is quite chilly if not frigid.

[QC Latte]

Then you'll love our store, Joy.

All plate glass with both zone thermostats right next to each other in the one place that the sun hits all day long. Coversely, it's the coldest place in the store all winter (Midwest winter, not Northeast winter, mind you).

Add to that the same geniuses that did this use the ducts as a "fresh air" return, and all winter long you have blazing heat followed by arctic chill all over the store. Except in the back room, where both "Zones" have registers, and there is no fresh air vent. All winter is was over 85 degrees back there. I'm not kidding, we measured it.

In the summer, the opposite happens, the humid "fresh air" dumps into the store, the thermostats get upset and order up a healthy dose of Antarctic chill, customers turn blue, cycle repeats. In the back room it is about 64.

Trust me, we'd love to adjust it for you. We just can't because the system is so poorly designed in our store. Sorry...

[cornfrost]

My store is in a building dating from 1890-something. The infrastructure is collapsing. Most of the time we don't even have hot water in the sinks. The water is, at best, tepid.

But sure, there is no consistency in temp. Sometimes it's hot, sometimes cold, sometimes just right. Same with the loudness of the music.

[James the Barista]

We Always have contractors coming in to fix our AC and Heat because well...its always too hot behind the bar and too cool in the lobby (as I read, this seems like common problem) though right now its super comfortable unless your wearing shorts and t-shirt.

[Amy Alkon]

Hey, JustSomeBarista, and Sheik, I'm in California, and many of the stores here are simply frigid from time to time.

Put on a sweater? Um, that goes without saying. I'm not some narcissistic jerk who expects life to bend to my whim at every turn. In fact, because it's so cold at Starbucks a lot of the time, I typically wear a cashmere sweater, a shirt underneath, and a wool jacket over it, but I also bring a warm shall and my very warm Moncler down jacket for when the temp dips to the point where you feel like body parts might break off.

As for other customers, their remarks are usually something like, "Wish I thought of bringing a ski jacket."

And, finally, I go often to Starbucks, tip well, and know and respect the employees -- so I don't thing they're, forgive me, snowing me, about not being able to turn down the temperature.

[Amy Alkon]

Ooops...I mean "shawl." I'm not illiterate, just tired.

[MiamiShift]

This subject has been of top priority in our stoes this week. It's spring in Miami and this means it's hot and humid! We've spent the last two days on the brink of heat strokes behind the counter, turning off the spotlights, and begging the customers not to leave the door open. Our AC is at 70, because our only other choice is about 60 degrees and we don't want to freeze our customers out, they already complain with it at 70. Our store is the size of a walk-in closet, I'm really suprised at the difference in temp. from one side of the counter to the other.

I do have to agree with a previous poster. We do our best to make our customers happy, we're even willing to suffer a bit at our stores, when we could easily lower it to around 60 and cool off, but there is a limit. No one wants to get coffee from a sweaty, smelly, grumpy barista, do they?

[Tim]

I am a shift supervisor at starbucks, and at both of my stores the thermostat is locked by the landlord. We have no way of changing it, believe you me... I have tried.

[BuBarista]

I work at one of the Malibu stores and we've had the problem as well. We've also had the problem where the store was set too hot. I've tried to change the tempeture but becuase I didn't have the authorization code the system refused to let me change the temp. I think whether or not people really can change the temp depends on the type of system they have.

[Newbiebarista]

Our AC is majorly screwed up. It goes full blast until it gets to a certain (very cold) temperature, and then the heat turns on until it gets to a certain (very hot) temperature, and then it repeats.

[Roxy]

No one in our store has figured out our thermatat. It sucks. It gets so cold in our back room, we can see our breath.

However in the cafe it is not nearly as cold.

We mess with the thermometers but somehow they magically change back to -9892998 degrees.

Its frustrating, indeed.

[SBUXSS]

Oh, dear God, I WISH our store was freezing! Sometimes a closing shift feels like I'm in Hell. The recent heat wave hasn't helped, but being in a mall store, the temperature is controlled by mall management so we have no choice but to sweat it out. While the cafe area is *almost* comfortable, the temperature behind the line is at least 10-15 degrees warmer. Bleh.

The Starbucks I used to work at in Montana was a fairly new store. The thermostat and everything was linked to corporate, so if we wanted the temperature adjusted we had to call and they would change it. It was very high tech, There were cameras and we could even talk directly to securtiy if an alarm went off. My new store however has none of these high tech things, And the thermostat is very confusing.

[Tony]

I would have to agree with the sentiment that its easier (and more socially acceptable) to put on a sweater than to start taking things off. And yes, those who weigh 90 lbs. and can walk around baring all drinking Frappes, you are going to get cold, so carry a sweater with you. I mean really, what happened to COFFEE shops? Also, how many of you have Starbuck's with a small outdoor patio? Is this prevalent or just a local thing?

[SAM]

I work at Starbucks. It IS too cold. Gah.

[Becca]

With the heat wave sweeping our continent, I'm pretty damn glad our stores are freezing.

[dave]

it's to keep all those damn frappuccinos cold. lord knows no one gets espresso-based drinks or brewed coffee anymore, just milkshake-y fatty type beverages with enough fat and calories to make a big mac blush. so starbucks has to keep their stores cold so all the coffee-wannabes don't complain about runny frappuccino. ick. well, ok that's probably not really the reason, but its what im telling myself.

[coffeeguy :)]

accually maybe it's to get the customers to stop buying cold fraps and buy some nice hot (hopefully french pressed) coffee.

Consipircy theory FTW. :P

[Becca]

As per coffeeguy's theory, I've had a lot of customers come in and say "Well, I wanted a frap before I got in here, but it's so cold... give me a late" Granted a late's no french press, but it's a hell of a lot better than a frap.

[LeftyGrrrl]

Our store's thermostat is locked. I went online and researched Honeywell manuals until I learned how to unlock it. But not everyone is as crafty as I am.

Also, customers are a bit unreasonable sometimes. On 60 degree days, I get customers expecting me to turn on the fireplace. Plus, once one customer asks and gets their way, another will want the opposite of whatever the original customer requested. So, it's a game of heat up, heat down, music louder, music softer, etc. I don't like that game. I have a job to do. It's called making coffee.

[Polks]

I would like to add that Starbucks is Internationally cold~ I frequent the Taiwan Starbucks, and I have to bring a jacket in the summer just to stay warm. I think it's their overall strategy to incentivize you to buy more hot coffee....

[will]

I am the manager at lincoln and marine store and I find it really funny that someone left a comment about my store. I was looking for the address to the store and this is what I found. By the way I have tried to fix the temperature a couple of times, but you can only change it by 2 degrees. Only the thermostat people can really change it more than that.

[ibrahim]

dear sir
how are you
i would like to ask you about floor for store from structure side please give me information about it
regards
Eng.ibrahim tayyar
Iraq

[M Slater]

i just wanted to say about the ongoing argument about customers being too cold and workers being too hot behind the counters....i dont complain cuz im well aware of the idiot whos gonna say that im a whiner so i sit there with goose bumps really annoyed by the fact that they cant make the place where you pay for your hot spot and as much as $6 for some sort of coffee diabetic maker beverage that the least they could do at starbucks in light of there limited menu and mostly lame commercial music is make it comfortable to the customer by placing or installing a fan somewhere around the bar to blow all that hot air out from under their stupid and naiive coffee mastering asses and maybe warm the customers in the proccess! Seems simple enough...a little ventilation can go a long way, but unfortunately all ive ever experienced at starbucks is that its usually an uncomfortable envoronment, and unfortunately theyre on every street corner so your options are just a little cut out!

[California Grid]

68 degrees is ridiculous on days when California is on the verge of rolling blackouts.
If Starbucks is so committed to reducing their impact on the environment, they would make more of an effort to trim their power consumption on peak demand days. Customers would understand, but Starbucks would still need to develop a better way to cool the baristas. Perhaps summer uniforms of thinner fabric, half aprons, and shorts?

....i dont complain cuz im well aware of the idiot whos gonna say that im a whiner so i sit there with goose bumps really annoyed by the fact that they cant make the place where you pay for your hot spot and as much as $6 for some sort of coffee diabetic maker beverage that the least they could do at starbucks in light of there limited menu and mostly lame commercial music is make it comfortable to the customer by placing or installing a fan somewhere around the bar to blow all that hot air out from under their stupid and naiive coffee mastering asses and maybe warm the customers in the proccess!

Seems to me you are complaining ALOT! You call people asses, you are the one who sounds like the ass here. No one is asking you to sit at the store for hours on end in the first place. $6 for a drink is not true as well, unless of course you are getting a venti with extra this and that, which would make you a fat ass as well as a whiny ass.

[FREEZING AT BUCKS]

Sorry, I'm not buying the whole, "We're too hot behind the counter" explanation! If that were the case, (at least) the new stores should be designed so that most of the air-ducts are directed towards the area near the coffee machines. If you look at the ceiling, you can see that most of the vents are over the seating areas.

Right now, I'm sitting in a store in Ellicott City MD that's about 900 sq ft, excluding the back area and bathrooms. There are an astounding 10 air vents over us...and the small lights near the windows are swinging from the air conditioning. It's winter and it's 22 degrees outside (near Baltimore) right now. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU NEED THE AIR ON SO HIGH TODAY? We're all sitting here freezing!!!

Without doubt, I believe that this is a strategy to keep us buying hot drinks and food.

[California Mike]

As an architect I understand the added heat that the employees face from the machines blowing hot air on them. It is also incombent on Starbucks to consider the comfort of their customers. In Newport Beach, the customer seating areas are kept in the low 60s. This rises to a tollerable level of 68 during peak times. Behind the counter I'm sure it's a comfortable 72.
The blame lies in Starbucks facility planners who do not engineer the air conditioning system to take into account the need for two temperate zones.

[Westwooder]

I frequent the Starbucks in Westwood Village in Los Angeles on the corner of Weyburn and Broxton, and I find that the store is consistently freezing. If I stop in for 10 minutes, I don't notice it, but if I sit for more than an hour with my laptop, I will be practically shivering in jeans and a polo. When I go to the store to work on my laptop, I always bring a sweatshirt with me so I don't turn into an iceberg, but I wish they would keep the store a bit warmer for the customers.

Sometimes, I also sit in the blazing hot sun on the patio to read until I'm too warm, then go inside the store and cool myself down. Then repeat.
-Hank