OPEN THREAD conversation-starter: Starbucks is #24 on Fortune's "Best Big Companies to Work for"

The rankings just came out -- and I know this will start another string of moaning and groaning about work conditions. But..... there's got to be some reason Starbucks landed in the top 25. Discuss this or anything Starbucks-related in the open thread. || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[SPORK]

Hope everyone's enjoying some nice weather, and if you aren't, just remember, it's less time on cold bar!

Quick question,
I've been getting tips for the non-coverage hours I spend doing tips. I thought that non-coverage made it so I didn't get tips but the computer spits them out as tip hours! I sign in as non-cov on the computer but it still does this. Is it something I missed, or is it possible my manager is switching my hours from non-cov? I'm not complaining hah, just curious.

[Queue33]

There does NOT have to be any (valid) reason why Starbucks landed in the top 25. The Fortune Magazine list is created from advertising packages that companies submit to Fortune specifically touting the benefits of that company. Moreover if you have ever read the description of Starbucks in that write up, it is clear that Fortune is only referencing workers at Corporate headquarters. Retail employees certainly don't have on site childcare.

[Jeff P]

From #7 to #24 -- that's a big drop.

What I'd like to know, though, is:
1. What percentage of retail employees responded?
2. How was the privacy of their responses guaranteed? Could employees have feared that negative feedback would be "noticed" by superiors?

[Jeff P]

Wait, so is Queue33 right and this wasn't even the result of an employee survey?

[Manual memorizor]

Spork
According to the partner resource manual, non cov is tipped. Training is not.

[VivaLVSbux]

Very interesting.

Well I do have to say for only working 20 hours a week I love getting health, vision and dental insurance. :)

So I would say that #24 is pretty good.

[Single Shots for the Mastrena! Huzzah!]

Spork,

Manual memorizor is correct, all Non Coverage time, whether it is for Clean Sweep (deck scrubbing), tips, whatever, is tip eligible. The hourly partners who do N/C tasks in my store receive tips for that time. There has been confusion about this in the past in my District. Consult your DM or partner resource rep if you get push back from your SM.

[sbuxgirl]

I would also feel fortunate that you are given non coverage hours to do tips. I have to squeeze them in while trying to run a morning shift!

[Lisa Suender]

In the Ripon Ca., our favorite Wilma/Main St. store is fighting our closure and residents still believe in the "Starbucks Experience" and all the things that continues to put the Starbucks company on these types of lists. Our community of 4,400 households has collected over 1200 petition signatures in just over a week.

The number of people that want to sign the petition may require a second all day petition drive. Our community still wants to be a part of the Starbucks family of store locations and are fighting to keep Ripon's neighborhood "Third Place"!Other communities may not feel losing their store is a loss especially if they have more than one. We have our town icon store and a Drive Thru nestled in an undesirable Truck Stop location inches from a highway. That store is safe but the one the community has embraced is slated for closure.

We are continuing to fight for our store!
http://suendercafe.squarespace.com/sos-save-our-ripon-starbucks/

[SBUX Alum Bill]

My understanding of the "Best Places to Work" study is that info for the currently released survey was assembled last July. The "Great Place to Work Institute" will be updating their survey in the coming months, and they will consider direct feedback from employees and ex-employees. I will try to gather their contact info so I can share it on this board some time in the near future.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

If you read through the Global Responsibility Report, you'll notice that partner satisfaction and partner engagement have both gone down. Also, notice how the Partner side of the report has gone away. In fact, the report is focused around the principles of Starbucks Shared Planet.

[Crema_the_crop]

Single shots on Mastrenas??????

[Confused]

Yes please elaborate on single shots on mastrenas how is that possible? I thought the issue was that with automatic machines, there is only 1 size of portafilter so trying to pull a single shots worth of ground espresso through a double shot sized portafilter was making the shots watery?

[Single Shots for the Mastrena! Huzzah!]

Crema_the_crop,

Yes, we received our data card for single shots on the Mastrena today! Nice!

[Karen]

I still love my job at Starbucks but nothing like I used too. It has to do with the wonderful partners in my store including my SM. I also love my customers. They are some of the sweetest people in the world. It is a pleasure to be legendary to each and every one of our regulars.

I have very little use for my DM because she is a negative micromanager that not one manager or partner in the district respects or likes. I used to trust the upper management and I don’t anymore. Howard hasn’t done anything I had hoped he’d do and most of the time he didn’t even do what he said he’d would. They truly live in a fantasy world which hurts stores ability to rebuild their businesses. In fact, the upper managements decisions are possibly the biggest factor (if not the only one) for the companies slide from being a better place to work.

I hope they look at the fall from 7th to 24th. If our customer voice fell that much somebody would be written up or fired.

[Sneaky]

@Lisa Suender

I really applaud you and the partners efforts to keep your store open. I hope it is successful for you. Sadly, I would be surprised if it is.

The decision to close these stores is based entirely on profitability. If Starbucks has decided to close that location it is entirely becuase the community has NOT been supporting it or there isn't enough community in your small town too support it.

I would love to hear if this curent petition drive and the huge amount of community interaction from the partners has resulted in an increase in sales for the store. Any numbers to report???

If this has generated significant enough increases in sales to keep the store open, it is an indication of the severely extreme measures a store team would have to go through in order to improve traffic and overall business.

Any other thoughts out there about this?

[Bearista]

Lisa Suender -- There is a partner on Starbucks V2V who organized a "save partner jobs" action where they showed a lot of little wasteful things we do or alternatives that can save stores a lot of money. You should go find it and connect with the organizer since I know they are really active about answering questions and offering support. I've been doing it at my store (though were not on the closure list) and we've seen some great results as far as changing behaviors because of it.
Here is the link http://www.v2v.net/actions/save-partner-jobs-campaign

[SBUX Alum Bill]

The Great Place to Work Institute in the organization that assembles the rankings of the Best Places to Wor in the U.S. They have a staff of evaluators that take comments from employers and ex-employers. You are strongly encouraged to send your feedback to the following email address:

comments@greatplacetowork.com
PLEASE LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF STARBUCKS AS AN EMPLOYER!!

[SBUX Alum Bill]

Sorry - the above should read "Best Places to Work."

[SBUX Alum Bill]

OK! This time I'll take it from the top:

The Great Place to Work Institute is the organization that assembles the rankings of the Best Places to Work in the U.S. They have a staff of evaluators that take comments from employers and ex-employers. You are strongly encouraged to send your feedback to the following email address:

comments@greatplacetowork.com
PLEASE LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF STARBUCKS AS AN EMPLOYER!!

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP WEBMASTER]

Repeating ..... Don't use HTML tags if you're sloppy about closing them.

[Andrew]

Note to Starbucks Gossip Webmaster- I think we need a thread specifically for the store's effort in Ripon CA.

I think it's a great, uplifting story, and I know I would love to show my support for their store. I bet a lot of the community here would too.

[s(b)ux]

I must be the only one that doesn't like being bossed around by customers who know NOTHING about coffee or Starbucks in general. I must be the only one that realizes Starbucks is a half step up from McDonalds. I must be the only one that realizes Starbucks has made AWFUL decisions that negatively impact customer and partner satisfaction (Optimal scheduling, Sorbetto (a massive trainwreck), a combo menu (it's not a PAIRINGS menu, it's a freaking combo deal that saves the customer money but negatively effects our bottom line at the store level), etc. etc. etc.)

There is a reason we fell from 7th - 24th. I hope it falls further and I hope Coffee Bean and Peets capitalize on Howard's failure as a leader. I can't wait to quit this job and watch Starbucks fall further, even to bankruptcy. As we know from the Seattle Supersonics debacle, Howard is prone to quit and take his ball home, and then complain that the rules weren't in his favor. He knows how to grow a business but sustaining is obviously a class he skipped.

[someone is actually happy!]

I am a store manager and I love working for Starbucks. I love my partners and they love me. I am genuinely happy to see my customers every day. I even have great respect for my boss. Starbucks is making strategic business decisions to ensure the company we have created has longevity. Perhaps I did drink the Kool-aid, but so what? I work hard for Starbucks and Starbucks has always been good to me. If circumstance allows, I would gladly retire with Starbucks.

[Pat Nerr]

Prediction... we'll see where on the list Starbucks is next go around since they're about a year off from the current reality. 7th, to 24th... revisit this when it counts

[SbuxPartner]

Andrew | April 24, 2009 at 05:21 PM...Then quit if your so unhappy! Stop complaining and do something about it! If your this unhappy about your job, then chances are...Your not good at it!

[Sheik]

******QUESTION*******

I've gone to 2 diff Sbux in the past month and have seen (at lunch time) an empty cold beverage case in the front of the store. No lunch sandwiches. A sign reads, "Lunch sandwiches are available in our back walk-in. Please ask your barista for selections." What gives? (PS I checked and the airscreen was NOT broken... plenty cold) Why not display them in front??? Weird.

Also, I noticed on one of the new breakfast sandwich signs, "If your sandwich selection is not on display, please ask your barista."

Is this all a ploy to strum up conversation??? Just askin'...

[g]

I've never posted using an HTML tag, but I've tried to use them under the preview. I haven't figured out how to close them. Can someone help?

[spence]

I'd like to vent, please. This morning we had 2 man deployment. T. W. O. (Being lean).
It turns out there was a local function up the street and we got got slammed. Not for a few minutes but for hours. HOURS! The bar barista was flying so fast he didn't realize his hoppers were empty until he was pouring water. Even from the register I could see the timing was off. Way off.
Clearly the shift should have fixed the shots but that's not why I'm writing. We had a wonderful opportunity to introduce Starbucks to a whole lot of locals who generally go the townie shop. Well, on Monday morning, they will be driving a little further to the townie shop and discussing what poor service and bad drinks they serve at Starbucks.
Another missed opportunity to grow. Instead we peed off the local community.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Spence,
I'm sorry that happened to your store today. Obviously, your store manager and district manager do not have good community outreach otherwise they would've been aware of the local event. I never let my hoppers go too low. I always make sure my espresso machine is happy and full.
Starbucks, yes, yet again has managed to spoil the possibility of increasing business. They seem to forget the axiom: YOU HAVE TO GIVE SOME TO GET SOME.

[abc123]

@Spence

What if your customers noticed how hard you were working, that you were still able to give them polite service with a smile, and that seeing as how you only had two partners, you did a fabulous job?

I mean, BSR is totally right on the poor community outreach, but sometimes our perception with customers isn't always reality - I had this happen to me yesterday, too.

[BCbarista]

Sheik the temperature probably isn't reading right. We've had sooo much trouble with ours, freezing up, San Pellengrino bottles exploding...haha. Or it overheats and we have to pull everything out of it. Not fun.

My bitch for the weekend: Just had my review. I don't like the new review process. I don't think my manager totally understood it either! Boo. Will anyone get a 4? I doubt it.

[Former mrSM]

Well I could say that it is maybe the bottom 24 but not the top 24. Its funny b/c everyone asks me if Starbucks was a great company to work for and I have to give them 2 answers.

1)Yes- for the first 3 years I worked there it was great, despite the few bad times.

And then

2)No - for the last 2 1/2 years it has been hell to work for, despite the very few good times.

And I tell them that not just as a former SM (who started as a barista and worked my way up) but also through the eyes of what the Baristas, Shifts and ASM's have to go through.

[Mysticboi]

@Spence

What kind of machine does your store use? The machine I use says fill hopper on the screen and refuses to pull shots until you fill it.

ps: cheer up, I bet you anything that not alot of coffee shops are as fast we are and that townie shop will be overwhelmed.

[ChiTown Via Vendor]

I have a new DM who is intense. Via isn't being sold in my district but it is in a near by district. Our store is getting boxes from that district and selling them at our store. Here's the catch. We ring them as a reload Sbux card for $9.95. Then we call the a store in that district and give them the card number and they ring the Via there. Anyone else think that this is messed up? How much trouble can the DM or us at the store level can get into for doing this.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

Well, SBUX is once again in the news for its labor practices. It seems that the company is earning a reputation for shorting its store managers for unpaid overtime work. I would certainly try to get in on this action, if I was a former store manager in Florida.

[anon]

@ChiTown Via Vendor - WHOA! That is wrong on so many levels - the least of which is that it's defrauding the tax man (SBUX cards are not taxed, but Via is)

[Justin]

Well, in this odd Via situation taxes are still being paid at the other store. I think its sort of inventive.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

@ChiTown Via Vendor:

Sales tax is ultimately being charged on those products, but its going to the wrong municipality. The store where the Via is actually being sold can get in a lot of trouble.

[Melody206 on twitter - follow me! :-)]

@spence - that's awful. That's labor cuts in the worst situation. It's still my belief that using shot glasses, instead of shots directly into the paper cups would alert a barista to the problem that you described sooner. But I don't want to re-hash the pros and cons of that battle here. I realize there are both.

On a complete change of topic - using your own tumbler - I was just glancing through the global responsibility report and this paragraph jumped out at me, and surprised me:
[quote]

Reusable mugs and cups
A lot of our customers are also working to reduce their own environmental impact even as we are. To help them help us, we offer a 10-cent discount in the U.S. and Canada to encourage customers to use their own reuable (sic) mugs for their beverages. Customers staying in a store can also request that their beverages be served in a ceramic mug.

Our U.S. and Canadian customers increased their use of reusable mugs to nearly 22 million times during fiscal 2008 – representing nearly one million pounds (454,000 kilograms) of paper saved. The percentage of total transactions where reusable mugs were used remained constant at 1.3 percent.

We think good habits should start with us. So we’ve challenged our U.S. partners (employees) to use only for-here cups for their own beverages – which would save more than 39 million cups per year. We’ve also asked them to encourage for-here customers to use ceramic cups and commuter mugs when they are taking their beverage to go.
[/quote]

So only 1.3% of customers are using their own tumbler? That's a depressingly low percentage! I would use mine even if there were no 10 cent savings (easier to control spills, never need a sleeve). I was just so surprised that the percentage was so very low.

And this is pretty cool here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqH_c1zY_8

Make a promise to your own tumbler:

http://www.v2v.net/actions/re-use-your-coffee-tumbler

(That typo above is in the original final text of the Shared Planet report! LOL)

[Melody - reply to g]

Hi g! You asked about html tags so I'll tell you what I know (which is not much!).

Use greater than and less than signs to create html:

< >

Put little letters inside to do whatever you need to do:

i - italics
b - make bold
u - underline (I think, not sure)
br - break (not necessary on this site, but needed on MSI).

Place your beginning html tag where you want to start bold or italics, and then at the end, close them with a "/"

So, <.i.> Melody hopes that the community of Ripon, California somehow saves their Starbucks <./i.>

BUT, in the example above there should NOT be any dots inside the greater than and less than signs - I only did that to make it visible here!

[TNT]

OMG…so much is going on here; sales tax problems, labor disputes, falling from #7, etc. It looks like Starbucks is scrambling to fix things but things just keep getting worse and worse. Maybe Howard isn’t the right guy for the job. Maybe senior management needs to go. Maybe Starbucks will need to be purchased by a company with descent management. Maybe it’s too late.

@SbuxPartner - The posting you were referring to was not posted by Andrew. It was posted by s(b)ux. Besides, s(b)ux was simply giving an opinion that is shared here by many.

@s(b)ux – The reality of what you posted scares some people. Don’t worry about them. They love to tell people to just quit instead of directing their focus on the ones who really hurt the business, the senior management of Starbucks. If you took every bad partner in a retail store (and I’m not saying you are a bad one) and added up all the corporate damage they have done it wouldn’t hold a candle to the damage senior management has done. We retail partners could not destroy the company or fix it. The responsibility to fix Starbucks lies solely on senior management’s shoulders, and they are failing miserably.

[Following Melody206 on Twitter.com....]

Melody, I am following you! I am so excited that you are on Twitter! You should update from your cellphone if you have a text message plan (best if unlimited) so that we can now where you are and if you are having a yummy cup of Clover-brewed coffee, i'm so happy your on Twitter!

[Melody]

[quote]OMG…so much is going on here; sales tax problems, labor disputes, falling from #7, etc. It looks like Starbucks is scrambling to fix things but things just keep getting worse and worse. Maybe Howard isn’t the right guy for the job. Maybe senior management needs to go. Maybe Starbucks will need to be purchased by a company with descent management. Maybe it’s too late.[/quote]

I have to agree that this weekend has some awful in-store tales in the open thread, but it doesn't necessarily follow that Howard & senior management should be replaced. They're probably oblivious to the Via ringing problem in Chicago. That's the problem: Starbucks is a bit like an octopus with 14,000 tentacles. One arm might be totally oblivious to the other. The real question is how quickly will this be corrected when someone in the SSC figures this out?? There are people there who do read this blog, I think.

A bunch of new outside managers who never have known any Starbucks culture at all would be a recipe for disaster. Watch the SSC be gutted, and a new corporation destroy a Seattle icon. Starbucks being bought out by another company would NOT be a panacea. Be prepared to then look like another company, and it would still be a massive octopus with 14,000 arms, and I guarantee you, you'd still have scandals and problems. No company is immune.

Oh, and I'd get rid of pairings in a heartbeat.

[Missing Starbucks and following Melody206 on Twitter.com...]

Well said Melody. I love Starbucks and very much so, when I would come here and see how many of my partners where feeling just like I was it really did make me see that it wasn't only me who was experiencing this turnaround of our company. Sadly, I was separated due to Optimal Scheduling reasons for not fitting the needs of my Store Manager's business, so we both agreed it was best for me to leave. I left just at the right time before the pairings program launched and when business was going to be run in Lean mode, so I am thankful I left before I started to feel more sad and disconnected from Starbucks. I am happy I left only because I can still love Starbucks and also be a customer and enjoy just that... the customer experience. I live in Southern California so there is still alot of partners who go above and beyond to deliver the Starbucks Experience that put this company on the news and I love it. Hopefully there will be a time I can go back to Starbucks when things are much more on the brighter side , because I do miss it. I miss all my partners and the wonderful customers I grew close to that made my experience as a Starbucks partner such a special one.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

@ Melody:

I agree that a purge of senior management would not be a panacea. I do believe, however, that problems like these would be much less likely under good management that truly believed in the guiding principles. A well-run company with clear, concise policies & procedures wouldn't have renegade DM's messing around with sales taxes, and a company that truly believed in "respect & dignity" for its partners wouldn't have recurring legal troubles (and the accompanying bad publicity) for its labor practices. You see very little of these types of problems in well-run, ethical companies.

[TNT]

@Melody -

No company or replacement of management could possibly do a worse job. Starbucks is a company in need of massive help, and Howard doesn’t have the talent. Seattle might loss something, but partners internationally might stand to gain a lot. Some would hate it but for myself I would just like to work for a team of leaders I respect. We wouldn’t have all the same attributes (whatever are still left), but we wouldn’t have all the stupid problems either. I agree all corporations have their problems but Starbucks seems to be defined lately by their problems. It’s a sad day when a company’s stock price is up 90% off its low and is still down 66% from its high. And this is over the last three years so the economy can’t be the only factor. The Starbucks that you loved doesn’t exist anymore. It is a sham, a bunch of lies, and a company now in crisis. If it doesn’t get taken over or have a huge change in management I believe it will not survive.

[Lisa Suender]

Check out the City of Ripon Ca! Our community of 4,400 households collected 1500 signatures to SAVE our downtown Main St/Wilma store! This first batch is en route to Starbucks Corporate for a first round look at what and who this Starbuck closure will impact! Our community continues to sign, call, and email over and over to send Starbucks a message that this community will do what it takes to keep the lights on and java brewing!

We have suggestions:
1. Reduce the store hours to match the traffic patterns. The store could easily be open from 7am-6pm. Just like in SF, our favorite "Third Place Community Icon" could be open during the peak business hours and close earlier when the traffic slows down and our community heads off to sports practices and community events.

2. After reducing the hours, talk to owner of the building Ward Schemper who runs the neighboring Ace Hardware store who is actually having people sign the SOS petition at all of his registers, and see if he would negotiate a lower rent. Even having the store open for a few less hours a day would maintain the existing customer base and would still keep the doors open at the most profitable times of the day.

3. Review all of the signatures on our petition, the comments that have been sent via emails and through customer service and our online petition. Be sure to visit our SOS Website Page which features all of the incredible things this store does in our amazing community.

4. The Store Manager Kristin Dolan, amazing and a Ripon resident. Totally dedicated to our community and to the Starbucks organization. Just today she was out at her 8th year of the Ripon Earth Day Event that up until this year Starbucks sponsored. Kristin still went out there along with other Staff members to support this community event. Peets the new sponsor sent coffee and never even showed up to participate!

5. Combine all of the above and rediscover what Starbucks is all about and what it means to our community. Keep pouring the coffee at the Main St. Wilma Store and Ripon will keep pouring our hearts and our monies into your store!

Lisa Suender
Ripon Ca. 95366
lisa.suender@gmail.com
209-483-6894

SOS Website
http://suendercafe.squarespace.com/sos-save-our-ripon-starbucks/

[TNT]

The problem I have with Starbucks is only management. I love the coffees, teas and customers. I’m posting this addendum for the ones who would tell me to just quit and move on with my life. I didn’t destroy this company; I shouldn’t be the one to leave.

Oh, and change the above loss to lose.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

I'll add an addendum to my comment too. I have always gotten excellent service at Starbucks throughout the country. I think there are still many great "partners" in the company, but very few of those great partners work in upper management.