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From The Comfy Chair
By "JUAN VALDEZ"
Starbucks
7430 Evergreen Way
Everett, Washington
Well, I'm sorry to say this is going to be a rather boring report; primarily because my visit was rather boring. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mean boring in a "bad" way. It's just not much happened during my visit last week to the Starbucks on Evergreen way in Everett.
Business was slow. The lobby was clean. The condiment bar was clean. The cold case was amazingly stocked with a lot of sandwiches, parfaits etc. The pastry case looked pretty good except for the empty tray sitting in the middle of the case. The register partner was friendly as was the bar partner and I got thank yous from both.
It's interesting how the displays differ from store to store. The last store had a big Via display set up...this one didn't have any at all. There might have been one somewhere in the retail area but I didn't see it.
I saw a poster with pairing details on it. Nothing was said to me about either the Via or the pairings. I suppose it's possible that the partners on duty were of the same ilk as some of the commenters to my last column – they don't want to force Starbucks food or drink on their customers because they're pretty darn sure the customer doesn't want anything other than a tall latte. Or maybe they're determined not to assist the company in promoting rampant consumerism. Or, perhaps, it's as simple as it's not a focus in that store. Whatever the reason, the net result is Starbucks only got the price of a tall latte from me and nothing more.
And now on to the bathroom because I know we've reached a point in our relationship where everyone waits with baited breath to see how the bathrooms fared. They fared fine. The bathroom was clean although they had a toilet brush and a plunger ready for action next to the toilet. And the mirror had the requisite graffiti scratched into the otherwise clean surface. So, I guess by Starbucks standards, this was a wonderful bathroom because, golly, you cant do anything about plumbing utensils and scratched mirrors. Well, you can but a shocking number of Starbucks managers don't seem to realize it.
Overall, I give this store a B. Stay tuned for next week's column...it'll perk you right back up!
* # of partners on the floor: 4
* Time of day – late afternoon
* Service time – 3 minutes
* Was the restroom better than a gas station restroom? - Yes
* Busy level – slow
* Were they trying to keep the lobby clean? - Yes
* Would I recommend to a friend – Yes
* Legendary service? - Yes
* # of stores reviewed where a partner has tried to connect with a customer – 5 out of 11
* # of stores where they've offered samples of anything – 2 out of 11
* # of stores that could have been considered "understaffed" - 0 out of 11
* # of stores with a clean bathroom – 4 out of 11
"Juan Valdez" is the nom de cyber of a former Starbucks manager who became disenchanted with the increasingly bitter taste of the Starbucks experience and fled to the mountains of Colombia where he now rides his burro and ponders the glittering sunsets. On a crisp clear day, when atmospheric conditions are just right and the moon is in the seventh house, Juan can be reached at juanvaldezsbux@gmail.com.
From The Comfy Chair
By "Juan Valdez"
Lake City Way & 120th
12001 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, Wa.
There are stores which do really well. There are stores which do really bad. And then there are stores which do kinda good during one of my visits but still have some really annoying things which make it difficult to wrap my arms around the experience and pronounce it "third place."
Such was the case with my visit this week to the Starbucks on Lake City Way, in Lake City which is a north eastern suburb of Seattle.
But, before we talk about that, a question was raised in the comment section to my last column about how I would handle empty spaces in the pastry case especially given the change of philosophy on markouts as in they are to be minimized. First of all, all non perishable cold items should be pulled forward in the case – gaps in the back don't look nearly as bad as gaps in the front. If sandwiches and other perishables are out of stock then those gaps should be filled with non perishable cold product even if it means doubling up. As for pastries, existing product should be spread out over the case on all shelves and, if necessary, those plates should be turned diagonally instead of being displayed vertically. Finally, if that doesn't cover the gaps then you plate the trinkets and trash items from around the cash registers even if it means displaying mints. What you don't do is leave huge gaping gaps in the pastry case that scream “we don't know what we're doing”.
Now, on to my experience at the Lake City Starbucks. I walked in and stood by myself at the register for a minute and half without being acknowledged while six, count em SIX, partners wandered around behind the counter. No hello, no nothing, not even a greeting from the bar partner. The register partner who apparently was solely responsible for greeting new customers was busy doing other things so I waited patiently. After all things do need to be done and I certainly wouldn't want to get in the way of that. Once we got underway, she was quite pleasant and friendly. I just couldn't believe I stood there and no one else within spitting distance could be bothered to look my way and even say hi.
Things did get better after that although no one suggested a pairing with my tall latte. I did hear a lot about the new Via and how it's a lot of things but most definitely is NOT an instant coffee. Sounds like one to me. But oh well. I got my free Via in the mail a while back and it tasted ok but nothing special. /CONTINUED IN THE FIRST COMMENT BELOW
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