From the mailbag: Will all Starbucks stores be open on Christmas?

A STARBUCKS GOSSIP reader writes: Will all Starbucks be open on Christmas? Our District Manager has determined that all stores in his district will be open for the Holiday. In some instances, stores are located within a mile or less of each other. In the past, only a few select stores were open and volunteers worked. Obviously now, partners will be required to work even if they would prefer the Holiday off. [Do employees get time-and-a-half pay? Double-time?]

Comments

I have 35 stores in my city and only one store is going to be open. I think that is terrible that your stores are all open. It hasn't even been a profitable day, usuallt - and seems that it sould be hard on morale.

[NamelessBarista]

I think its kinda sheisty...Christmas Eve I can understand 100%...but Christmas Day...is pretty bothersome. We got enough 'sucks to be you' comments on Thanksgiving, but again, I can understand being open then, too.

Is the motto...On With The Traditon or On With The Tradition --- except Baristas.

[Frapps]

In the Seattle area, we have one Starbucks open (that I know of) on Christmas day. It is the one in the QFC parking lot in Redmond, on Redmond Way.

[Z-PHANTOM]

We've got three stores open in our district this year. Everyone working has volunteered from various stores. In fact, we've got so many volunteers that the hours the stores are opened have been extended.

[Mia]

My local Starbucks has a sign up saying that they will be closed on Christmas. I think it was the DM's decision.

[Virtual Howard Schultz]

Well... as the Vitual CEO of Starbucks, I think we should all give a few hours of our day for free, I think 2 hours would be nice. I will be seen as a nice gestue, it's the time of giving, let's give.

[Becca]

all of ours will be, as will all in montreal.

[Kat]

If enough people want to volunteer to work, I see no problem (not everyone celebrates Christmas), but I do think it's a shame to make people otherwise work holidays, such as this or Thanksgiving. I used to work retail, had to sometimes work those holidays and I absolutely hated it.

[barockstar]

there are 4 stores opened (out of 11) in our district, and it is all volunteer based.

i believe it says in the holiday workbook (although i may be mistaken) that ONLY volenteers will be asked to work - meaning that no one will/can force you to work...so if your DM is doing that, you may wanna look into the guidelines surrounding the policy. (it's only been for the past 4 or 5 years that any stores were even open on christmas day..)

and yes webby, we do get double time and a half (at least here in canada) when working the stat holidays. holiday pay for anyone who does or doesn't work, with time and a half for anyone who works.

[Sarah]

Only on store is open in our district and baristas are lining up to work that day.

[Sarah]

Gah! Make that ONE store.

[Winter]

I encourage you baristas to protest!

The fewer Starbucks open on Christmas, the better for me, because since 1998, I have used Christmas Day as an opportunity to photograph stores without cars and people in front.

I still don't know what city I'll be in on the 25th, but if all my photos are ruined by cars and customers, I'll be very disappointed.

[cornfrost]

We get time-and-a-half for working on any of the six sbux holidays (thanksgiving, xmas, new year's, july 4, mem day, labor day).

We always have tons of people volunteering to work the holidays. We get huge tips.

I'm in NYC. On holidays, we seem to get a lot of lonely-guy customers who have noplace else to go. It picks up as the day goes on. The movie theater around the corner is very busy on Christmas Day night.

Hey, if you guys don't know, I think the comment from Winter was from the guy that goes around visiting all the SBUX in the country/world. Just Google Winter and Starbucks, you'll find his webpage. Is that you, Winter?

Either way, working on XMAS Day is volunteer, your DM can't make anyone work. Check it out in the book, or call your PR person at your regional office. The best way to get things taken care of is to talk to people, not complain on a website.

[Chris Glover-Price]

I work in the UK and we're closed Dec 25th & 26th, we're also being paid for the 2 days off! (thank you Starbucks!) Not sure if that's happening across the country but I'm smiling!

[Liz Elindel]

I work in MO and we're closed on Christmas in our city... however, there will be three stores open (and I work in a large city). We will get paid time and a half if we choose to work on Christmas... we don't have to tho.

[mgr]

Um, yes, you can be scheduled to work on Christmas Day if it's a day your store is open and business needs warrant it. There is nothing at all in the books about not having to work just because your store is now open on Xmas. You can always ask it off, but that means little if you actual read the Time and Attendance policies.

On a side note, all these new stores opening on xmas is an order from those above, and in part due to our financial situation.

In addition, there are millions of people who could care less-- it's a freakin' christian holiday after all-- and they would still like some coffee.

[JustABarista]

MGR,

Wrong. Check your holliday workbook. It says stores are open on Christmas day by choice of the DM/SM and ALL schedules are to be voluntary. I can see your interest in keeping that little tidbit away from your baristas. I wouldn't doubt that you are the type of manager that would be open on christmas but take the day off just to boost your bonus. I encourage all baristas scheduled on Christmas day that didn't volunteer for it to call the business conduct line. It's a few bad managers that pull down the image of Starbucks as being a good place to work.

[jabanga]

this year volunteer next year...?

[txmgr]

I am a SM and the decision to open on Christmas was made by my DM and not me. I have all volunteers working but As SM if my store is open I am on call. So much for a Chrismas off again.

[Howard Schultz]

I wish this site had a messageboard where we could actually start topics. But I just wanted to share the exciting news that all stores received their winter phase 1 work books this week and its confirmed that Cinammon Dolce is back!!

And even more exciting, its coming in a sugar free syrup as well! Also, for coffee masters like myself, you will be happy to hear that Casi Cielo and Ethiopia Sun Dried Shirkina are making their return as well!

The 2 new pastries are a 5-fruit whole grain muffin and a banana chocolate chip loaf.

[Sheik]

I announced forever ago that CDL was coming back. Check the "List of Syrups" post.

They are actually coming out witha Sugar Free CDL too. And the Sugar Free version still has fattening whipped cream and dolce sprinkles. So they cut back on like 2 calories... big shit.

[Sheik]

BTW it's not banana chocolate chip loaf... it's Cinnamon Chip loaf.

[harmaa]

My store in Wilmette will be open, and I have volunteered to work.

[coffeeguy]

I think the company policy is that stores are open on Chirstmas by volunteers ONLY!

Correct me if I'm wrong but anyone being made to work christmas day should call the business conduct line and report right?

[newbarista]

Our store is in a mall...so if the malls not open, we're closed.

We have x-mas day and new years day off...

ALSO, in Ontario at least, They cannot force you to work a stat holiday, major religious holidays. Interestingly, they cannot make you work on sundays if you choose not too. (bad idea...only works if you never want to work, or get called in on sundays)

[CDNBarista]

Becca - My store won't be open! (licensed store, inside Chapters). Thank goodness for that. Working on Christmas Day would just be sad. Who leaves the house on that day? It should be required by law to spend all day in pajamas, eating chocolate and putting batteries in your presents.

But Chanukah is over by the 25th this year, cdnbarista; what presents are left to open?

[peevedmgr]

It is a DM's/RD's decision which stores if not all stores in your district will be open.

The holiday workbook states that at your all store meeting you should have asked for volunteers to work the holiday. However, the holiday work book asking for volunteers does not over rule the general time and attendance rule. If you need partners to work the volunteers should be scheduled first. Then after that if you still need partners to work you will have to schedule as necessary. A good manager would then talk to his/her partners asking them to help out if only for a short time. But asking is not apart of the holiday scheduling delima.

BUT because time and attendance policies will always over rule a workbook suggesting to aske for volunteers it does not mean calling the stanards of business conduct line will get you anywhere other then a new level of frustration.

If you can't work the holiday tell your manager WAY in advance. Explain why you can't work. But if you can work enjoy the overtime pay and the tips that are going to rock because everyone who comes in feels bad that you have to work on a holiday.

[NCAL]

I THINK IT'S PRETTY SAD THAT YOU ALL HAVE SO LITTLE TO THAN WORRY ABOUT IF STARBUCKS IS OPEN X-MAS DAY OR NOT , MY STORE IS OPEN WITH A ALL VOLUNTEER STAFF THAT WANTS TO WORK. WE WILL ONLY BE OPEN A HALF DAY AND ALOT AND I MEAN ALOT OF OWR CUSTOMERS ARE EXCITED THAT WE ARE . NOTHING LIKE GETTING THERE FAVERITE DRINK ON THE WAY TO FAMILY GET-TOGETHERS, I WORKED FOR A CALIFORNIA GARBAGE COMPANY FOR 10YRS AND I HAD TO WORK ALL HOLIDAYS THAT WAS ALWAYS AT LEAST 10 HRS OR MORE. I'LL BE GLAD TO WORK IN A WORM BUILDING DRINKING GREAT COFFEE AND ENJOYING THE TIPS, FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO GRIPE ABOUT (PLEASE)

[Chi-town's best/angriest barista]

i think we're open and i think i'll volunteer to work. get's me away from the holiday crap, because, believe it or not, not everybody celebrates christmas, and if they do, not everybody has a nice wonderful family to go to, and really doesnt' mind getting paid extra to pretty much stand around for a day.

[sbuxnewbie]

We're closed. And since I don't celebrate christmas, I'll be sitting around, twiddling my thumbs.

Maybe I should check and see if any other stores in the district are open, and need help...?

[Becca]

I think I'd rather work christmas day than new years day. One of the best things about working hoidays is that at least one sweet customer feels bad for us and brings us in a hoiday dinner. Also, the rushes don't really exist... there's no before work rush, there's no lunch time rush and there's no afterschool rush.... it's nice having a steady stream rather than 50 people at once.

Cdnbarista, i presume, since you made that comment to me, that you're in Montreal. Remember that LC's in bookstores are not the same as the rest of the stores, so when a general comment is made about a city of stores, the LC's aren't included in that. (I know that all of Quebec's stores are LC's, but the Chapters ones are different)

[Herbert]

Denny's is open on christmas, why wouldn't Starbucks?
:-)

[Holidays Suck]

Our whole district has to be open Christmas and Christmas Eve. My boss is practially bribing people to work. I said absolutely not and now she already has me working that day by offering to move up my food handling certification test. So sleazy, but what the hell. This whole job is so messed up. It makes me want to tell the difference between acidic and earthy coffees so that I can have a black apron and be a "master." Before I didn't even care when I was drinking generic "hazelnut" coffees. I buy damn green coffee beans offline now and go to a coworkers shop to roast them.
What is happening to me.
It's an SBux plague.

[BaristaSinceO4]

Wow. Bah Humbug to you too! My store is closed and I absolutely refused to work on Christmas. Time and a half? Ha. I can work all the 4th of July's and Thanksgivings in the world, but Christmas is for sleeping in, enjoying far too much food, spending time with my family, and then making drinks at home on my Barista...maybe we should just sell off the rest of our black and white barista machines to the customers who whine about not being able to come in. That would help our holiday bottom line. :-)

[sbuxmanager]

Justabarista,

That is one self-righteous routine you've got going. My store happens to be closed on Christmas, but if it was open (like it is for new years eve and day), I'd schedule partners who volunteered first and if I didn't have enough, then I would have to require people to work.
Choosing to work or not to work on holidays is one of the perks of being the boss...if you want to have that choice, you might want to become the boss.

[Sheik]

If you have a greedy D.M. that has a few mall stores that HAVE to be closed Christmas, then expect 2-3 regular stores open this Christmas.

My bitch DM loses 3 out of her 8 stores because they are in malls. They CAN'T be open Christmas. So as a result she demanded FOUR (count em!) FOUR of her regular stores open this Christmas to earn her money for her annual bonus.

[416barista]

Were open, volunteer only. Think my whole district is open....I'd work, but by then I'll be in Florida enjoying the sun!!!

DM's and RD's should not require the stores to be open, especially since they aren't working holidays!!

Is your boss's first name Lucifer? lol

[Trevor V.]

In Canada they would be required to pay the employee their holiday pay PLUS their regular pay for any employee who was to work on christmas day, so basically they're making double time.

Still sucks though.

[BaristaBess]

"But Chanukah is over by the 25th this year, cdnbarista; what presents are left to open?"

ROTFLOL!! Thank you!!
I volunteered to work at the one store open in our area. I's just another day for some of us.

this is terrible! you know, there are lots of people that work retail - and its nice for them to be able to depend on having xmas off- even if its just an opportunity to rest. it is very hard for family yo get together - usually someone has to work the day before or after xmas...but at least we can depend on that one day.
people can make their own coffee at home for one day...so be it. and if people want ot volunteer - than good for them, let that store be open. good for the customers, too. but it shouldn't be required for people to be scheduled that day.
that day is about family and not about capital gains (leading up to that day, yes - but not that day itself)
and if this is the future of where sbux is going than howard better stop leaving his annual "and MOST of all partners, take time for yourself, and for your friends and family, because thats what this season is about" message.
and i think its really sad that so many people are defending being scheduled on this day. it really makes me sad about what direction this company is going. enjoy a day with less traffic -sheesh.

[Ken]

Does this include Japan?

Sheik,

What on Earth is wrong with you? You hate your job so much? For the love of everything, and to save us your sanctimonius bitching, QUIT. I for one, am sick of you. I love my job, I love working for Starbucks, and people like you aggravate me beyond belief. Starbucks is a great company to work for, and if you don't like it, vacate your position for someone who will appreciate it.

Anon

[Howard Schultz]

I volunteered to work Christmas. Its always really fun. Our customers are so much nicer because they appreciate us for staying open and leave big tips. I am an ASM, so tips normally dont matter to me, but at our store we decided that all of the tips for Christmas Day would be split up amongst those who worked that day exclusively. I heard last year people were leaving with $5/hr in tips on Xmas Day. On top of that, SMs/ASMs get holiday benefits in place of getting holiday pay, so I basically get 5 free paid days off a year (40 hours) on top of my vacation hours and my sick hours (currently I have 80 hrs combined). So essentially I could take the next 3 weeks off and get paid for it :)

[newbarista]

In Canada they would be required to pay the employee their holiday pay PLUS their regular pay for any employee who was to work on christmas day, so basically they're making double time.

You get your holiday pay, plus time and a half because its a stat holiday

double time and a half

:)

But no amount of $$ would make me work on xmas. I had to have a stern chit chat with my manager about getting time off that week. See, i'm a student, family lives 4 hours away, so I booked 5 days off and got bitched out for it. "Company policy - backout period for time off"

So i said, how much did it cost you to train me, and how much would it cost you to train another? is 5 days worth that expence? Luckily, they agreed with me

:)

[john]

If I had a fella who put me up against the wall regarding time off as newbarista did ... he/she may get off the day the stonewalled me but to get other days off will be very tough

[j]

i think if anyone wants to work on Christmas, they have issues-go be with your family or friends!!!

[former SF Barista]

Hmmm, I used to work for one of the other coffee corps in SF. I was in a fairly high-traffic store. I worked all holidays--if only cause of the extra money.
On xmas day the store was open shorter hours. We had a line out the door almost constantly for 5 hours; there were two of us working. People were nice for the most part, and, my coworker and I split $300.00 in tips between us, so, yep, it was a jolly xmas day ;).

[Sbux Manager]

To the ASM above who is going to get tips on Xmas. I hope your partners call the business conduct hotline because YOU DO NOT receive tips. It is true that a store that is open on xmas pools all the tips for only that day for the partners who have worked but SM's and ASM's are exempted from Starbucks tips. You could lose your job and I encourage any baristas and SS who know of ASM's collecting tips to report them.

[Theolaxor]

Wow where's the christmas spirit, sbux manager?

sbux manager.

that isn't entirely true.
(at least in most of canada, and at least some of the US)

traditionally ASMs don't get tipped out, but not because it's against the law, but because 'that's the way it's done'...

however, it's more of a voluntary thing.

you see in some of the US, it's illegal to tip out salaried workers.

not always in true in canada.
however, our roots being there, we've gone with the no-tipping out of our ASMs and SMs as well; even though our ASMs here are considered 'salaried special', meaning that they aren't truly considered outside the tip pool, because their not truly salaried.

so, if all agreed that the tips were to be pooled that day - there is absolutely nothing illegal about that, either by laws or morality.

and furthermore... holy, relax.

[Kellie]

I was a barista for 5 years, typically one to pick up the holiday shift after no one volunteered. i always found it humorous that people would tell us how sad they were we were open on Christmas, but were then some of the first in line to visit us that morning. all i could think was "HELLO- if you feel sorry for us, don't visit us!" all those, so sorry for you commenting customers, helpped to make business sales in my store comparable to other regular business days.

[chocolate city angry barista]

As far as I know, only one store in our district will be open for xmas, and it will probably be our store. Because we're the "flagship" store or something. Or maybe it's because we're in the more affluent area of the city and we'll be getting the lonely middle-aged "I go out to the casino clubs every night and try to get with 18 year old high school students which is why I'm not married anymore and don't have anybody to celebrate the holidays with...hey miss barista, is that mistletoe above the espresso bar?" type of guy.

But the tips are usually awesome and I hate my family enough to skip the xmas celebrations. Bring it on!

[sbux manager]

I didn't realize you were in Canada. I am not at all familiar with policies in Canada. But here is the US I'd love to work on Xmas and collect a massive amount of tips that I never get due to being a store manager but then I remember the thousands of dollars of bonuses myself and my asm have collected in the past few years and wouldn't consider taken a few extra dollars from my baristas and SS who need the money way more then I do!! I guess if you've the staff has decided it's o.k. then feel free to accept the tips but I think it's in bad form on your part....Are you going to share your next bonus with the partners?

[Howard Schultz]

"To the ASM above who is going to get tips on Xmas. I hope your partners call the business conduct hotline because YOU DO NOT receive tips. It is true that a store that is open on xmas pools all the tips for only that day for the partners who have worked but SM's and ASM's are exempted from Starbucks tips. You could lose your job and I encourage any baristas and SS who know of ASM's collecting tips to report them."

We as a store agreed that EVERYONE regardless of their position in the company would get tips. Its a tradition in our store. If Jim Donald worked a shift at our store during Christmas Day, he would get tips. Bottom line.

I'm well aware of the tip policies as I used to do them as a shift supervisor.

Here's another one for you. How many of you know that it is now a policy directly from PAP (partner asset protection) that we MUST have 2 partners on a rotating cycle of doing tips each week. We all know that there are many shady people out there that skim money from each weeks tips, so this way if one person is stealing, a pattern is possible to come about if the other person is not.

[Kat]

I work at a new store in Lovejoy, GA and our manager asked if anyone could work Christmas and if not enough people volunteered we weren't going to open. He wasn't going to force anyone to work. We do have 4 people that volunteered so we are open on Christmas, but it is time and a half.

[Barista sUz]

I think the stores decide on their own whether or not they will be open. If they have enough people, they'll open.

7 out of 8 stores in our district will be open. Mine won't, cos I'm in a mall. :D But I volunteered. Although I haven't been asked to work yet. I worked as a borrowed partner on Thanksgiving&Xmas last year. Wasn't so bad. They weren't open for very long and it was a lot of downtime. But this year, no one has asked me to work.

[Ben]

In the United States: It is against Sbux policy, and most State laws to require you to work on Xmas day. Call your partner resources coordinator if you don't believe me. It is also against the LAW (and Sbux policy) for salaried partners to receive tips. We are not even supposed to touch them. Check your labor poster.
Cheers

howard: that isn't a new policy.
it's always supposed to have been that way.
i think the policy goes even further and says that no one person can do more than 50% of the any cash handling operations - meaning if you have a SS who opens 5 days a week, they are NOT permitted to do the deposit 5 days a week...

ben: you are wrong.
according to PA&P managers are responsible for ALL of the cash handling that occurs in the stores, and that includes the storage of tips. meaning they are FREE to touch away!
they don't share in them, but it's their responsibility to ensure that people are trained properly on HOW to distribute them.
and who do you think is able to print your hourly reports?
ONLY SM and ASMs

plus, if you see i qualified my statement by telling you exactly how ASMs aren't actually salaried workers, so they in fact CAN get tipped in (in many places) but DON'T.

[sbux mgr]

I'm very disappointed that sbux asked stores to volunteer to be open this year. My store will be closed. I remember one of the selling points sbux had was that we were always closed for christmas day and we would always have that day off. Well, this whole volunteer thing just puts pressure on people to work, though its volunteer and soon enough we will be required to work or be open on christmas. I don't think its the right thing to do.

if that's a selling point to working at starbucks...

but tell it to the other religions that have to suffer having starbucks being opened on their special days...

while i don't like it, it's not that big a deal. and think of all the poor baristas who'd like an extra big paycheck that week...
you don't gotta work it if you don't wanna.

[Andrew]

The one Starbucks that is open in Seattle that I know of is on Cap Hill on Olive and Denny. But quite a few restaurants are open on Cap Hill on Christmas as well. It harkens to the day when lots of gays and lesbians could not spend time with family due to being the unwanted kids of the family.

[California Barista]

my store is open on xmas from 5am til 11:30pm...our regular hours and two others in our district are open. all the baristas are volunteers! we get double time and tips are divided so that only ppl who worked on xmas day get those tips
It really isn't as bad as it sounds I actually volunteered to close that night meaning i get out at 12:30ish...my family's out of the country for xmas so i thought i'd make some money...

[wsb]

We have at least one open in West Seattle ... California/Fauntleroy, 7 am-4 pm.

[ineedcoffee]

If any Starbucks are open in Greensboro - please post hours and location please :)

[Marino]

People have addictions to feed. I know for me personally, Starbucks has become a necessity, not just a pleasure. Not getting my mocha frappucino makes for a horrible experience for the poor sap that crosses me, even on Christmas.

[Miley]

I need starbucks or i will go crazy u need 2 be open in new york