Starbucks lost up to $4 million in sales when it closed stores for barista training

But what it got in return: Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of media coverage for Howard Schultz's turnaround attempt. An ad agency president says: "Originally I thought it was a big deal when they said they were closing their doors for three hours, but when I saw what they got out of it, I thought that was really good spend. They didn't have to do anything ... they just did an internal training session and used it to make news. That's pretty smart." (Read the Advertising Age story)

Comments

[I. Am. Legendary.]

And the training session was highly beneficial! While nothing changed for me, I was quite surprised at how many of my fellow baristas simply did NOT know how to steam milk right. One girl who's been at my high volume store for a year said "This is hard! I don't like the pressure!" Oi Vey!

They received bad training to begin with, and it stuck with them. After the training session, beverage quality has improved SIGNIFICANTLY at my store. The customers are loving it!!

And they're also loving the honey latte too. Eeewww... wtf!!!

[LI Latte]

From a customer standpoint, the fact of the matter is the drinks are better since the training.

We see the baristas spending more time making the espresso, and it is markedly better. And our baristas are a little more enthusiastic and enjoy explaining what you all learned at training.

A job well done, and like your ad said in the NYT yesterday, make sure it's not a one week special.

Keep making "new" better coffee, and Starbucks will do just fine.

[Mike]

Despite closing early Tuesday night our store beat our sales target by $1200 for the week. The increase in business we saw based on the media coverage was beneficial, and gave us a chance to utilize our training during a week of increased business which is great for exposure. I don't know how much we necessarily lost on Tuesday night, but I wouldn't be surprised if, as a company, we made up a significant portion of that with the increased business.

PR THINKS OUT LOUD -- Again
Well, isn’t that special. Starbucks PR lifted the veil to tell how it created a “narrowly-targeted strategy” for the training event, and then hired an agency for counsel and execution. But wait, there’s more: PR gave idea-credit to Schultz. Such self-less soldiering. Onward!

[imabarista]

Assuming that money was not spent at SBUX before or after the training, then the cost is still insignificant

[imabarista]

But, much of that money made its way back.

And the drinks are better....

[Raj]

4 million is a drop in the bucket in a billion dollar corporation.

[Peaches]

The training was great, and I also have noticed a revived passion in creating picture perfect beverages.

However, I think that part of the reason for the improvement is psychological. By closing stores to train, customers now attribute every quality drink they receive to that night. They might have gotten a decent drink before then (though I'll admit, chances were lower), but now they notice.

I think its rather brilliant.

who pulled the $4 million number out of their ass?

Next time i want to hang a cup of coffee on the wall I'll run down to Starbucks for a "picture perfect beverage."

[Fred Kiesche]

I've been to Starbucks three times since the training. Twice I noticed no change in attitude or quality (both stores I've been to many times) and in the third there was a significant deterioration in the quality of the drink I received. Which I pointed out to the person behind the counter.

I know there is no such thing as "bad press" but I still think to the general public, the attention Starbucks got as a result of the shut down is not positive. The difference in the drinks is hardly noticeable if at all. Mostly, people just make fun of it. Folks where I work are still "teasing" Starbucks about not being trained, not being able to make coffee correctly etc. I think in every meeting since the shutdown, someone suggests shutting down the bank for 3 hours to re-train. Sure it was pr, but I don't think it was the kind of PR you want.

[Decaf Drinker]

My closest neighborhood store (Hainesville, IL) is still like walking in and watching the 3 Stooges do their job. After going 3 times after the training (and quite often before training) - I've just stopped. It's not worth the aggravation of being in there.

[LI Latte]

My wife and I have been three times since the training.

She usually gets a skinny fat free Cinnamon Dolce Latte with only two pumps. But after the training, the espresso is being made differently (better) and it's stronger and better. So much so that she asked for the third pump.

So I say bravo.

I think that Starbucks is working very hard to run itself into the ground.

I remember reading somewhere that The "average" salary for a Starbucks employee was something like $30,000 ( yeah, I KNOW-maybe if you don't count all us store partners-but that WAS what was published...) so, If you add up the "average" salaries times the 200 that were laid off and the additional 400 jobs that will not be filled: that's an "average" savings of $18,000,000 ! Somehow $4 mil isnt an issue...

You know, considering that, I, like some other customers on this board, have had some poor experiences after the training, I'd say the training was a huge, old, big time bust. Massive.

Let's take my experience the other day: I walk into a Starbucks, no line. I stand in front of the register for a solid minute before I even get noticed as a customer! The two employees were chatting it up and only noticed me when I asked them if what they were discussing was more important than a customer, and if so, would like like to share the immediate concern.

So, we finally get the order in, a simple americano with exactly one-inch of room and paid for. I wait for five minutes before my drink was up, which was taken away because the second barista caught the first one who made it make a mistake. The drink wasn't made to spec (the barista only put two shots in a venti), so the first said they'd remake it. Fine, I guess.

They remade it and called it. Seven minutes by this point for several shots of espresso and some water.

I go to the bar, remove the top and see there's no room, as requested. I take it back the barista, tell them that the service is completely uncalled for and I demand a remade drink exactly as I requested it, per the overly ironic PR stunt called the written "Promise" board on the wall.

The barista scoffs, pours out some coffee and hands it back. I tell him I want a new one because the proportions wouldn't be right by just doing that. He goes off to the bar, remakes the drink and goes on to his peer about how picky I am. Of course, he isn't discreet and, at this point, I demand to speak with the manager. She comes out, and I let her know of the issue. She says that my problem would be taken care of and I ask how she plans on doing that. She asks what I want, and I tell her that she needs to fire the two employees for their apparent lack of customer service and training, even AFTER the retraining. Of course, I'm not discreet about it, mirroring their original behavior. She asks them to go on a break and thanks me for my business, which, honestly, just isn't good enough.

Overall, POOR service all-around. I won't be visiting that store for a while, and maybe not even a Starbucks for a long while.

Whatever they taught the employees, it wasn't how to treat a customer or make a decent drink.

To the customer who is outraged at his inability to get two employees fired:

I am very sorry your life is so unhappy. Whatever happened to make you this way must have been very sad.

Please re-read your post, look into the dark, dark emptiness of your soul, and consider the possibility you are a pathological a**hole.

Please make the world a better place by getting the help you need.

Really though, how pathetic can one's life be? That's one less rude customer to deal with.

[Starbucks Barista]

The national closing of starbucks stores was to redirect new policies to ensure top notch customer service and not just on how to make drinks correctly.

We're happy to remake anyones drink if it's made wrong. But at the same time, I hate to burst anyone's bubble in saying that if you give us attitude about your drink being made wrong the first time... unless your in a rush to get out of the store, I guarantee you're going to get sarcastic "thank you's" back. You know, we're people too.

But at the same time I need to say that it's sad if a starbucks employee doesn't know how to make a drink correctly if he/she has worked there for at least a month. Making lattes or cappuccinos or frappuccinos or any other drink is probably the easiest job on the planet.

Oh, and just to add something interesting in: Not all the stores closed! Mine didn't. It's because mine is located inside a grocery store, but still, that counts right?

[Ronya]

I think that Starbucks is being unfair by only addressing the retraining of low-level personnel. It's obviously not just them. There are other real issues that back up service and organizational attitudes that discourage good employees. These are policies that corporate and high-ups either aren't close enough to the actual day-to-day business to see or find it easier to blame $7 an hour employees and badger low-level personnel with customer survey results instead of dealing with the poor layout and proximity of menu boards in some stores considering how busy they are in the morning, the inconsistency and range of the quality of people they hire, the difficulties of boxing coffee on demand and heating pastries per order without staffing that. From a customer perspective and from experience in hospitality these counter people seem very unsupported. A friend of mine worked there and said that they tell the employees month after month that whatever their survey results are... isn't good enough, ever. Retraining while good was the tip of their problems and I just hope that they don't take all their issues out on under-paid baristas.

[Kat]

The anon with the bad experience: that was a bad experience. Those baristas do need reminding about good customer service and that if 1/4 shot goes down the sink making room that way, that's not how you make room. Plus, drink standards call for 1/4" of room in an Americano, so if they actually filled it to the brim, it would be slightly weak by recipe proportions.

On the other hand, responding to the probably-teenaged baristas with rude snark and then demanding that they be fired does not allow for you to be taken seriously. No manager is going to fire an employee based on one incident, short of sexual harassment or outright racism. Your experience calls for discussion and retraining, not immediate firing, and the attitude you showed made you seem to the manager to be one of "those" customers. That makes it more likely that the manager will, privately and after the fact, side with her employees ("Can you believe that guy and his entitled, self-important attitude?") than actually work constructively toward better customer service. If you want people to change, consider your approach.

[verycold]

From my perspective it is extremely challenging today to find good employees that remain "good" employees. Attention to detail often begins to diminish the longer they stay at the job because that job becomes a job. It really isn't about the pay either. It is about the fact that many employees today do not not do good work daily unless prompted to do so, which was what this retrain program really was. I am sure that each employee did get adequate training to begin with, but just slipped into averageland because it was easier. I am not a fan of Starbucks but I sympathize about the difficulties of getting consistently good help. The only solution for this so-so work ethic is to (1)see jobs evaporate by a rather long recession that will make many realize they are lucky to have a job at all, (2)for everybody to create a business and see what it feels like to be an employer vs an employee. BIG DIFFERENCE.

[StarbucksRants.com]

I think it was a great move for two reasons. It creates alot of talk in the press and among other people. Something you don't get with a billboard or even a commercial of someone pouring a can of iced coffee. Second off, it does help with the quality of the drinks. Just getting rid of the large pitchers and having baristas put the shots into shot glasses makes a HUGE difference.

[Lilith]

Anon @ Mar 3, 2008 1:02:15 PM

You had a valid complaint, but you lost it when "I asked them if what they were discussing was more important than a customer, and if so, would like like to share the immediate concern."

You must work on your approach! It starts out on the wrong foot and would put anyone on the defensive. A simple "excuse me" would have sufficed.

[Neevan]

To Anon @ Mar 3, 2008 1:02:15 PM

Regardless of whether what you did was inappropriate, what happened to you was inexcusable. I'd like you, though, to remember that this experience is not indicative of the results of this training, nor is it representative of Starbucks as a whole.

[CoffeeMan]

I have heard many positive comments by all baristas regarding the training. One thing I have noticed is that the shot glasses are still not being used, or is that because I usually order an Americano? I'm not keen enough to notice the difference anyway - it always taste good to me! (unless there's not enough shots).

[justsayno]

Sounds like a lot of the above posters need to be "retrained" pr let go. When i was with the Bux, customers were to be greeted within 3 seconds of entering the store. (obviously not during the rush when there's a line to the door) A cusomer should never have to interrupt a worker to worker discussion. The discussion should immediately cease, and the customers needs should be the sole focus of the employees. These two twerps blew it from the get go, and in my opinion, deserved a snide remark. They certainly should not have then taken more than 3 minutes to make an incorrect drink, and get snarky when asked to make it correctly.

Glad I'm no longer with Starbux. If this is acceptable customer service, along with the postings above blaming a customer are indicative of the retraining, then the Bux will continue to see falling revenue. Good riddnce to crappy customer service...

To the person who thinks two employees should be fired for failing to make a drink correctly- Stabrucks has a strict policy of treating all employees with respect and dignity. We're all human- mistakes happen. As far as i can tell the only 'wrong' thing in your story was that the second barista did not remake your drink from scratch the third time and offer you a recovery coupon. If you honestly think you are so special that you deserve to have the power to fire people for one simple slip up, then I suggest you go look somewhere else. Its very hard to be 'fired' from Starbucks for poor performance. And this wouldnt even qualify for being written up for. A coaching conversation, at the most.
I applaud the store team who had to deal with you, a rude and irrational customer.
Have you EVER worked in the customer service industry?

[it's not 3 seconds!!!]

I hate, hate, hate that some partners think you have to greet the customer in 3 seconds!

It's 30 seconds! Please look it up!!! 3 seconds is obnoxious! You can not have a meaningful interaction with the customer you are with if you greet people walking in the door every 3 seconds!!!! BACK TO BASICS!

[ohmi.gosh]

Jeez, let up on the customer.

As a barista, i know how annoying rude customers can be, but it doesn't sound like this gentleman was asking for anything ridiculous- just the prompt and precise service he deserves.

Although he didn't have to get snippy, it's not like you can't identify. It's frustrating to deal with undertrained and rude people, even when they are your coworkers.

[No Name]

To the rude partners I would say being rude and belligerent to a customer warrants a final written notice and serious coaching. There is no excuse for terrible customer service at Starbucks , especially right now!

To the customer I would say that I am terribly sorry that you were treated so shabbily. Please know that it will be dealt with, albeit internally because Starbucks should never shame it's partners - there is a right way to handle these things. Please give these partners a second chance to do the right thing and please give Starbucks the chance to make it up to you!

[justsayno]

Give it a rest "it's not three seconds". My DM insisted we greet- whether it be a spoken hello, or make eye contact and smile- every customer within three seconds. You had dang well better have been having a meaningful interaction with the customers by 30 seconds.
There is never any excuse for continuing with a personal conversation with a coworker when there is a customer needing assistance. Ever- got it?

Slipping standards have brought this company to the point where it is. And obviously the retraining didn't improve much.

[Just say no to ignoring the basics!]

Just say no:
Your DM didnt tell you to stop what you were doing to yell hello across your store did they? No. I didnt think so, so I guess my comment was not directed at you and your DM, was it. No. So I will say it again, from my resting position ( rude, much?) It's not 3 seconds, it's 30, and I hate it when partners think it is.

RE: Training PR

If you're in Seattle area, may want to check out speech by Starbucks PR to see what's up. Check online for date at seattle.iabc.com/communications

"How Starbucks Got Its Groove Back"
Brandon Borrman, ommunications manager, Starbucks Corporate and Issues Management team.
What happens when your stock price gets hammered, your CEO is replaced by the company’s iconic founder, and hot breakfast items are banished from the menu? Not to mention high-profile training plans for associates? Answer: Venti-size media coverage. Communications Manager Brandon Borrman will give us a behind-the-scenes look at how Starbucks has defended its carefully crafted reputation against an onslaught of unplanned developments.

[Starista]

I think the training was great in that our manager did an excellent job guiding us.... however it's been really tough for some of the baristas. Our espresso machines have been blinking POWDER ERROR after powder error... and it gets so frustrating!!!! My motto is, if it's not broken, don't fix it. And our shots were pulling just fine before we went and messed with them!!! Also, I hate how customers think we are so fakey, therefore many of them are rude (in my town this happens far too often :[) and they think I HAVE to be nice and talk to them. Well yeah, it's NICE and something I SHOULD do, but I don't have to tell you your scarf is cute or your sunglasses are nice. I could be the doormat some customers expect me to be and use the boring old "Hi how are you what would you like" thing.
if I say I like something on a customer's outfit I mean it... and I hate how half of them think I am totally disingenuous. AGH!

Also, some of our customers need to realize that we closed and are readjusting everything for THEIR benefit--not ours in most ways!! It's a pain in the ass (at our store anyway) to wait for the shots to pull for an Americano and add water last. The hot water inevitably gets spilled on the way back to the other counter and if the shots aren't "timed to perfection" we have to start over. It will take some getting used to, but I am confident it will be alright in the end....

[sherrie]

Mar 3, 2008 1:29:38 PM

Are you serious? That customer was treated HORRIBLY! If that had been at my store, both partners would have been written up and rightfully so. I can't believe those two baristas [I assume] behaved that way. That's inexcusable.

No matter what- I try my best to make my customers happy [well, within reason]. Of course, there are bad apples that can't be pleased either way. But that gentleman would have been happy with prompt service and a properly made drink. How hard is it to pull 4 shots for a venti Americano? Or leave room? Or remake a drink when a customer is unsatisfied. Especially when it isn't busy. I would love to get easily pleased customers like that man.

Today I had a gentleman come in and get a no foam, whole milk latte. Easy enough, right? Well, his last visit, we didn't have whole milk. I offered to make it with a bit of half and half for creaminess, free of charge. Nope. He wanted a refund. Okay, no problem. When he returned today, we didn't have whole milk, yet again. He was enraged and complained [threatening to call washington] for quite some time, throughly upsetting the shift on duty.

It's not our fault we don't have whole milk. It's not something we can easily fix. Remaking an Americano is not difficult [nor is it picky on the customer's part]. I just wish those partners understood that he wasn't rude or asking for something out of the ordinary. He was upset. And rightfully so.

When I hear stories like this, it only tells me that the training [in that store at least] was truly wasted.

[as an aside, as much as I still hate those small pitchers and shot glasses, I'm starting to like them and get better with them. Hooray.]

[X-SM]

I was ecstatic to hear about retraining! To me, back to the basic means decent beverage, friendly partners and Third Place environment. Visits to different NYC stores produce good results. I can't help but feel proud that partners are once again so enthusiastic about hand-crafting quality beverage. Starbucks was beginning to win me back. Then I went to a store in Hartsdale and the dream for better days came crashing down.

During a week's stay, I gave this small neighborhood store my business every morning and not a single partner looked as if they wanted to be there. I never received any other greetings except "Next!" plus the look of annoyance on their faces. Not a smile to any customers. A lady in front of me said to a partner "Oh, no. Why do people keep throwing money at you for newspaper?". His reply was eye-rolling and "Can I help you?" Seriously! Brewed coffee tasted old and urn lights were blinking most of the time. Double tall latte still tasted weak and bitter. As a former store manager and long-time customer, I have never felt that my business was unwelcomed or experienced such uninviting environment until I came here. On my last day I chose to skip their store and waited until I got back into the city for my first cup. If I didn't know any better I would have thought they were licensed store but then again that would have been insult to licensed partners. As bad as the store was, I kept going back because I wanted so much to believe that they can change their ways. Impossible that a Starbucks can be THAT bad. Was I wrong.

There are so many dedicated and passionate partners in the company who truly care and take pride in their work. It saddens me to think that a bad apple like this can and will destroy the good reputation that Starbucks is trying so hard to get back. Next time I'll probably go to the bagel store across the street for coffee. It won't be good but it'll have to do..

[Darleen]

It's not our fault we don't have whole milk. It's not something we can easily fix.

This can be an easy fix, why don't you do a paid out and buy some whole milk if you're out? Or better yet, let the milk guy know you are running out and he will leave a few extra for you. Unless of course you are in a remote area and there are no grocery stores close by. Then you have to rely on your team to let the milk guy know you keep running low.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

The increase of sales in whole bean coffee offset any finacial burden that Starbuckvs would've incurred.

To Anon @ Mar 3, 2008 1:02:15 PM
What happened to you may have been inexcusable, the way you handled however, was even more so. Starbucks, or any other coffee shop (or business) doesn't need customers like you. Go find a hole in the ground, and crawl in to it!

[Erica]

I am not sure if its a difference since the training or just a nice barista, but I went to my Starbucks yesterday in PA and the barista upgraded my grande iced tea to a venti for free! Not really a big deal, but made my day :)

[adam]

I think Starbucks needs to do the retraining on a monthly or even weekly basis because the employees around here seem to have already forgotten everything and are back to their old ways. Some of these people have such poor attitudes and work ethic that they need it. Too many of them think that just because they won't make a career out of it means they don't have to do things right.

[bbybarista]

You can't expect that Starbucks in general will have higher quality beverages now due to the training. Some Barista's just suck or dont care, or dont like working there so have a bad attitude. So if you go to a starbucks regularly that has a staff that you dont like then just find a new one. Really the manager should be making sure the drinks are being made properly when he/she is on the floor and keeping peoples attitudes in check. You cant expect 100% seamless quality and attitude from over 150,000 baristas.

[Brian]

To anon who is upset that the store manager didn't up and fire two employees on demand: Look! Buying a cup of coffee doesn't give you the right to make personnel decisions for the organization you bought it from.

The employees are the manager's problem, the poor service experience was yours. She can fix her problem by firing, re-training, or however else she chooses to handle it. She was just asking you how she could adequately compensate you for the little bit of inconvenience you suffered. For most people that would be something like your money back, a couple of coupons for your time, you know, things in keeping with the scale of the event. If the only thing that will make you happy is two people losing their jobs then you have a problem.

Mind you, I'm not a Starbucks fan. I don't even drink coffee. In fact I'm totally loving the new "my mouth can't say these words" commercials.

But one thing I really despise are sniveling, pompous yuppies who compensate for their inner feelings of self-loathing by sh*tting all over every service person they encounter in life.

[Dan]

the anon who was treated badly should be pissed ...but calling for a firing is really over the top and makes you seem crotchety. On the other hand I haven't had many bad experiences, except at big city starbucks, in which case it seems futile to argue

[bbybarista]

Dan:

Thats probably because the volume of customers in those stores is ridiculous, thus the chance of a retarded customer pissing the barista off and changing their overall mood for the day is more likely to happen.

Plus when its really busy you get stressed cause its just nonstop customers and you want to make sure everyone gets their drinks and stuff quickly so your just in overdrive.

[Darleen]

But one thing I really despise are sniveling, pompous yuppies who compensate for their inner feelings of self-loathing by sh*tting all over every service person they encounter in life.

You said a mouth full Brian, why do people need to act that way?

[H-Hills]

I had a crummy experience post-retraining and I'm not sure what to do about it. I ordered a quad venti latte, paid for the extra shots, and didn't discover until I was in my car and on the way to the freeway that the two additional shots were, in fact, missing. Yuck. I hate regular venti lattes and would never order one. But I really didn't have time to go back at that moment. I emailed Starbucks customer service, and no one has responded to me (more than a full day). Anyone have any insight into what I can do at this point? I don't need anyone to be fired or whatever, I'm just a little ticked that less than a week after a big get-it-right-every-time ra-ra session, my drink was mega wrong. I mean, I've ordered vanilla and gotten hazelnut before - no biggie. But this was something extra I paid for and didn't receive.

[Noelle]

To H-Hills. Just call the store you went to and tell them what happened. They should ask your name and then next time you go in, they will remake it for you free of charge.