Please, journalists, no more columns about Starbucks' drink sizes!

We're begging you! (Read the story at dailypress.net)

Comments

[RjD]

What is this constant obsession with SBUX's drink size names? If you're intelligent enough to get a drivers license to get yourself to Starbucks, then you can learn (be trained?) in 30 seconds the different cup sizes and their names. What is the big issue? This is nothing new.

freedom of speech is freedom of speech... they can gripe all they want about starbucks lingo and about how confusing and stupid it is. but please spare our baristas of your boneheadedness (a word?) who are just doing their job. if you cant interpret our simple menu board, you have much more problems to deal with in life. dont take your anger and frustration out on the baristas (especially when they-re as polite as that partner is in the article).

[jason]

The sizes are in order by price, logically, one would assume the more expensive size is a little bigger than the one prior? And if tall is the least expensive one...

People are stupid.

[averrycafinatedbarrista]

I get people like this all the time: coming in and demaning a small cappachino and yelling at us when we yell over to the bar person 'Tall Cappachino." it happens alot more than one would think.
most times, its just a smile, nod and then bring out the show and tell cups in order to get your point accross.

calling our drink sizes a harbinger for chaos is a bit...gee...i dont know...over the line?

[someone]

Does anyone remeber the story behind the Tall name???? I know I heard the explaination years ago but cant remember....
Please, if you know , write in-it's been driving me NUTS! :)

[blonde barista]

starbucks beginnings: short or tall.

a little while later: short, tall, grande.

a little while after that: short, tall, grande, venti (which does actually mean 20 in italian).

do we really need to go through this every month?

it's not that hard. it's written logically on the board (y'know, tall is the cheapest, venti most expensive...) yet people still come up and ask how much drinks will cost or what size is small. menu boards are there for a reason, USE THEM!!!!!!

[HopkinsBella]

One minor complaint regarding this. Yeah, the articles are getting VERY old; but seriously, can we stop giving the articles validity by paying attention to them?

I agree with Jason "People are stupid".

[someone]

Blonde Barista:

Do you ( or anyone else) recall the story behind the name "Tall"?

[Lou Sussler]

Why didn't she just give him a tall without saying anything?

[Charles]

Here's my thing: does this conversation really happen?

At the Starbucks in my building's lobby, there is a 50/50 chance of my saying "large" or "venti," depending on my mood and how awake I am. The person behind the counter, when calling out my order, translates for me. They don't look down their nose and correctly (and the writer implies). They just give me my twenty ounces of joe. I kinda assumed that was SOP.

[Steven Rosenberg]

As long as the baristas understand "small," "medium" and "large" and translate them into their appropriate words in Starbucks-speak, we'll all be OK.

Gee, it's an awfully slow news day. Nothing to really write about. Oh! I know, I'll write about Starbucks drink sizing. That should be good for 250 words or so.

[Barista sUz]

To the annony. poster above me, I was on MSN and read something about "Starbucks in space"
Yeah.. Sometimes when there's nothing to say, they just make something up about what has already been said. OR something that no one could really give a damn about. That article wasted 5 min. of my life. :(

[PhiilyJeff]

Steven's right - I used to be a reporter and this is a prime example of a columnist sitting at his desk on deadline panicking because he has absolutely nothing of interest or importance to say, so he digs deep into his bag of "hey, what's the deal with..." ideas and throws together this slop.

If I lived anywhere near Flint, I'd fact-check the column by visiting that store! There's an awful lot of dialogue in quotations that he is putting out there as verbatim.

Besides, anyone as familiar with SBUX as he seems to be would have dealt with this issue personally a long time ago!

I call shenanigans.

[PhillyJeff]

Sorry - newbie and misattributed to Steven. Was referring to anon. poster.

[nickname]

my understanding of the actual words "tall" & "short" were that they were direct translations of italian small and large...(you know how direct translations can get messed up at times..)

i love to use as a response to anger something i saw on this board once:
"i do understand english"

gets them everytime!

I love when customers are like, "I'll have a large... OH NO WAIT - I MEAN VENTI [insert drink]!!!" like they're super proud that they remembered to use their new word.

I usually say something like, "it's OK, I'm bilingual. I understand 'large'".

[cornfrost]

This guy's name is Andy Heller, and his book is called "Come Heller High Water." He has no right to complain about what Sbux calls its sizes when he calls his book something so amateurish.

on a side note, I love when people come in and order "a french vanilla cappuchino" then we're like, ahhh we know who has been drinking gas station coffee.

[Ash]

Anyone else ever have customers get so angry when you call out tall, they start screaming "I ordered a damn small!!" and no matter how much you try to explain it is a small, they just don't get it?
Although I do agree it's about time everyone knows this stuff by heart, it is still funny to witness in the store.

[cornfrost]

We sometimes have people order a tall, and then they say indignantly, "I ordered a tall!" They get mad because they thought they were getting the biggest size.

[someone]

Check THIS out: I actually wrote to this guy and 1) suggested that he not tease baristas trying to do their job 2) explained as best as I could why the sizes were called what they're called and 3) suggested that she might have been having him on about not having a small ( shame on her if she just didnt get it...)

So he actually wrote me back right away asking how I could think he was being dis-respectful ( and maybe he wasnt if she was just being stupid) and thanked me for explaining...His address is on the article. :) Go ahaead-write him!!!

[Becca]

Please, Webmaster, no more posting columns about Starbucks' drink sizes!

[Billy Mac]

Starbucks coffee is the best and what a great idea to dedicate a blog about it. I edit a blog critique on blogspot and was wondering if it would be ok to review yours...email me at the above email...nice work

[HoustonTxBarista]

I emailed the author too... i was a little more confrontational. calling him an idiot... telling him about our 35yr anniversery... maybe he made his hot college coed intern order his drink every day and on this terrible day it was his turn to do it himself. I got quite a reply too.

[mapia]

I am surprised anyone, let alone a professional writer, is still mining any gold from the "what's up with Starbuck's size names" issue. How about making fun of the stupid names of the Cold Stone Creamery ice cream sizes?

[someone]

Do they HAVE Cold Stone in Flint???? Maybe Starbucks is NEW there...That would explain alot.

[Theolaxor]

yeah i also emailed him.... still waiting for a reply

[someone]

Everyone keep on emailing him....maybe he'll get the message!

aheller@flintjournal.com

[imabarista]

We have a customer who orders a "Venticular Mocha/Mocha Light Frappe". Well, one day she wanted a smaller size and ordered a "Testicular Mocha/Mocha Light Frappe".

[Amy Alkon]

And they wonder why "younger readers" aren't picking up the newspaper. There has to be a better choice of columnist in Flint than this guy. Chances are, however, if they ran that person, the editor might get angry letters from little old ladies. Oh no, can't have that.

[ihcuids]

Okay, here's the thing. If you walked into a McD's and wanted a big mac, would you go and say "can I get a large sandwich with two pieces of meat and special sauce on it?" No, you'd say "Can I have a big mac?". If you went to KFC and they asked you what kind of chicken would you like and you wanted orignial recipe, would you say "Can I get the kind with the soft and uncrunchy outer coating(I think I made a new word there)?" No you'd say "Can I have orginal recipe?" The only difference is they've been around longer. The only people who have a problem with the whole name thing is people who don't regularly go to a Starbucks. God forbid we try to have our own style. That's what's wrong with this country. What a freaking tool.

[coffeeguy]

"They just give me my twenty ounces of joe. I kinda assumed that was SOP."

I would like to confirm this before any more smart baristas lip off. :P

Seriously if someone says large just let it be. Is it really worth even batting an eye at? :p

[jprs29]

And that is why here in Quebec, the tall is called Mezzo... it is also called Mezzo in Mexico... I guess it works for our health as baristas... we already have to deal with the bad translations (to French and Spanish respectively) of the drink names...

[val]

Wow, that author sounds like such a jerk. I bet he's greeeeat to be at a restaurant with.

[blonde barista]

hey baristas! wanna know the easiest way to deal with this problem?

customer orders small/medium/large whatever. you call the drink to the bar as the proper name, and if the customer has a question/problem, you deal with it in a legendary way. if you actually say "oh, it's the same exact thing, grande is just what we call our medium" instead of "you mean grande?!", you'll get a much better response.

there shouldn't really be this much of a debate.

[bronsky]

Wow. Stumbled into an alternate universe here. I can see why you guys are stuck being baristas. Good luck with that.

hey heres an idea starbucks rip your head out of your ass long enough to see that your stupid size names just piss people off and make you seem dumber than the president and change them to what every other place calls them. and if you dont congradulations your stupid in 3 languages only a dumbass names everything but the large another word for large. and the venti thing makes no sence at all. holy shit ididnt think it was possible but you managed to outdo george w. bush in stupidity.