"Is it possible that Starbucks has issued a TOFU (Too Old For Us) purge directive?"

A Starbucks Gossip reader writes: "I'm a barista in San Francisco and our store recently got a new Store Manager (SM) who is 22. In the past few weeks, everyone in the store who is over 30 or has a disability has gotten an action plan or other disciplinary action (with the exception of the Assistant Manager) and all the new hires or store transfers are 20-somethings.  Our District Manager apparently does not want to hear about what's happening in the store and completely supports the SM. After checking with baristas in a couple of other stores outside our district (including suburban stores), this seems to be happening throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Is it possible that Starbucks corporate has issued a TOFU (Too Old For Us) purge directive or is this an anomaly for our district/region? The San Francisco Human Rights Commission is keeping a quiet, watchful eye on this situation in my district." [Starbucks Gossip welcomes a response from corporate, of course.]

Comments

[logan lived by the way]

sara i hope that you are being comical because i can tell you that this 40+yr old shift can out run your young ass any day of the week. younglings need to check their diversity tree for the respect limb before they get smacked up side the head with it!

[Anonymous]

I will tell you this, I go to both the Starbucks and Peet's in San Mateo, CA, and the service at the Starbucks is awful and the coffee is inconsistent to the point where I now only go to the Starbucks when the Peet's is full. I can't help but think that it's partially because the Starbucks there has huge turnover and 19-22 year olds running the place while the Peet's seems to be more stable.

The other day, I even saw them sell 1 pastry to 2 people!

[Gold Coast Fan]

I've worked in a lot of stores with hundreds of different partners, and in my experience good and bad workers can be any age, orientation or sex. I've known SM's in their mid twenties who did a great job, other SM's in their late twenties or thirties who couldn't manage their way out of a paper bag, perfect looking young baristas who were utter slackers, aging baristas who were fast, good workers.

It's discrimination to think the bad eggs are all young, all old, all gay, all straight, all whatever. And to think SBUX would risk a massive class action suit and customer rage by issuing a fatwa against older workers is just nuts. Rogue SM's and DM's do this stuff sometimes, mostly to cater to their own demons, and they usually get caught and pay the price.

If you honestly believe this is happening in your area, go high in the partner contact chain and blow the whistle on it!