Registered Starbucks card users now get free brewed-coffee refills -- right?

There seems to be confusion about this at some stores. Since I've been charged for refills all this week, I figured the free-refill policy hadn't kicked in. Then this morning, I checked the Starbucks website, which had this message: "Brewed Coffee Refills at No Charge." I showed this to a barista who had me pay for the refill, and she was taken aback -- it was news to her. Are stores not telling employees about this new perk? Registered card customers -- are you still being charged for refills?

Comments

Don't know about the free refills, but I've been to three stores this week where the baristas haven't known about or known how to give the free syrup.soy milk benefit.

[Joe B]

I agree. There has been a lack of communication, even at the corporate-to-store level, about the card benefits. I believe the barista need-to-know for this phase had the information in it, but few stores implement this communication tool well, if at all.

[SM D]

The problem is that as store partners we don't know whether someone is a registered cardholder or not. I have tried to communicate with my customers that if they are registered they need to make us aware so we can offer them the benefits. Yes, at some point we as partners will be able to ask every person individually that has a Starbucks card if it is registered, but right now with the other items we have on our plate we have to take it one step at a time.

[lilshift]

The need to know also said that the benefits would be given to all starbucks card holders for the first 30 days, so they have time to register the card.

[TORONTOWYLD]

It's still so new, even though I like to think of myself as smart and quick on my feet, it's hard to remember in the middle of a rush to try the card benefit every time a customer presents a Starbucks Card -- I'll have the hang of it by to-morrow I'm sure but the first couple of days we're going to mess up more because it's not a habit yet. Just as when they up dated the registers and moved the debit card key, everyone had more mistakes that had to be voided later when they by habit went to hit the key in its old location.

I'd hadn't thought that the registered card benefit would apply for a Hazelnut Coffee Frappuccino at first but I tried it anyway and sure enough the Hazelnut syrup was discounted...

There is a reasonable limit to the brewed coffee refills benefit that it has to be the same visit (i.e. within two hours) and so far my brewed coffee regulars haven't been back for more quite that quickly. I've been talking it up as much as I can in slower periods though, as have plenty of my coworkers =>

"I have tried to communicate with my customers that if they are registered they need to make us aware so we can offer them the benefits."
^^^ This is probably the best way to go as long as things are still in that "breaking in" stage =>

[ben]

Hey Baristas!

There was some confusion in my store about this. After we dug around in the workbook, we found the information. The new policy is free refrills, free modifiers (syrups, milks), and spontaneous perks for registered card users. There is a button on the POS screen (can't remember what it's labeled... "card benefits" maybe) which will deduct the cost of the syrups, milks, or in the case of refills, the cost.

Look for the information! It is in the workbook (so on the nice, thick shiny papers with info, not an e-mail or anything like that). Inform your customers and fellow partners! This is a new policy I am very excited about (paying for soy always irked me) and I want the customers to feel the same!

[Barista of the Millennium]

I think everyone is having problems with this function. Here is the best way to solve the problem:

WHENEVER YOU RUN THE STARBUCKS CARD ON THE "TOTAL" SCREEN, IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO FIND IF THE STARBUCKS CARD IS REGISTERED AND CHANGE THE PRICE (for syrup, soy, refills, etc.).

The whole step of hitting the "Card Modifier" button on the POS screen is VERY clumsy. Why should you have to swipe the Starbucks card twice?

This was NOT thought out because it has been poorly communicated through the stores and most partners don't even know about the "Card Modifier" button on the POS.

We have created an expectation from the customer which most do not know how to fulfill (see Jim's post). How in the world can you expect to be taken seriously as a company on the rebound when the partners look clueless because of bad communication from the top-down (see also the launch of Pike Place Roast thread where some stores did not even about the coffee tasting)?

I understand that Starbucks is a big company, but if that's the case you must make sure that everyone in the company is knowledgeable about changes.

And can I also say that I am annoyed that this is ANOTHER POS related question to ask the customers ("Do you want your receipt?" is the other). How are we supposed to have a legendary conversation with the customers when we have all of these mandatory questions?

So far, I have liked most of the changes (new Espresso standards, fresher coffee, consistent coffee, customer focus, no more warming stores, bringing back the romance of the coffee shop experience), some I haven't (the starbucksidea website (which only one customer has asked me about). But my protest is that Starbucks has not put more focus on the execution of these changes nation-wide. How about a little more time in between these changes to properly implement them?

I'm just sayin...

[Barista of the Millennium]

Sorry I should have posted "Card Benefits" button rather than "Card Modifier."

I don't work at a U.S. store, but rather a Canadian one, and for the most part, our promotions were part-and-parcel with those at U.S. stores, however this one started an exception - our promotion is completely different, and let me say in my most Green Apron way that whoever was in charge of this one needs to be put on a PDP, and quickly.

We didn't get our brewer reprogramming card at all, the Siren's Eye came separate from the workbook, and late; our workbook is THREE pages long, which is just inexcusable, the Starbucks Card benefits info came late, the Siren's Eye shows all kinds of merchandise and signage that U.S. stores recieved but we didn't, and we weren't shipped any promotional coffees. Talk about frustrating.

So to top it all off, we don't get PPR - we get House Blend, which is "still a great coffee" :-(, and boy, do we get a lot of it. Our store is being dumped with over 400 prepacks each week. PREPACKS!! The ones that aren't good enough for U.S. stores, but work just fine up in Canada. And the best deal here: these are the same prepacks that we used earlier, the 9oz ones with no hold time, that you had to brew right away and couldn't stage... I'll let you guess what we do with them:

We stage them, in the big, plastic cubes we use for frap. And the coffee sits there all day.

So how's that enhancing the coffee experience? Now, rather than rip open the pack and brew, we "scoop" from a bin. Not quite what Howard had in mind, let me tell you. Colin Moore, the president of Starbucks Coffee Canada, needs to wake up and see that if we're supposed to execute to a standard, those standards need to be worth executing to. I feel like our stores are taking second or third place here.

Phew. Feels good to get that off.

It was definitely poorly communicated. I still can't find it in our workbook.

[maddie]

search for "starbucks card benefits" on the portal and you'll find the barista need-to-know

[SirenBlazing]

As an retail Partner, I have to concur with the others' postings regarding the poor communication of this benefit and the others. Basically what I know about it I learned on the Starbucks.com website and via the POS reference card under my register. No review of the benefits during brewing training, no discussion from managers or shifts - just one big clumsy promo period. Fortunately I have the desire and forethought to figure these things out on my own!

Most Partners in my store knew little (if anything) about the modifiers benefit and no one knew about the free tall espresso beverage with purchase of a pound of coffee. Why wasn't this IMPORTANT information conveyed to us during the brewing training sessions? I really, really don't understand how something so big fell through the cracks so easily.

On a separate note, has anyone yet decoded which modifiers are actually discounted? I have had to ring up "Grande Vanilla Latte" as "Grande Latte + Vanilla Syrup" in order for the card benefit discount to work. There's seems to be some sort of discrepancy between "signature drinks" (see "Cinnamon Dulce Latte" vs. "Latte + Cinnamon Dulce Syrup") in terms of whether the discount is applied or not. It is quite confusing. I would love to hear your experiences with this!

Onward!

I get more information from this website than I do from Starbucks itself

I think the confusion on the refill policy is that it is really only meant to be given if you remain in-store. I see people come back hours later with a dirty cup and ask for a refill, and we "just say yes" and charge them the refill price. This may be why people are getting charged - because they are not remaining in-store, and thus are not entitled to the free coffee, much less the discounted cup of coffee they are actually getting.

[thanks for the insight]

I was wondering why it was so difficult to get the benefits of registering my card on my vanilla and soy.

How do I get the partners at the store I go to believe me?

@Barista of the millennium: What's wrong with starbucksidea site?

Starbucks' biggest problem has always been communication.
Store managers just need to address stuff a.s.a.p.

[Frustrated Barista]

We had zip, zero, nada, nothing on the Starbucks card modifiers. We have the little sign on the door, but the partners in my store that do not visit this site or the portal would have no idea what it meant. My manager never even brought it up. I don't know if she is trying to keep shut to up sales, or if she just doesn't know either. I told a bunch of my Starbucks card customers today about the perks, and gave them as a surprise and delight. So I guess that the rest of my stores crew will find out about them soon enough.
BTW, We started getting the Top Pot mini doughnuts, my Sm put them in the pastry case today and they ring up as 8.95...Are they supposed to be sold by the box???Customers were buying them like hotcakes, and we were ringing them as mini vanilla scones or not charging when they rang up wrong. They should be sold by piece, it would really up Top Pot sales.

[CoffeeMaster33]

I don't know why everybody is having so many problems. My Canadian store is running just fine. Sure, we didn't get Sumatra Peru on time for launch, but we had everything else, and all the baristas were trained on the new brewing procedures, we had hundreds of House prepacks ready to go, and the card benefits are going smoothly. I think we're okay because we have a good SM who passes along info quickly and effectively, and our Shift Supervisors are interested in the policies, and are proactive in making sure the learning cascade (passing on info from SM to shifts to baristas) works the way it was designed.

I think everybody just needs to employ some star skills... If you don't know what's going on, ask for help.

I've been to two stores that both told me that the program hadn't started yet. One then told me that it would be my responsibility to tell the barista that my card was registered (before I placed my order) or I would not get the free benefits, and another store that said the program when the program started, the charges would be reversed automatically when my card was swiped.

Talk about a communication problem!!!

All communication i have seen has said program to begin mid april

Nobody seems to know about it. It's like when the Starbucks credit card first came out. I still ask if they know how to use the duetto card if it's someone I don't know. And even though they say yes, they usually put it on the charge side! aarghh!

I tried to register the card online a couple of times, but maybe I was too early and it wasn't ready. It said if you're having trouble registering your card to call an 800 number. Just haven't had a chance yet. From all the posts it appears that the message about this has not been communicated properly, or not enough emphasis has been given to something that rewards frequent customers....the ones you want to keep!

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

>>>All communication i have seen has said program to begin mid april

Apparently wrong. My refills have been free ever since mentioning that I have a registered card and I know about the free refills.

[Christin]

The barista need to know for this was in the Spring Phase 2 promo book.

My baristas take the initiative to read this stuff before I even put it out for them to read and sign.

It's also all on the portal, which all baristas can go to.

It really is the SM's fault if baristas don't know about this, the company put all the information out there.

If you are a barista or shift supervisor, my advise to you would be to check the portal on a regular basis. If you find info your SM isn't telling you, let your DM know they are keeping the communications flowing.

[MusicGal]

I agree with Christin (above). If the barista didn't know, it was probably the SM slacking off.

My store knew about this at least two weeks in advance; I was sure to use the "card benefit" button on the POS.

Musicgal

I think this was a company wide bump.

We never discussed teh sbux card or ANYTHING. Yeah there was a Barista Ned to know in the spring 2 book, but noone ever actually said WHEN the program would start!

[Zipy]

Yeah.. i find it funny, when the barista's I work with asked about what people get and if we had something we could give to the customers to let them know. I told them "well, there's the hand out little paper thing right above the cards in front of the registers" They were stunned. I guess no one really looks in front of where they stand, much.

For what its worth, your SM's should of told you about this. This isn't so much as a company bump as it is classic sbux problem of crappy managers not relaying information like they are supposed to. My manager told us all about it. Even the new SoCal promotion we're doing (which just strikes me as weird)

[WateryTart]

If one isn't an everyday customer or is a new customer, the rules about the card, registering the card, knowing that registering the card brings benefits, etc., sounds really complicated

How is a new customer supposed to know all this stuff?

Simple:

If you use the card and scan it with the card benefits button then click total, it will remember the card number and you don't have to swipe twice. Whether benefits kick in or not, it will still allow you to only need to swipe once. Like if you get a partner markout and buy a cup or something it remembers your numbers automatically for the global discount.

[Reevah]

My store (Bay and Cumberland, Toronto) knows about them, I think...
I went in yesterday and used my card (I received it as a gift from someone) and she asked me if i knew about the benefits of the card and I said no. She then proceeded to hand me a little orange pamphlet telling me all about the free refills, syrups etc... so I am assuming they have read the little orange pamphlet thingy themselves.
But who knows...

Was there supposed to be free espresso shots available, too, as a perk in addition to free syrup and milk upgrades for registered Starbucks cardholders? I seem to have heard it mentioned, and a store manager even mentioned it the day before the launch, but I haven't seen it on any company literature... only mention of the syrup and milk benefits...

[Amber]

I am a Starbucks partner, and with all the new things happenin, we are bound to get some things wrong the first week. Anyway, if you have a starbucks card, all the barista needs to do is hit the "card perk" button on the "bev" screen and swipe the card. If it is registered, all the things that are supposed to be free will be changed to "nc" (no charge).

[Torontodude]

Re: the Canadian situation

I agree that things are working smoothly here in Toronto -- in terms of employees knowing about the new benefits. A quirk seems to be that we can't yet register our cards. (Well, we can -- but we can't get our balance online.)

The main problem is that we're not getting Pike Place. We have to make due with house blend. On one visit, I waited a minute or so for a new batch to be ready. Fine with me. I'll wait up to five minutes for fresh, hot coffee. But the house blend coffee was disappointingly bland. The phrase that comes to mind is "so-so". I'd call it somewhat better than Tim Horton's -- but there wasn't a huge difference. Am I right in suspecting this coffee may have been roasted and ground long ago?

So I wonder if Starbucks is really going downscale and after the Tim Horton's market. After all, two cups of Starbuck's drip coffee are now cheaper than two cups of Tim's.

Details:
* Two Starbucks Venti drip coffee costs
$2.21 (with card refill benefit.)
* Two Tim's extra large drip coffees cost $3.30 ($1.65 each)

Thoughts?

[STUCKINTHEDRIVETHRU...NO LONGER!!!]

Okay, so somebody can probably answer this question for me and now that I think about it, it makes sense. Theres a button on the main screen of the POS towards the top right hand corner that says "Card Bnft" or something like that and then you swipe the card. I'm guessing if somebody wants to redeem their rewards you just hit the button and swipe the card and it kicks in the discount. There does need to be better communication about this...

[Hirayuki]

Will they ever be reprogramming the registers to automatically know if a card is, er, registered? Is it possible for the POS system to query the card database and come back with an "okay, give 'em free bennies" or "benefits denied" response without slowing down the line?

I've been registered for ages now, but only one person's asked me if I was (and given me free modifiers). It'd be nice if it were an automatic check in the POS system.

[Pat Nerr]

all boils down to execution... As more and more things roll out the front door of the 3rd Place... it's going to be critical to get these things right.

I mean, it's about building trust with partners and customers again...

[Troy Hammersmith]

I stumbled across this website by accident and I thought I would let all you Starbucks fans in on a big secret - Starbucks makes coffee for people who have no idea about real coffee. The watery, tasteless slop served up by Starbucks is only slightly better than the greasy dishwater exiting out of my dishwasher's drain pipe.

Get yourself over to Europe to Italy, Greece, Turkey or Spain and have a cup of genuine coffee - coffee with taste and soul and body - not production line slop prepared by kids and wannabee barista's. Where I live the only people who drink Starbucks are college kids and lower class rednecks....those with no taste.

Keep kidding yourself your getting a great cup of coffee at Starbucks, the same way you think Burger King makes snazzy gourmet hamburgers !

[lilly]

Store managers and staff are confused by the various free coffee deals that are in play.

One store thought that the FreeCoffeeWednesdays card meant free coffee EVERY DAY until May. I asked them to carefully read the card; and you can picture the shocked looks on their faces.

Likewise, they are confused by the various deals and freebies with a SBUX card.

[COFFEEISLIFE]

So wait, let me get this straight... I went through all the trouble of registering my starbucks card online... and now, to even get the stupid rewards of having it, I actually have to TELL them it's registered EVERY TIME???? They couldn't program the registers to recognize it? Two major issues I see with this:

1) maybe some people don't mind being jackasses but I personally feel like a total cheapskate walking up to the barista saying "hi, you're supposed to give me this for free" which means most of the time, I just won't get it...

2) what's to stop people from not bothering to register but then saying it is registered?

[Mole]

CoffeeIsLife, if lying about whether my card is registered works, then I will lie. Not because I'm lazy, or because I think lying is okay, but because I just hate having to register my card to get these benefits.

You see, I collect Starbucks cards. I try to get at least one of every new card. To register a card, you have to scrape off a patch on the back of the card, which reveals a code number. Scratching off this patch, however, makes the card less valuable as a collectible, so I don't want to have to do that.

And why should Starbucks care whether it's registered or not? I gave them my money, I should get all the benefits of the card. As simple of that.

PLEASE READ MY LAST POST FOR THE SOLUTION! I don't know WHY people are still asking the same questions.

The Card Benefit button already on your register will take away the cost of

1. Added syrups

2. Soy/Organic/Breve/other milk add-on costs with the swipe.

3 Brewed coffee refills with the "coffee refill button" and a swipe of card benefits.

If you click exact tender then sbux card it remembers the numbers and pays for the drink. ALWAYS use card benefits button first so you can get the perks.

Extra shots are *not* free. Whatever is free the card benefits automatically deducts it. I don't know why it's so confusing.

To Mole:

They want people to register and they give a bonus. Anyone can buy a gift card, but most avid Starbucks customers already registered with *no* perks long ago. Your logic, it's like just handing cash over and wanting extra perks. I collect Sbux cards, too, but it's not like I can't get a spare to register.

[Sho Nuff]

If your card isn't registered, then the system won't let you get the discounts...we just have to ask to know whether or not to check it b/c we have to swipe it BEFORE you pay and press a separate button...

Our manager informed of us of all the benefits the week before all this happened...and we told our customers beforehand, too.

I was told if you swipe to see if benefits kick in regardless if they do or not when you click exact tender and starbucks card it remembers. I don't see the big deal in just swiping twice, anyway.

More money down the drain and coffee.

[Me]

I do understand why there is some confusion about the benefits. I think I remember Howard saying something like free shots at the shareholder meeting. Even my DM told us about free shots until someone pointed out that it isn't part of the promo according to the flyer they gave us.
Apparently Starbucks seems to focus on coffee and free media coverage right now, which explains why the tech guys programming the registers got away with going wild and playing around with colors, funny extra steps to go through and stuff like that. Hopefully someone will wake up soon and fix that.
My suggestions:
1) As soon as you hit Starbuckscard as a tender the system should tell you the new total (so you can tell the sustomer what's going to be deducted from his card) and then proceed with the checkout.
2) New card activations should get the discounts without registration for about a week, to give a customer time to register his card.
3.) get rid of these funny colors and make useful groups of beverages and pastries at the screen
4) Add an extra security question (are you sure to use a traveller cheque?) to the button which used to be the debit button to avoid all these voids
5) Fix the problem that you have to ring in the syrup extra in order to get the benefit. Why do we have a Vanilla Latte button if i can't use it in case my customer is eligible for the discount.
6) Why does my three times daily grande white mocha customer does not get any benefits while the short hazelnut soy no water extra hot tazo chai customer saves about a dollar a day now? Benefits should be rewarded according to how much people spent (like it works at the duetto card) not on what drink they prefer. Free refills on drip could stay anyway.
7) Give every Barista ten minutes a week of non coverage before their first shift to catch up reading all the new policies. This way there wouldn't be any communication problems. In my store most people show up on time, run to the floor, work their ass of and have no time at all to read the com-log, since we are usually only two people at the floor. If we have a third person, someone is bussing, on brake, doing deposits, pre close or whatever else off the floor. Often there is even only one Barista working the floor.

I could go on and on, but it's already a pretty long posting. Maybe we should take it step by step.

[Confused]

Ok; so I'm confused. I have a SB Visa card that is apparently already registered per the website that I tried to register it on. So does this mean that if I go get a tall brewed coffee, I can get a free caramel syrup in it and a free refill on same in store visit? What's the special milk choice?

special milk means you wouldn't be charged extra for steamed soy, lactose free, organic or breve milk. without the card this would cost you 0.45 extra.
And yes, your caramel would be free. I'm not so sure about the caramel in the free refill. Just try it out.

Anon wrote:

"Starbucks' biggest problem has always been communication.
Store managers just need to address stuff a.s.a.p."

As a SM I agree and it is very hard when we're required to work scheduled shifts on the floor. SM's need to become GM's so we can handle all of our Admin--take the Non-Cov--that's what I say!

I just got off the phone with the Starbucks hotline. I called them three times to make sure I got a correct answer. The first lady said "only modifiers that change the recipe are included in the promotion". The second lady said "basically any espresso based drink containing a syrup in a clear bottle will be rung up as if it were a regular latte". The third guy at first agreed with the first lady but then he checked with his supervisor and heres the deal.

-As per the customer booklet, any syrup with the exception of Mocha, White Mocha, and Chai will be free for registered card holders. Venti Vanilla Lattes, and Venti Hazelnut Lattes will cost the same as a regular Venti Latte.

-When ringing up a Vanilla Latte or Cinnamon Dolce Latte which already has a button on the menu, press that button, then the card discount. There will NOT be a line indicating there is a discount for these beverages however a discount will be applied.

- For other latte drinks, hitting the Card Benefit button after ringing up the drinks will indicate that a discount has been applied.

-Extra espresso shots are not free

[Proud Barista]

I hope someone from corporate-Starbucks is reading this:

Me, and all the other partners at my store, and I'm sure partners nation-wide, are extremely frustrated with how poorly this Spring Phase II promotion has been communicated and implemented. It seems like Starbucks is trying to change EVERYTHING all at once. There has been a huge lack of communication about new brewing policies, refills, Sbux card perks, etc. I am getting more and more frustrated since Howard came back. I like the goal he running towards, but he is moving WAY too fast. As a barista who works 35 hours a week so is always on the floor, I'd like to tell him how hard it is to deal with all these new policies, confused customers, and goddamn Ecosure beeping timers all at once.
Thanks.

i wish the register would automatically take off the benefit. we have to rememebr to do it each time we get a card that has the extras. its the first week and hard to break the habit. i will go through a couple transactions and then remember to do it. its hard to get used to the change among all the beeping going on these days with the timers every 30 and answering the phone in between to tell customers what is brewing.

[Proud Customer]

@Proud Barista: LMAO!

Quick question: If this is a "Spring Phase II" promotion, does that mean the card perks will expire in the summer?

[CB]

What other surprise benefits are there? Does it vary by store?

I saw that my local Starbucks is giving a Grande frappuccino for the price of a Tall when you use a registered card.

6) Why does my three times daily grande white mocha customer does not get any benefits while the short hazelnut soy no water extra hot tazo chai customer saves about a dollar a day now?

More importantly, how fat is your three times daily grande white mocha customer?

At 470 calories for a typical grande WM (Whip, 2% milk), you're getting 1410 calories A DAY!

They say get 2500 calories a day, so 56% of this customer's day is in white mochas!

59 grams of sugar PER WHITE MOCHA, too!

Wow.

This customer must be MORBIDLY OBESE.

Oh well, though. Makes the bottom line look good.

[Jeff]

Regarding the benefit of no charge for extras. If the syrup comes from a clear bottle, e.g., Vanilla, Hazelnut, Toffee Nut, etc., then it is free and will be applied once you press the CARD BENEFIT button. In other words, for the first 30 days any Latte except Mocha, White Mocha and Chai will be billed at the regular latte price. Espresso shots are NOT free. If someone wants a variance from the recipe, i.e., a Triple Grande Vanilla Latte, they will be charged for the extra espresso shot.

This, in my opinion, is where the confusion lies. Guests think anything they add to a drink, even a regular part of the menu should be free! They think a Mocha should be at the Latte price and take off the mocha syrup. No, no, no...a thousand times NO! Now, if you want a Vanilla Latte and want to add, say, Toffee Nut syrup to it, then the Toffee Nut is free IF the card is registered. If they want a Vanilla Latte, the charge will be at the plain Latte price. Yes, we are letting all customers using SBUX cards receive this benefit for the first 30 days in the hope they will register their cards.

Every store has received information on this and it should have been shared with all partners by now. If it hasn't been, pester your SMs and ASMs until they take the time to find it and share it with you!

The ONLY issue I have is the date for this was supposed to be April 18th and they moved it up when the latest software update was done on the POS registers (the distracting multi-colored screens). There was an e-mail letting everyone know the promotion was going to start as of the update.

To the person who posted about a Grande Frappuccino for the price of a Tall, I've heard nothing about that and do not believe stores are authorized to do that. A SM can pass out cups and use their discount code to give guests free drinks, but have never heard of the upgrade offer. If it's true, enjoy it while you can would be my advice.

[MusicGal]

Guys, we baristas don't have to worry about remembering which syrups/etc. are discounted (with registered SBUX cards) and which are not. It calculates it automatically for us.

Can not understand why we make mold hills into mountains. The general coffee drinker understands the massive change and are willing to work with us not against us. This issue is petty, and he simple procedure is something that will take time to become common practice. Go into a CUPP coffeehouse, I did today, and watch ow you are treated and taste the quality of the beverage. Oh yeah no discount.

JEFF,
The frappuccino thing is a SoCal promotion only. With a registered sbux card, a customer gets a free size upgrade of any blended beverage.

[pdxshifty]

MOLE HILLS!
Mountains out of mole hills.

[Pat Nerr]

registering your card is the equivalent of signing up to win a Free Plasma TV at your local home show... All they want is to track your spending and you get some freebies... It's why WiFi won't be "free"... you need to have THE CARD...

If you look closely on the new siren... her boobs have webcams to watch you with

[WAShift]

NEW THREAD!!!

iTunes song of the Day is coming back! It is actually going to be Song of the Week, and have one song for the whole week instead of a different one every day. Starts next week. I know 3 of the first four artists to be promoted and they are all established artists.

Perhaps they really did mean "mold" hill... have you ever let a cup of coffee sit for a week? :-)

@troy hammersmith who said "Get yourself over to Europe to Italy, Greece, Turkey or Spain and have a cup of genuine coffee" after referring to Starbucks' coffee as the equivalent of greasy dishwater...

Why, so when I come back to the place I live I can needlessly complain about how bad the coffee here is? I always feel a bit sorry for those that MUST have the best (you know, the audiophile whose ears cannot stand the sound of a CD?) because 1) you get to pay more for everything and 2) you must suffer far more than the other 99 percent of the population. I have found a few Starbucks coffees that *I* like and that is all that should matter to me, not whether I am getting the European coffee experience. The grass is always greener people...but my grass is green enough.

@troy hammersmith who said "Get yourself over to Europe to Italy, Greece, Turkey or Spain and have a cup of genuine coffee" after referring to Starbucks' coffee as the equivalent of greasy dishwater...

Why, so when I come back to the place I live I can needlessly complain about how bad the coffee here is? I always feel a bit sorry for those that MUST have the best (you know, the audiophile whose ears cannot stand the sound of a CD?) because 1) you get to pay more for everything and 2) you must suffer far more than the other 99 percent of the population. I have found a few Starbucks coffees that *I* like and that is all that should matter to me, not whether I am getting the European coffee experience. The grass is always greener people...but my grass is green enough.

Posted by: | Apr 11, 2008 9:10:07 PM

What a sad life! I mean, I deserve the very best, and always surround myself with the very best.

My grass is always the greenest.

Why not import your coffee and coffee makers from Italy? I know I did.

It seems needless to accept second-best.

[TORONTOWYLD]

"On a separate note, has anyone yet decoded which modifiers are actually discounted? I have had to ring up "Grande Vanilla Latte" as "Grande Latte + Vanilla Syrup" in order for the card benefit discount to work. There's seems to be some sort of discrepancy between "signature drinks" (see "Cinnamon Dulce Latte" vs. "Latte + Cinnamon Dulce Syrup") in terms of whether the discount is applied or not. It is quite confusing. I would love to hear your experiences with this!"

It's been addressed already but I want to repeat just in case someone missed it. The Card Benefit DOES work for a Grande Vanilla Latte, it's just hard to notice because after you use the button the price updates to that of a Grande Latte without any extra lines added to the total showing the discount (unlike partner discounts, or extra modifiers switching to "nc" ).

Promo syrups like Pumpkin Spice won't get the discount.

Sugar Free Mocha DOES get the discount, even though Mocha does not, because it's similar to the other clear bottle syrups.

[MusicGal]

Exactly, torontowyld- "syrups" that come in a clear bottle, like cinnamon dolce, hazelnut, etc. ARE free with a registered card.
"Sauces", like mocha or white mocha, are not free.
Got it, everyone? ;)

[Proud Barista]

@Pat Nerr

"If you look closely on the new siren... her boobs have webcams to watch you with"

Hahaha probably. I'm eagerly waiting for the day some customer gives me a rant about how the siren is inappropriate.

"Ooo careful what you say, she's watching you!"

[Me]

About that 3 times daily grande WM drinker. He is actually quite slim. I don't know how he dies it. I gain a pound by just making this drink, he chucks them down and doesn't seem to be affected. Life is soo unfair... ;-)

On the 8th, I asked my SM how to ring the free refill and free modifiers-she told me that we were not offering them. So I got bold and asked her what we should say to the customers who asked about it because it was ALL OVER THE STARBUCKS WEB-SITE!!!!!
She told me to tell them the benefits were regional and that we were only doing the free frap upgrade ( SoCal ). So I made a mental note to send a Mission Review and ask that the web-site NOT advertise things in such a mis-leading way. Good thing I hadn't done it yet-I guess my SM actually looked into it and acknowledged that we were in fact doing it and that she'd missed it. Now she's mad at me. Great-nice communication skills Starbucks-not.

[Joe]

I have used the button many times. It will work even if the card is not registered. We dont have to quiz the customer like its a freaking interview or something. If they hand you a gift card press the button, swipe the card, it gives the discount auto., press gift card and it charges the card without swiping again. Simple and done. Have a great day. See you next time! Just say yes, make them happy, and let them be on there way. Enough said.

If a card is registered, the PIN at the back of the card must be scratched free. So if you see a card with the PIN still covered, it is NOT registered yet and depending on what they order you might suggest they'll do it soon.

[Starista]

Why has there been such a lack of communication this phase? Our manager who is on top of EVERYTHING hadn't even heard about this! Only vaguely did our DM mention something and blew it off saying it would start later....
We had a woman come in today (the ONLY one...whlo by the way is probably our most difficult customer) and got extremely upset with us and demanded that we find out how the card benefits work. I am still unclear, as is the rest of our store, and almost every other store in our district.
Why has this been implemented so poorly?

The crazy woman called corporate who then called us and I am sure on Monday our manager's going to get an earful...it's not her fault!
What's going on????

The benefits are being given to all card-holders for the first 30 days . . . to give everyone time to register their cards. One thing I have learned . . . when you press "Card Benefit" and swipe the card, if it's a registered card, a message pops up telling you the balance on the card. I've been swiping and applying benefits, and giving out the little "benefits" brochures to let people know about the benefits they get if they register the card.

As for why this phase had a rough roll-out . . . don't know what to say . . . lots of stuff changing, and I think the PPR got more of the focus.

[Aralia]

From my understanding all clear bottles syurps are free. From what I've read in other posts a vanilla latte must rung up as a latted add syrup to get the free modifer.

I've tried this at my store and it works.

Also when I ring up a latte add shot and they pay with a register Sbux card the shot is free. I don't even have to ask. I remember from the barista need to know it says mid april but most of the benefits are working right now. I usually ask or state after the transaction 'oh your Sbux card is register' they've all said yes and then I proceed to explain the loyalty program and pass them along the phamplet. I've had nothing but great responses to it.

I always refer the customer to the pamphlet that is located at our new POS promotion.

Alot of my customers didn't know about it.

Yes it is confusing and I know we have to deal with ambiguity and decision making in our daily SBUX lives.

I do agree about Sbuz communication. i didn't know about ringing up a latte add syrup instead of ringing the vanilla latte on our POS in order for registered Sbux card holder to get it for free.

we need to get it right before we launch. Or maybe the Sbux POS techs are learning as they go, who knows.

[foxy]

Gah!

As has been mentioned before, you DO NOT have to ring a syrup latte in as latte + syrup to get the syrup for free. Just ring a vanilla latte in as a vanilla latte and then use card benefits.

It just doesn't show up anywhere except the bottom line. And yes, I mean that literally. It just changes the price.

[VaSbux]

After all this, glad to see the word is getting out about the Card Benefits button. I'll tell the folks in the store I use, as all last week, no one had a clue.

BTW, this was part of the 4/8 rollout, on the Sbux website, and the ideas site, also. I agree, wonderful communications to partners.

And I quote Led Zepplins "Communication Breakdown"
but you know folks as they say "Rome was not built in a day!"

ONWARD!

Listen to this my fellow partners and customers. I recently visited a New Dunkin Donuts in Sanford Me. and went thru the drive thru and was blown away by the awesome customer service and I recieved a free Large ICE Coffee! Which I actually ordered! When I asked the young male employee as to why he said just for coming thru and doing business with DD's! Holy gee wilicers Batman! Their product sucks but that service was awesome. I'm a Starbucks partner who is saying let's get our shit together before the storm starts to really blow!

So is it limited to how many syrups/modifiers that are free? What if I want a sugar-free Mocha with raspberry syrup? I understand that the regular Mocha is not free, but the sugar-free one is.

Finding information on our store portal is next to impossible, because our manager changes the passwords constantly. In fact, I was at Starbucks for at least six months before I even knew it was okay to get on the computer. I thought it was only for the manager and shift lead.

Did anyone so far check if a caramel macchiato is discounted, too? a grande basically is a 3 pump vanilla upside down with caramel drizzle latte, isn't it? :-)
So if it isn't disounted I'll start ordering it the mentioned way and insist on my discount. Poor Baristas which have to deal with that...

[Trying2BPatient]

Can I just vent? I have a few register-only partners for the sake of diversity. My customers love them and it creates a great feeling in the team. Or, at least it used to. All the new stuff last week pushed these poor people over the edge. They just can't comprehend it and my other partners are soooo frustrated. I caught one of them telling someone today that we don't brew coffee after noon anymore and another one told a customer he got a free pound of beans when he bought a drink--no mention of a SBUX card, much less a registered one! My difficulty is that I have communicated this with my team through multiple venues and on various levels. I have had one-on-one conversations with my register partners and they seem to get it, but once they actually sign in (and don't get me started on the new screen!) all knowledge leaves them. :-( What more will it take? Sorry...I just had to tell someone.

I like "mold hill" better. The best suggestion here I think was to allow partners 10 minutes at the start of their shift to read all of the changes that are taking place. From a customer point of view, it seems very confusing and no one seems to know what's going on. Everything is basically OK, don't make so many changes! I still say the problem is trying to grow to fast and not training people properly, or hiring individuals that don't have the "love of Starbuck's." They're just hiring people to fill positions, like so many retailers. That's the problem!

"too fast." and I agree with the above statement.

[Man-Dingo]

To TRYINGTOBEPATIENT:
What do you mean by a few register-only partners? Do you mean that these partners dont do the espresso bar drinks or cold beverage drinks? wont do these things, cant do these things? That seems quite unfair to have these partners restricted to the register when they should learn and fully be able to operate in every position. It's also not fair to the partners who are always stuck on bar then. If these partners were trained properly then you wouldnt have register-only partners. As well, keep a binder at the front of the store in a drawer near the registers with all the UPDATED items for partners to know about. It works at our store. And we dont have any register-only partners here. As the SS while I am on I make sure every partner I work with has the opportunity to be at the bar, register, and guess what even expediter role for a little bit so they get a better feel for the store.

[George Chaney]

Yes you do get free refills on your coffee. There is a button on the Register screen. Called CARD BENFT this button is pressed when you are using a registered starbucks card. It will then automatically prompt the barista to swipe the card to confirm it has been registered. once this is done you should be able to receive your benefit of a free refill. I know this has been implemented in all of the U.S. company operated stores. I do not know about Canadian, overseas or licensed stores.

For once, we Canadians are included! :-)
All the card benefits are valid in Canada (at least Ontario) as well. Just the PPR didn't make it across the border yet. We're stuck with House and decaf House (aaargh!)

[Trying2BPatient]

Right. I have two partners that can only work on the register. One is slowly getting up to speed to be able to work DT register and can be on bar when there is only one drink to be made. Unconventional, I know, but I didn't hire them, I just inherited them. It usually works fine, but there is just too much for them to absorb right now.

[StarbucksRants.com]

Seems to be a major issue. Someone posted a GREAT rant over on StarbucksRants. Seems that they should have if a card is registered tied to their system and apply the dicount when they swipe it or not.

[Newf]

How will card benefits affect our daily income? I could potentially lose up to a few hundred dollars a day with free modifiers. I hope corporate realizes this so it doesn't effect our budgets.

It's not that big. I was kind of worried about the effect it would have on incremental sales, but the total effect isn't more than what - 20, 30 customers a day? Look at the total Sbux redeems on the Flash report, and then cut that by the number of cards that are actually registered (e.g. only regulars, really, because the ones used as disposable "gift" cards aren't usually registered) and multiply it by $0.35.

Not quite a few hundred dollars a day. You mean to tell me that you've got over 600 registered starbucks card paying customers adding a modifier each day? That's a handful of stores, at most.

[SBUXCO]

So with the whole free refill coffee thing....it's been very confusing. The overall process of getting the free refill is fine, but the stipulations are a little big ambiguous. Do the Free Refills last all day? In store only? and if so then what about drive thru? or is it just free refills whenever? If it is in store only then is there a time limit as well?

[VaSbux]

I think the free refill is the same as the modifiers... a few people may abuse it, but the average store will have some people that want one refill, and that's it. Most people don't sit in the store drinking brewed all day. :)

I went to a new location today, and mentioned 'Card Benefits' and the cashier said 'Oh, yeah', hit it, and all was well.

But I wish we customers didn't have to bring it up or you have to hit the button. Why can't the POS POS (no, that's not a typo) read the card and change the balance automatically knowing the card is registered? Easier for all!

How do you ring in the free refill?

[SBUXCO]

Just ring in drip refill i believe on the other's tab and then go back and hit up the card benefits button

[lilly]

April 19 and some staff still don't know about free drip refills.

It is a refill and it's free. It's not rocket science; it's more like first grade math.

[Coffee Man]

I finally had a chance to try the card benefit today. I ordered a grande sumatra. After I was about half finished I asked to refill it with the pike place (don't care for this, but it was tolerable with half sumatra) and I mentioned the free refill. The barista had no idea what I was talking about but the register seemed to know what to do and it was at no charge. Then about 1 1/4 hours later I did the same - asked for half a cup to warm it up. A different barista gave it to me, but I told her I was curious if I would be charged since I already had a free refill. She entered my card and I was charged .54 cents. None of the 3 baristas knew anything about the program so I told them what I knew. They all seemed bewildered by all of the changes taking place. I sympathized with them. Hate to see all the changes - it's too much. The company is basically OK. I still think the massive growth plans are what created all the problems.

[NYBarista]

i know about the discounts thanks to this thread.. but no one at my store ever said anything about the benefits button

[lela]

well. I don't think much of the partners at my stores knows much about the card benefits. I always hand the little orange brochure as I explain the benefits. even when I reload their cards or whatever.

when the benefits came out we just had to read the directions and was expected to know it. nobody. and I mean not even the sm or asm or shift supervisors explained anything to anybody.

so I guess its my turn to save the day so the that the customers can have their benefits.

[lela]

well. I don't think much of the partners at my stores knows much about the card benefits. I always hand the little orange brochure as I explain the benefits. even when I reload their cards or whatever.

when the benefits came out we just had to read the directions and was expected to know it. nobody. and I mean not even the sm or asm or shift supervisors explained anything to anybody.

so I guess its my turn to save the day so the that the customers can have their benefits.

[kenneth daily]

Do we have to register our card each time we refill it with a new amount?

[Blissful Ignorance]

Here it is and it's May 4th and it's still 'Hit or Miss' at my suburban Starbucks store. I clearly say, I've registered my Starbucks card and I want the free soy option on my Grande Soy Latte. I'm getting deer-in-the-headlights looks and the benefit 50% of the time. Mostly, if I get the benefit they prepare a soy latte but ring up a regular latte without using Card Benefits button. Sigh. If there is a guaranteed secret handshake to use for consistent benefit, I would appreciate someone showing me. Especially if there's a line because I hate to tell people how to do their jobs!

[anonymous]

I realized I was getting charged for refills after having a receipt printed out this morning.

Call the Starbucks Card hotline to complain:

(800) 782-7282
Mon – Fri 5 AM – 8 PM (PST)
Sat – Sun 6 AM – 6 PM (PST)

They confirm that 1) it has to be a coporate store, 2) barister has to hit "card benefits" before swiping your card.

I inquired why it isn't automatically done, they said they are currently working on updating the software on their system.

POOR ANSWER, GIVEN THAT THEY ARE RUNNING THE PROMOTION ALREADY! By the time they update their system, the benefit may be discontinued.

After asking for refunds on all my refills, they said the best they can do is send me complimentary drink coupons.

CALL AND BARRAGE THEM WITH COMPLAINTS!

[anonymous]

I realized I was getting charged for refills after having a receipt printed out this morning.

Call the Starbucks Card hotline to complain:

(800) 782-7282
Mon – Fri 5 AM – 8 PM (PST)
Sat – Sun 6 AM – 6 PM (PST)

They confirm that 1) it has to be a coporate store, 2) barister has to hit "card benefits" before swiping your card.

I inquired why it isn't automatically done, they said they are currently working on updating the software on their system.

POOR ANSWER, GIVEN THAT THEY ARE RUNNING THE PROMOTION ALREADY! By the time they update their system, the benefit may be discontinued.

After asking for refunds on all my refills, they said the best they can do is send me complimentary drink coupons.

CALL AND BARRAGE THEM WITH COMPLAINTS!

[anonymous]

I realized I was getting charged for refills after having a receipt printed out this morning.

Call the Starbucks Card hotline to complain:

(800) 782-7282
Mon – Fri 5 AM – 8 PM (PST)
Sat – Sun 6 AM – 6 PM (PST)

They confirm that 1) it has to be a coporate store, 2) barister has to hit "card benefits" before swiping your card.

I inquired why it isn't automatically done, they said they are currently working on updating the software on their system.

POOR ANSWER, GIVEN THAT THEY ARE RUNNING THE PROMOTION ALREADY! By the time they update their system, the benefit may be discontinued.

After asking for refunds on all my refills, they said the best they can do is send me complimentary drink coupons.

CALL AND BARRAGE THEM WITH COMPLAINTS!

[maui dude]

I'm sitting in a Starbucks now and bummed because I didn't get free soy for the 3rd visit in a row. First time I used my registered card I got free soy and the barista dude said it'd happen automatically from then on. Nope. This is all at the same store. I asked about free soy at the last visit and got blank stare. I'm calling the 800 number in the a.m. Aloha.

[Disgruntled]

There was nothing posted at my favorite StarBucks store about the "Free Perks" for using your registered card, but a Barista there happily informed me shortly after the promotion began. I was delighted to learn that my soy would be free from now on. Then reality set in with my next visit just two days later. I was again charged for my soy and when questioned the Barista (a different one) didn't know anything about the promotion. She questioned a fellow employee and I was politely informed that only the syrup option was free. I have friends getting their soy for free at other StarBucks in the same county so on my next visit I mentioned this. I was then informed that yes, the milk option was free, but that it didn't include soy. I continue to get charged extra for my soy every visit regardless of which Barista rings me up. To resolve the issue I recently logged on to the StarBucks web cite and emailed their corporate office to clear things up. Haven't heard back yet, but find it curious that a day after trying to contact them their web cite is down.

[Dancer]

If the customer hands you the Starbucks card, hit the Card Benefit button on the beverage menu, then total the order. Our SM told us to use the button for every card holder, regardless of registration. You can then let the customer know about the benefits of registering their card as you are handing it back to them, and hand out the orange registration information packet with their order. Share your knowledge!

[Dancer]

Disgruntled--
Politely let the barista at the register know to push the card benefit button before totaling your order. Syrups and soy added to lattes are free, but the button must be pushed first.

[Anon.]

CANT LET YOU BREW THAT, STARBUCKS!

[StoreManagerEast]

It's a simple program and a great benefit for soy/syrup customers.

It is not hard to push a button, regardless of it's color-coding or not(which, by the way, groups like-type items for ease) and the information was sent to stores in advance.

Each Store Manager/District Manager should be held accountable for relaying this correctly and enforcing it's use. I know I took personal responsibility to give each employee a 5-dollar card so they could register their own and see how it worked, from the customer's prospective.

[Chase]

Does anybody know anything about using the partner discount with a registered card? I've been asking around, and nobody seems to know at my store.

The Starbucks official website doesn't say anything about it either, and neither does the Partner portal.

I somewhat doubt it, since 30% discount plus modifiers off would be pretty damn cheap.

[anon]

you guys still have to push the button first. where im at, they have an upgrade and all you have to do now is just swipe the card. much easier and faster. hope you guys get the upgrade