My requests for Starbucks: Bring Clover to Chicago, and get off my iTunes if you're not going to implement the "What's Playing" feature

It's been more than a year since Starbucks bought Clover, and the so-called "small-batch coffee" is available in just four cities? It's starting to look more and more like Starbucks bought the outfit just to keep Clover machines out of independent coffee shops. AND.... Starbucks said that by the end of 2008, stores in most major cities would be "iTunes'd up." Hasn't happened (at least here in Chicago), and it looks like it never will. Thus, please remove your logo, etc. from my iTunes storefront. WHAT ARE YOUR REQUESTS FOR STARBUCKS?

Comments

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

First let me say that Starbucks has made many promises and they break more promises than one can even imagine. Its like they are pathological liars. I think My Wish, would be them to stop making promises that they cannot deliver upon.

[Will]

halve the number of district managers and funnel most of the savings into store level labor hours.

[Coffee_ master]

Let the Batistas express themselves! Example: allow face piercings and tattoo :)

[beantheredonethat]

Remember, Howard made these promises without ensuring they made business sense. Those under him immediately say "no problem", even though they know most of what Howard says these days is unrealistic.

So jump one year ahead, and no progress on Clover and iTunes. If you worked at the SSC, you would not be surprised. No one there thinks Howard really understands how to run Starbucks anymore.

[aaaaaaaa]

1) use a sugar-free syrup that actually doesn't taste like a chemical.

2) bring back decaf (iced) coffee- I was 4 months pregnant when you stopped offering it, and there went my daily habit/Starbucks fix.

[Will]

1) I don't think that's even possible.

2) Drink a decaf Americano.

[Coffee Soldier]

We brew decaf ice coffee year round and our customers love it!

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

BOLD COFFEE
BOLD COFFEE
BOLD COFFEE

[NC Barista]

Corp. passed down to our store the ok to brew bold all day (pike stops at noon) and that decaf iced coffee is a-ok! That was months ago!

Booyah! Go high-brew stores!

[MaudDib]

Bring me my laptop! Unless that was a misunderstanding as well...

[brown dot]

MaudDib,
Laptops=July in case you forgot...

[NYC Holla]

Starbucks isn't a risk taking or brave company. That is why it will fail as a corporation. I'm sure clover and iTunes would have worked in more markets but they are not willing to push a product out for whatever reason. I'm sure they have many. iTunes should have worked (much like apps work in the app store!). And if you've had a Clover you know it works. It's the ace card and they have not played it. Now they promise us laptops etc etc etc. empty promises = empty stores.

[JC]

Bring back salted caramel hot chocolate! Which is to say, basically, bring back the salt! And if it's actually still (already) available in stores, do something about the glazed look I get when I ask about it.

[HoratioBucks]

Bring the Clover to the rest of the country and get rid of the rest of those automatic espresso machines. As far as I'm concerned, without the Mastrena, the Bucks would be history.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

MSI Partners has posted a response to the recent comments concerning PPR-only policy at Starbucks as directed by Cliff Burrows, President Retail North America. Again, its offer no clarification or direction.

[SBUCKS DRONE LOS ANGELES]

I have a few things:

1. No more Pike Place Roast. Go back to the C.O.W. (coffee of the week). Sell Pike Place Roast as a viable medium roast option.

2. No more decaf coffee OR make decaf coffee in VIA packets for on demand customers. Decaf whole bean would still be available for purchase.

3. Get rid of a lot of the syrup options. The flavor of the coffee/espresso should speak for itself. Only have a few of the popular flavors around (e.g. Vanilla, White Mocha). Should we be ashamed about how the coffee tastes by hiding it behind some nasty chemical-smelling syrup?

4. CLOVER MACHINES FOR ALL STORES, NOW! and I mean, NOW!

5. ENFORCE coffee education for all partners. Make the coffee matter, that's what SBUX sells, right? Make coffee #1 on our priority list. Encourage partners to take true pride in the coffee.

6. Get rid of Frappuccinos? (haha, yeah right).

Sorry guys, I am old-school when it comes to the Bucks. The company has shifted so far into a mess, that's entirely a different thing now than what it used to be a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

[aaaaaaa]

I don't want a decaf iced Americano, I want a decaf iced coffee. You should know the difference- you work in a damn coffee shop. Starbucks has made it because they carry different products for different tastes. Decaf Espresso tastes different than Decaf coffee, especially when you're prego and have extra-sensitive tastebuds.

[Back to Basics]

decaf espresso is a coffee.

[CamSpi]

Ditto, Webmaster. And bring it to the DFW area!

[Ryan (SS)]

@aaaaaaaa

You may have misinterpreted a stores policy for corporate policy. To my understanding all stores should be serving decaf iced coffee all day long, no exceptions. It may be a store or district choice in your case, however you should contact the Store Manager or District Manager immediately and tell THEM your concern, since venting here doesn't help your case. If you're talking about decaf frappuccino being discontinued then I have no sympathy for your case.

[Sedg]

Bring the Clover over to us. I was really excited when I heard starbucks had bought the technology, hoping we might see one. Not even in the flagship stores yet.

[brown dot]

No decaf iced coffee served in my area..and honestly I have never heard of it until I read it here. Where in the world are you guys that you serve decaf iced coffee? Terraza does not come decaf, neither does Sidamo or Kenya or Gazebo (all great iced coffees) so what are you making your decaf iced coffee with? Just curious...

[Coffee Soldier]

We might need at least an hour of non coverage back too if anyone is to use the laptops.

[NespressoBarista]

I think clover was bought to kill the concept. It is funny, in 1981 it took just one french press of Sumatra to make uncle Howie join Starbucks and now he wants us all to drink Pike Place Roast?

[Coffee Soldier]

For years we used Decaf House as the decaf iced coffee and when decaf Pike came out we switched to that since you could no longer get decaf House in the bullet bags. It's not anywhere near as good as Terraza or Kenya I don't think but the decaf iced coffee drinkers are always so happy we have it so it must not be common at most shops to have decaf iced coffee. We sell about 4 batches a day with straight deaf iced coffee drinkers and half caffers. Our DM has always left it up to the managers discretion and as long as you sell one or two cups of it, it has payed for the cost of preparing it and your loyal customers are happy.

[Cold&Black like my heart]

@ Ryan(SS)

Look in your Bev. Resource Manual. It says not to brew Decaf Iced Coffee but instead to offer an Americano. That's corporate policy. You're area may have decided to brew Decaf Iced Coffee, but it is NOT the corporate policy.

What are you brewing to make it? Decaf Pike? opening 1lbs of Decaf House?

I don't know why anyone would choose a decaf iced coffee over an americano. Fresh espresso vs Iced Coffee that was made how many hours ago? The majority of people put enough cream and sugar into it to kill any coffee taste anyway.

Besides, do you know how these coffees are decafinated (even DES?) Yuck, I wouldn't drink something that was soaked in chemicals like that for hours. Plus think of the Carbon Footprint of Decaf. For YEARS it had to be packed up, flown(or taken by ship more likely) to Germany, decaffeinated, rebagged, flown(again, see ship comment) BACK to North America then trucked allll over the country. Not that I'm a big "Greenie" in anyway, but that seems to be what is trendy to talk about now.

[Melody]

[quote]MSI Partners has posted a response to the recent comments concerning PPR-only policy at Starbucks as directed by Cliff Burrows, President Retail North America. Again, its offer no clarification or direction.[/quote]

What are they saying?

Of course my wish list is obvious. Real brew on demand that works OR brewed coffee from the 6 core coffees all day everyday everywhere. Get rid of mixed messages and ambiguity around coffee. It's your core competency and where you made your name Starbucks.

[?]

Let us stop listening to "NON-PARTNERS" who think they know what's best for OUR stores...

[Martha]

@ ?

Aren't they the ones keeping the stores afloat, what with the business they are giving you and all?

[Simon MacDonald]

Bring back Irish Cream syrup! Why was it removed in the first place?

[light room not light ice]

I go to the Seattle ID location, which is always crawling with serious-looking Clover PR people carrying clipboards and standing in front of the half and half. They are pimping Clover very heavily there, and nobody's drinking it. I'm not sure it's the game-changer some of the commenters think it is.

[javajohn]

I can't understand the slow roll-out of the Clover. It's in Boston, but not New York - and only in a handful of Boston area stores. I think it's worth the extra money spent for the Clover-brewed coffee but what a hassle to find a shop that has one. Also, it's time for Starbucks to either integrate into iTunes or move on... Again, just a handful of markets have the integration.

[Carmen]

The reason for the halt to the iTunes rollout and the LCD screens is probably because all of that happened during the Jim Donald era. Howard dismantled Starbucks Entertainment and sub-contracted it out to Concorde Music Group. Given the times, I believe the iTunes rollout/LCD screens aren't relevant anymore.

[Howiesadick]

Like Unlce Howie wasn't even slightly responsible or involved in the decision to blow off their contract with T-Mobile in favor of signing AT&T/iPhone/iTunes... c'mon. Uncle Howie was in all of those covert meetings to bring that stuff to the stores... in many cases pushing to get it done... Jim Donald was hardly the person pushing to bring that stuff to the stores.

[Sedg]

@ ?

What, you mean stop listening to your customers?

[A]

Why oh WHY is the decaf policy so confusing for partners:

1. If you don't sell enough decaf to make even a quarter batch worthwhile, then don't brew it after 12pm. Previously, you had to brew all the time. This eliminates waste in a supposedly large number of stores without the decaf customer base > 12pm.

2. If you do sell decaf, then brew all you want after 12pm...

3. If you want to whine and moan about seattle, nothing's stopping you from brewing decaf all day. We do.

4. If you piss off a customer because you don't have decaf and you feel bad about it. BREW SOME DECAF AND STOP COMPLAINING. You CAN change this policy. Just because you have inept store management that fails to interpret policy or your customers' needs, doesn't give everyone the right to ignorantly complain about something that's been beaten to death.

While I'm on it, note that a lot of the PPR complaints come from the "super-regulars" who moaned about not being "core customers" on MSI a while back. My respect for them is endless, and they do absolutely have a point about PPR not being what SBux is about, however one customer going ten times a day is vastly outnumbered by the forty million customers going once a week. And those forty million end up in Sbux for a meeting, or because a friend likes it, or what not - Pike makes us "apporoachable." Again, nothing's stopping you (except maybe a vindictive DM) from brewing ANOTHER, rotating light offering. If your customers demand it, put on quarters of HOU/BRK/etc. all day, and grind up 1lbs of dark to brew. It's not like the margin on drip can't absorb the extra COGS on those items.

Seriously - if partners in this company would stop complaining and DO SOMETHING....

[A]

Of course, saying this *here* is the equivalent of showing up with a pro-gun control button in the middle of an NRA rally...

[inopethflames]

adding 5-10 new permanent syrup flavors would be nice. i have no idea why sbux has so few syrup choices. i never get toffee nut or hazelnut, get rid of those if u want & add new ones.

i know many employees & 'serious' coffee drinkers that come to this website go ballistic when syrups are mentioned, like its a personal attack on them. if u wanna get plain coffee all day everyday thats fine, i dont care, i dont get plain coffee at starbucks. people suck up to indy coffee stores nonstop, the one by me has at least 15-20+ types of syrups.

[-(0-o)-]

I once poured syrup down my shirt, classic to be exact, and boy did my nads get sticky!!

[maggiemunkee]

-(0-o)-

one time i went to shake up a box of chai concentrate before pouring it into the pump. my partner had already opened the box and i didn't notice. i was SOAKED. that bra is STILL stained and smells like chai, about a year and a hundred washes later. lol.

[HoratioBucks]

One more I want and I want it now, not in the fall: to buy Via in any Starbucks store. I know I can get it online, but I have to wait and I don't want to wait. Since I'm limited as to what coffee I can get (pikes or one other choice), I want the choice of buying some Via and having the Colombian. Don't anyone tell me I can get an Americano, I already know that.

[HoratioBucks]

That should be 'one more thing that I want...'

[Will]

LET US WEAR JEANS.

You've already transformed us into a fast food mediocre coffee shop with drive thrus, promotional drinks rammed down our throats, and pike place roast -- just let us wear what we want. Who the f cares?

[klbarista]

1. VIA for all stores ASAP, especially a decaf option.. would be cheaper in long run for decaf overall, then can be all day and day...
2. Pack signature hot chocolate and stuff off season you want us to keep making in half sized bags, so makes one jug at a time, for areas/stores that need the smaller option due to waste.
3. Make sure if you want us to sell it, no matter what it is, all components are available (ie. the salt for sig. hot chocolate)
4. Require each store to have a minimum of two coffee masters, and give each store an allotment of non coverage hours to train them. If we can't do the training due to cut back hours, part of the zing of coffee is gone from the stores... not enough labour coverage, sampling the coffees goes to the back burner.
5. Start doing some company wide fun stuff in Canada and the States... ie. jeans to work on a Friday, every staff donates a $1, donate the funds to an area wide charity.... let's do something good as a group!!! That is supposed to be a focus for all stores this year, Red.
6. SHOW YOUR STAFF APPRECIATION... A GREEN APRON CARD, A POSTCARD, A KIND WORD goes a LONG WAY to keeping your team happy. snap quizzes for a piece of chocolate works well with the 16 years olds I have to train, as does a mini note to say thanks for going that extra mile.

[Herman M.]

HoratioBucks, I hate to break it to you but...

The Mastrena is just the evolution of the machine you claim to hate. Made by the same folks with many of the same parts. The grinding and brewing part of it looks almost identical!

Sorry to rain on your parade.

[HoratioBucks]

Gee, thanks Herman. I had absolutely NO idea that the Mastrena was a much better automatic machine that replicates the flavor of the manual machine well enough that I can't tell the difference. You're very discerning, Herman. Is it raining?

[CALIasm]

gawd... y'all want some cheese with that "whine" ya got going on there??

last i checked, I still had a job.

sa-weet!

[Melody]

On the topic of the Mastrena:

The shots do taste better! But when we walk into a Starbucks we're processing all sorts of clues that we're in a coffee house: the smell, the signs of coffee, the noises we hear, the music, the whole bean menu, the baristas ...

It might be a little thing but the Mastrenas are a much better aesthetic fit with a coffee house environment. The lower profile really does add to the charm of a coffee house. All these little things add up. You gotta make some theater and romance somewhere.

The signs of a coffee house keep slipping away: blenders, no aroma, no whole bean menus, tall automated espresso machines, whole bean walls which can be hard to find or non-existent.

Frankly, I count the Mastrena as an improvement to the stores and I say keep 'em coming. People will say that they don't care if the profile of the machine is high or low, but at the same time they know that they want the atmosphere of a coffee house. It all adds up. A million little variable in a very long equation that = Starbucks.

I put a link in my name to a popular MSI thread on coffee house atmosphere.

[Dunkin' Dough Nut]

Iced coffee is pre-brewed coffee..yuck.
Iced Americano is freshly pulled shots of espresso-grind beans over ice..yum.
Batch brewing just ruins the antioxidants, the taste, everything.
People's 'buds have been ruined, they've been cheated of a real experience in taste by all coffee places that batch brew. It is 'mass' when it's batched, it's meant for speed and convenience, not taste and experience.

[adoubleshotofclarity]

@Will - partners who say "who the f cares" are the ones who have transformed Starbucks into the "transformed us into a fast food mediocre coffee shop" you feel we've become.
There are many Starbucks locations that offer a wonderful experience you would never find in a fast food shop, but I guarantee you they're not staffed by partners like you.
Where are the fast food restaurants whose employees have pledged 1 million hours of community service this year?
Where are the fast food restaurants that helped rebuild New Orleans?
Where are the petition campaigns to save the fast food restaurant down the street from closing?
And, since you seem to think it's interchangeable with your Starbucks experience, where are all the fast food restaurants on the Fortune list?
We work for a great company. I'm proud to be a part of it. It's not perfect, but what in life is?