"From the Comfy Chair": Juan finds a Starbucks barista worth cloning

BY JUAN VALDEZ

Starbucks
3348 Gateway Street
Springfield, Oregon 97477

Springfield is in western Oregon, about halfway down the state. It's adjacent to Eugene which counts the University of Oregon as part of its claim to fame along with the fact the movie Animal House was filmed there.

When I walked into the store, there were 3 partners on the floor and they were busy. This is a drive-thru store so one was on DT, one was on bar and one was at the front register. I thought I'd finally found my understaffed store. Alas, twas not to be...about ten minutes after I sat down, another partner came on the floor; either from break or being scheduled...I couldn't tell which. 

In the meantime, the register partner's approach to customers left something to be desired. She was cold and efficient and not a ray of sunshine emanated forth from her personage to warm the cockles of my heart – or anyone else's for that matter.

AHA Juan! That was because they were understaffed and busy and she was stressed not only because of that but because of the way upper management has been running the company lately and who does Howard think he is with an expensive house in both Seattle and New York??!! /CONTINUED IN THE FIRST COMMENT BELOW

Comments

[JUAN VALDEZ]

Except the bar partner was the polar opposite. It could be argued she was under even more stress because she was barring for both the front and the drive thru and was having to keep all of that organized and under control. Yet, despite that fearsome pressure, she WAS a ray of sunshine in every way, shape and form. She was an absolute delight to be around and even though it took a total of ten minutes to get my drink, I didn't mind. Every time she handed off a drink she looked the customer in the eye, smiled and enthusiastically thanked them even going so far as apologizing for the wait and wishing them a great day. It was truly a sight to behold...one of the most personable and friendly partners I've seen in a while. If the company could clone her a bunch of times, they'd have a lot more happier customers.

So, frankly, there was no reason for the register partner to be so miserable and, honestly, she should have been extra nice to the folks coming through the line because she knew something they didnt but would soon find out...that it was gonna be a while before they got their drinks. Being extra nice to them would have at least sent them into the maw of the wait with a little extra ammunition in their arsenal.

The bathroom was actually pretty clean except for a couple of small stains on the mirror. Once again a plunger and toilet brush stood by the commode, ready to spring into action in Springfield, as it were. The pastry case was clean but had a couple of holes in the product display.

As I mentioned earlier, a fourth partner came on the floor about ten minutes into my visit, they ran the line and then customers trickled in afterwards. Yet, despite slowing down, no one made a move for the lobby which, by this time, needed some of that good ole Starbucks love. Unfortunately, for this particular visit, the love was not forthcoming and, when I left, the tables, floor and condiment bar sat silently, dirty and forlorn.

Time of day: early morning


# of partners on the floor: 4


Service time: 10 minutes


Business level: busy then slow

Was the bathroom cleaner than a gas station bathroom?: yes


Legendary service: Yes (they can thank the bar partner for this)


Would I recommend to a friend: Yes (they can thank the bar partner for this)

COLUMN STATS

* # of stores reviewed where a partner has tried to connect with a customer – 7 out of 20

* # of stores where they've offered samples of anything – 2 out of 20





* # of stores that could have been considered "understaffed" - 0 out of 20

* # of stores with a clean bathroom – 10 out of 20

[WaSbuxMan]

Personally I think Juan needs to spend a week behind the counter. It would give him more insight for his reviews.

[Mary Mocha]

Really??? Cuz Juan is a former Starbucks SM.

[Emelia Whitmann]

It doesn't take any skill or much of anything to be a Starbucks SM whether past or present these days.

[BAYAREABUX]

Maybe we could clone the bar partner if we paid more than the minimum wage.

But cost savings rule these days. Just sayin'.

[BAYAREABUX]

Question - if you pay the minimum wage, shouldn't you expect the minimum service? If you're putting out more than you get compensated for just because you have "Starbucks" on your apron, aren't you just a corporate slave?

[Valerie Verona]

I agree with Emelia

[WaSbuxMan]

A SM years ago is different than these days. With the -3% VTI and all the cutback, etc...

The question is, when was Juan a SM and what type of store did he have?

[Clarence Ewing]

I think it's unreasonable to expect anyone to be a model service employee every second of the day,espeically nowadays when the hourly workers are being asked to to more and more with less and less.

As long as they're not outright rude, I really don't mind if the server or cashier doesn't smother me in hugs when I get my drink. Efficient and polite is just fine.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Personally, I would've liked a little less friendless and more speed.

[FLIGHTMEDIC]

I would like to let everyone know that STARBUCKS plans on LAYING-OFF all the in house technicians by the end of this year and out sourcing all the coffee Equipment to a company called (FSN) First Service Networks, they don't have any Certified Technicians that work for their company, if Howard knew of this along with the Board of Directors, this deal with FSN would be gone by now, the person that came up with this idea was KATE SHARKEY. they said this would save Starbuck money, I can't see how it will save money when Starbucks would have to pay the Vendor 100.00 per hour, when a in house tech makes about 15.00 to 25.00 per hour, depends where they live, I have heard that none of the Coffee Equipment has been PMed (cleaned and set to Starbucks Standards)in over a year, I have been in stores and heard stories that know one cares anymore what is happening in the store, the reason they told me is because Starbucks keeps hiring out side DMs that don't have a clue what Starbucks is all about, they just think it is another fast food place, and try and run it the way they were trained at McDs or Pizza Hut.
I just can't believe that Howard would what to see his company go down the tubes, and see everything out sourced to vendors.
lets keep the Starbucks Standards with the in house techs. they do more than just work on Coffee Equipment.

please let everyone know how you really feel about out side vendors in your stores.

[usorthem3 lost in the fog of greed]

flightmedic - this is exactly why it took three weeks for a sub-contractor to come back to fix the sanitizer that he left, in his eyes broken and not functional. all i had to do to use it was flip the breaker and reset the controls and use it for three weeks awaiting his return. he was shocked that we were using it when he thought it was broken but failed to return to repair it. i think when it comes down to it they will be sorry for this decision(like MANY others) over the lang run but then what do we know. we just run the daily operations and get the tools (or rather lack there of ) mandated by those who don;t know what it takes to do the standard policy they have handed down from on high.

get ready gang we have MORE PROMOTIONS ON THE WAY!
when they get through changing this company i will be suprized if we even sell coffee anymore.

CAVEMAN speek more and bigger good
CAVEWOMAN you take car what have before more, better!

lessons? all circuits are busy at the ssc please try again when we can hire more people to answer phones.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

At my Starbucks we are now required to do several things to stop the spread of swine flu. This written as a "store action item."

1) Sanitizer solution must be changed every hour.

2) Every shift while they wait for the safe to open and count in, must sanitize all steaming pitchers and frappuccino blenders and other bar utensils.

3) Customer and if applicable partner restrooms must be completely cleaned of all bodily fluids with bleach.

[Unless you're kidding]

bsr: sounds more like your store leadership is using swine flu scare tactics to get you all to follow existing standards.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

For the restroom, it says we have to do every 2 hours or as needed.

[Dr. Greenthumb]

Hey BSR

I had a guy blow his cheeks all over the damn wall again, I had things hanging like corn and all types of nasty...So you want to go and play with this every two hours huh??

[(former) FLA SM]

@BSR: maybe things are different now, but when I was an SM, it was already required for us to change out the sanitizer every hour, and to sanitize the pitcher & blenders every shift. Also, it was forbidden to use bleach anywhere for any reason as it was not on our approved list of cleaning chemicals.

[pApI NEWS]

Starbucks and the Resurrection of the Middle Class

Consumer spending by America's large middle class is an important indicator of economic recovery. GDP numbers from last quarter and opinions from the Federal Open Market Committee may not be as accurate an indicator of the health of the middle class economy as are the results of Starbucks last quarter.

For the most recent period, revenue at the coffee shop company was down a modest 7.6%. Since economists have assumed American consumers have tightened their belts to the point where it cuts off blood supply, this number was remarkably good. Starbucks, where a cup of coffee can cost over $4, is still a luxury, albeit a modest one. But, if the company is doing relatively well, then discretionary spending has not disappeared. Same-store sales at Starbucks for the period were down 8% in the US, but only 5% was due to a lower number of transactions. The rest was because people who did come into Starbucks spent less. (See 25 people to blame for the financial crisis.)

The sale of a cup of coffee seems like a meaningless thing, but experts report that more than 110 million Americans drink it and total national consumption is more than 300 million cups a day. Part of the reason that so many people pick coffee over other beverages is the health benefits. Medical experts say that modest consumption has physical effects that range from slowing cognitive decline in the elderly to an improvement of the level of serum cholesterol in the blood. But, it is more likely that coffee is attractive because it is a legal stimulant, a drug without a warning label.

A number of analysts of consumer behavior thought Starbucks would be decimated by the recession. Consumers would stop going out and would brew their coffee at home to save money. That theory failed to take into account the social bonding aspects of going to Starbucks. It is psychologically and emotionally comforting during distressing times to be in the company of friends and neighbors. Starbucks has set up its stores so people will linger. Four dollars for a cup coffee is expensive, but four dollars for comfort is not.

Starbucks started to get in trouble three years ago when its now-departed CEO said that the chain would eventually have 40,000 locations worldwide. It was an arrogant prediction given that Starbucks was not even half way there. Investors and customers saw that the firm's plans were grandiose once the leading edge of the recession hit Starbuck's business. The stock was punished and so were the company's employees. Last July Starbucks fired 12,000 people. That action broke an important bond with the employees who worked at the company, at fairly low pay, and the company's customers who viewed Starbucks as a socially responsible firm that would err on the side of people and not profits.

The barrista concept gave these employees a sense of self worth and that translated early on into impressive customer service that always seemed genuine. The Starbucks model reminded many Americans of the 19th century European coffee shop where conversation and relationships flourished.

Starbucks substantially altered its relationship with its employees and the image that its customers had of the company. But, Starbuck's brand has escaped the damage of the layoff of 12,000 employees, relatively unscathed, if the modest drop in traffic is an indication. The lesson is that people will visit a beautiful home even if the owner has evicted his own mother as long as the home is well managed, and the company and cuisine at dinner are excellent.

— Douglas A. McIntyre by 24/7 Wall St.

[Valerie Verona]

Boston Starbucks Rebel:

I did not see this action item, we can legitimately use bleach now?

if so SWEET. because im always hiding our store stash so ecosure does not find it.

To former SM:

yes bleach isnt approved, but the shit chemicals they give us do not clean bathrooms like a 1/2 water 1/2 bleach solution would!!!!!!

[barist]

restroom cleaner is bleach guys. red bottle=bleach.

[pApI]

If you leave the manure alone and don't clean it up, people are less likely to use the restroom and later you could just clean it up once at the end of the night, as long as the smell is lingering people won't use it, so leave the $*It on the walls, and if they want housekeeping services just give em some bleach and a napkin and tell them to enjoy!!

[brown dot]

BSR ...I didn't know Boston even had any outbreaks there. Here in Cali (where btw there are 8 confirmed cases in my area) we don't even have an action item like that. And they even closed a high school for a week 10 miles from my store due to an outbreak. As long as you follow the duty roster like you are supposed to, there shouldn't be a need for these additional action items

[Former VRC Partner]

Juan-too bad you didn't go thru the drive at this store the same day my friend (a regular at that location) ordered her latte and venti ice water, consequently receiving a scathing lecture by the barista for unleashing her carbon foot-print on the Willamette Valley by not buying a reusable water bottle. Does my friend get it that many people take advantage of the free ice water? Yep! Was it that baristas social responsibility to lecture a customer, a regular, for that matter about the amount of cups being used for free ice water? Hell. No. Does my friend visit that location any more? Hell. No. Did that barista have a sleeve of iced venti cups shoved up her ass? Hell. Yes.

[pApI]

@ Former VRC Partner

First of all you should be receiving an Iced Tall Water and not a Iced Venti,...(Obviously you are to cheap to purchase the bottled water we sell for less than $2.00 Dollars)

When there's a rush of people the last thing the Baristas want to do is keep making damn Ice Waters for you cheap-o'z...If a customer comes in more than once and bothers us for Ice Water I started handing out little tiny sample cups, and letting the customer know at any time they can PURCHASE the bottled water-and we'll give them a free Iced Venti cup with lots of Ice to slurp that sucker down...This is almost as annoying as people who come in and expect a free hot cup of boiling water on the house, like we are there to waste are damn cups and labor on giving you free hot cups of water, Bugg'N!!!

If you want free-B's go to the shelter, where we donate our food when it expires and wait there for your free-B's cheap-O's......

[brown dot]

Well if you don't want to give out free venti ice waters you could always say "I'm sorry I am running low on iced venti cups. But I am more than happy to get you a tall" They cost a lot less and if they were to ask for water at any other food establishment they would definitely only get a tiny cup with water.

[pApI]

Why do we have to give out water at all, this is not a fountain with free cups and ice and labor and material, it cost money for all this and to give it away for free instead of making a profit is just pointless. We NEED money in order for the company to survive, make them PURCHASE bottled water if they would like, but don't give it away...

We should be charging at least a few cents to cover the cost of the cup. the ice, the water and the labor... it's not free people

[pApI]

but if the customer came up and was like " I'm a cheap a$$ and I rather not pay for things like everyone else, so would you mind if you donated an Ice Venti water to my douche bag a$$" well then I'd roll out the red carpet and gladly give it to them no problemas!!

[Melody]

Or, you could encourage your customers to buy the re-usable iced cups that are coming out soon (like the ones from last summer). If a customer hands you a grande iced Starbucks tumbler(the one from last summer) and asks for ice water in it, that can't possibly be a big deal, I'd assume?? I've done that many times.

[Susan]

There was a time you could get free water anywhere, it is only since some brilliant person realized he could bottle water and sell it, that water is no longer free. I could understand if a group of 5 people come in and just ask for free water, but why make a big deal over someone asking for water along with another item?

I saw someone refused water at Dunkin Donuts the other day, I could not believe it. The cashier told the guy he could buy a bottle of water. He didn't, and I don't blame him. For what soda and water costs at fast-food places these days, I carry my own water to drink and don't eat inside so that no one gives me a hard time. I go to Starbucks for the coffee (and the ability to sit in a nice comfortable setting with newspaper, laptop, etc.); I never ask for free water, but I certainly would hope I would not get a hard time if I wanted water along with my other purchases.(I usually buy at least 2 items when I'm there, and yes I tip even though I'm broke and unemployed myself). Being refused water--that would be the kind of thing that would make me not want to return.

[pApI]

MAMI is right re-use the tumbler and PURCHASE the new ones that will be arriving shortly, GOOD CALL MELLIE!!

[MN Barista]

Juan - what is your take on the new 9pm LEAN process of the pastry case being emptied for the evening and the trays being set up for the morning? We end up with a pastry case with three items and 15-20 empty trays with labels?

Personally, I would be more comfortable just setting the labels up the night before. Then give the opening shift the extra 15 minutes we get at closing that we don't use.

[Juan Valdez]

@MN Barista

If having the 15-20 trays with labels placed in the pastry case at 9pm means not having giant gaping holes then I'm ok with that. Even better, why not take advantage of something Im seeing more in SBUX and have some fun with it. Ive noticed there are now signs being placed in the cold case where there are holes which basically say "bad news - we're out of something good news - we'll have it again tomorrow". Personally, when I see that at 10am in the morning (which I did earlier this week and will mention it in my next column), Im not particularly impressed. Still, it at least shows some attempt to address a customer's potential concern about the ability of the store to manage product.

So...along those lines, why not come up with a tag which goes at the front of each empty tray which is tall enough to sort of cover the fact the tray just has labels in it that says "See you in the morning!". And I dont mean hand written tags either (that will also be discussed in my next column) but professional looking ones that might even have the image of a rising sun next to the copy.

As a customer, I'd respond positively to that sort of fun way of explaining why in the hell there's nothing in the pastry case.

[TORONTOWYLD]

Why the sudden backlash against giving out ice water? Our store finally ordered iced drink for-here glasses so we don't have to use up cups if the customer is staying a while, and there's the "Cup Of Water" button on the POS to account for the little bit of labour it takes to prepare it. A solo/doppio espresso can be rather dehydrating so many of our regulars ask for ice water one the side, naturally. Why would we refuse someone water? What about a mother wanting a little hot water in a for-here cup to warm up their baby's bottle?
On the other hand, mgmt at my store is trying to get us to offer ice water to go in our hot cups instead of the iced, because the paper cups cost less *rolleyes* Having saved leftover xmas hot cups for parties at home, I know that the paper cups are far more likely to leak when filled with cold liquid than hot, thus why we have iced cups in the first place!

p.s. Juan, if we had signs like that I would be more in favour of the LEAN pre-tagging idea. In its current state though I really don't like it. (Especially since at many stores the closing baristas are students that aren't available to work morning opens so aren't familiar with the AM set-up or even which discretionary items are on the order and which aren't!)

[FLSBUXMOM]

Kudos to the partner on bar! She was exemplifying exactly what it is expected of a SB Partner. The debate can continue, but without merit, that you "get what you pay for" when you are dealing with hourly employees working for not much more than minimum wage; however, when you accept a position with Starbucks you accept with full knowledge that you are signing on into a culture. This can be said for any job that you accept with any company. You are being paid to perform whatever duties are asked of you, if you can't keep up there are plenty of people without a job that would be happy to take your place. As a partner, part of what you "sign on" for is the attitude that you display while in a SB establishment. It's frustrating as a partner to work along side people that just really don't want to be there, so just imagine how frustrating it is for our customer that is forking over $5.00 for a drink and getting nothing but a sour attitude in return. In my opinion if you can't handle the steam, step away from the bar and let those of us that actually want to be part of the "experience" do what we are PAID to do!

[pApS]

"...when you accept a position with Starbucks you accept with full knowledge that you are signing on into a culture."
Posted by: FLSBUXMOM | May 02, 2009 at 02:35 PM

of what being screwed up the @$$...

["thatcheapcustomer"]

My friend who talked about my earlier experience at the Gateway Starbucks told me she commented on this blog. No I do not work there, but I've been a fan of Starbucks for a long time. There are a couple of amazing Barista's at that location. But the one, and he was a HE, chastised me when I was nine months pregnant for ordering a venti-iced water. I actually wanted to buy the reusable venti cups but they were already sold out. I only saw them at one location, and when he told me about them they didn't even have them in the store! Plus I spent on average $7/day there my entire pregnancy...I think I paid my dues and I like that the water is filtered. I used to love going there for the experience and great coffee, perfect foam but I've only been there a handful of times since then. Those few times I am grateful that I got to see those barista's who make Starbucks what it has always been to me, and not the other place where me and my big carbon footprint are an inconvenience to "that barista" and his elitist opinion. We get enough of that in the Willamette value.

[pAp-H20]

Hey we should save the world and ship water to all those poor countries instead of giving it away for free to snobs...SAVE THE WORLD NOT THE RICH!!!

[FOXYBARISTA]

JUAN! I WORK AT GATEWAY STARBUCKS! I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT WE DO HAVE A GREAT STAFF AND I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED YOUR VISIT. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT WE ARE A TRAINING STORE SO WE GET LOTS OF PARTNERS FROM THE SURROUNDING AREAS WHO HAVE TO DRIVE TO OUR STORE (SOMETIMES 3 OR 4 HOURS) TO COME TRAIN ON OUR DRIVE THRU. IT CAN GET CRAZY AND SPARATIC TRYING TO RUN A BUSY DRIVE STORE AND TRAIN ANYWHERE FROM 1-4 BARISTAS AT A TIME.I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY APOLOGIZE IF A PARTNER AT MY STORE MADE YOU FEEL LESS THAN WELCOME. IT'S NOT EXCUSED BUT I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND.

[FOXYBARISTA]

AFTER THOUGHT* I JUST RE-READ THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS AND NOTICES THAT THERE WAS A TREND OF SOMEONE AT MY STORE SCOLDING PEOPLE FORE ORDERING ICE VENTI WATERS. I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, I'M TAKING CARE OF IT.

[Sadfaceshift]

Umm you want legendary service? My manager is on her 4th week long vacation in 5 months of being recently transferred. I'm convinced we can do away with all positions except for shifts and baristas. At least pay us for doing all their work. They can still take the credit. But it's hard to give a crap about anyone when a RM comes to my store with my DM and says not one "legendary, welcoming, genuine" thing. I'm sick of it.