Weekend OPEN THREAD: Ask your questions, or just speak your mind

Let's the get discussion going -- in a civil manner, of course. Anything Starbucks/coffee-related is up for discussion in the open thread. || Jump to the third page of comments.

Comments

[CanadianBarista]

@Melody

It should be charged as a (Iced) Grande Milk add Vanilla. I suppose they could also charge for a Grande Vanilla Creme but that wouldn't be TOTALLY accurate since that drink by default includes whipped cream. But I seem to remember it being the same price as Milk+vanilla.

[SPORK]

problem:
Iced caramel machiattos... I was trained to add a dome lid so as the caramel syrup doesn't stick to the top of the lid... recently I've been challenged, and when we pulled it up on the portal, there was no specification, however there is also no specification for a dome lid on frappucinos even though I know they have dome lids... anyone know the official policy with flat or dome lids on Iced CMs, and if so, a place where I can verify this info?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Melody,
Also don't forget they have to give you a cup discount. Use your registered card if they charge for the syrup or use your Gold Card otherwise.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Melody,

Did you read this at MSI

"
Melody, I don't disagree with you about the bod issue. What I disagreed with you about is that we are not listening. I have some ideas around gathering the right data, perhaps running the right kind of test to validate your thinking, and if our hypothesis is correct, perhaps there is opportunity to implement across all stores. This is not something we can just 'do'. There is a process, it's there for a reason, and it just needs someone to take the lead on it and push it through. That is my role, to represent your customer voice to our team here. I'm not one to dwell on the past, and hope you will work with me as we focus on what we can do moving forward. more to come..."

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I wonder other than using the PPR and BOLD button if there is any other way to determine if customers are going into Starbucks to get coffee. Like I don't sending people such as DM's to other districts to survey how compliant stores with the policies? And it would be nice if they provided the raw data.

[northern shift]

@ melody
Maybe a regular who has to stand in line might appreciate that menu tv? It does sound a little tacky...

[Coffee Soldier]

New England

[pseudo barista]

how much do SMs and ASMs make in CA?

[AliCat]

I started my new job today (not sbux). :) I'm home by 5:30, don't feel so tired that I have to sit down, and didn't have a single person piss me off at work today.

That's all I have to say - feels good to say it.

[Clark Kent]

Melody,

The Horizon Vanilla Milks are not gone. They used to be on the 2-day order, but last week they fell off. They are now only available on the weekly Roasting Plant order, however no one bothered to communicate that to the SM's at the store level until after the change had happened. Therefore, majority of stores were unable to order it until the following week, leaving an additional week to wait for the Roasting Plant order. If the SM's are doing their order correctly, they should have Vanilla Milks back this week.

Just an FYI! :)

[Katie]

Hello, I have a quick question. Is Starbucks still selling blended lemonade? My friend *loves* it and we went to several Starbucks looking for it until one of the baristas told us she didn't think they were selling it this summer. Any answers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

[seriously]

Regarding the eight minute coffee cadance - in theory it is a good idea, never running out of coffee in a rush etc...however, turning your back on a customer every eight minutes is NOT legendary!

[MORE LIES]

I just thought I would let everyone know, that FSN did get an Ext. to the contract for another 90 days, will let's put the names in the mix now,
Kate Sharky (Promoted)
the Guy that took her Place. (RVP)
Larry Eister
Scott Martin
Scott McAdams
and all the FSM's
that at selling this snake oil.
they moved the money from one pot to another, telling the Store Managers.
that the Tech's were costing the Store 1500 to 2000 off the top of the P&L
each month.
this was a insurance plan they stated,
and did need the plan anymore.
so a store get's a service call 100.00
but they didn't tell the store PM's now would cost the Store 5000 off the top for that month.
so why does Starbucks Need VP Fac, RVP Fac, FM's, FSM's, don't they also get paid from RIGHT OFF THE TOP of THE P&L
I can't remember how they get paid again...

Keep an eye open for new charge's on your P&L they have it listed in something different now.. cover up

[Why Does EveryOne Lie Now]

will the deal is now, if FSN doesn't get this Deal, I heard that some people might get FIRED, so who really cares if they DO...
they first stated ONLY 90 days.
now they are giving FSN more Time.
SO THEY ALL LIED TO US AGAIN....

If this deal goes through, most of the Tech's will be gone like the wind...

FSN can't afford to keep everyone.

They Vend everything out.

They only what to get the HVAC contract.
that's were they make most of their Money
because this is all about Money..

isn't it....

I would like to start the Law Suit anytime just let me know when you what me to get it going, the Lawer is Standing By....(Not Joking Around)

Because we all had a verbal contract and it's enforceable.

I remember the National Conference Call
I am sure some other Tech's might have the same Idea....and heard the samething...

Not so Funny now is it....

So let's Play the Game Guys....

[amber]

quick question.

can anyone tell me what the purpost of the incident reports are?? I had tea spilled on me, and now have a 2nd degree burn on my forearm.

I can see now that the incident report is not so that they can follow up...so what's it for??

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

Clark Kent,
I believe that any Vanilla Milk ordered through your roasting plant will be zeroed out. In the Siren's Eye it states that the Regular Horizon Milk is replacing the Vanilla.

Katie,
The only official blended lemonade beverage we can still do to recipe is the blended strawberry lemonade. We used a thick lemonade blended beverage base for the blended tea lemonades (to thicken them up), but the blended strawberry lemonade works just fine with the regular lemonade because the strawberry is thickened.

[Bouncing Barista]

The incident report is literally just to document the incident...that way you can't say your burned yourself at work if you really didn't.

That is pretty much it, document in triplicate and reported via telephone.

[Clark Kent]

@Mrs. T...

Wow, that's just ridiculous then. 75-80% of the Horizon customers I have want Vanilla... they've been pissy all week about it.

Ah, good times.

[Sedg]

Amber: In a proper accident documenting procedure, the incident report goes hand in hand with the risk assessment. The idea is that they can see if you were trained properly, if you knew the steps to take to prevent/minimize risk, and if not, how they can change that in the future.

Also, if it's an injury requiring medical treatment, I believe it /has/ to be reported (may change by country/state).

[Sedg]

Having read other posts, as you're a customer, it changes somewhat. It's still to do with whether the risk assessments are working, and also if you were acting reasonably. And to have a document of the incident for future purposes.

[mr sumatra]

Does anyone have info on Cliff Burrows announcing no more bold coffee as a brewed option...is it on you tube?

[HelpME]

Please Help:

I feel like I have been wrongfully accused of something that someone else did. I have a partner who I have seen and heard talking to my manager and being a little too close. I asked another co worker if they noticed this too or if I was the only one and they said yes they noticed the behavior. I did not confront my manager about this situation and it has still been on going. Now a rumor has spread about the partner and I was blamed for it. Im now being disciplined for questioning the actions that I saw between my manager and partner. I dont know what to do in this situation because Im afraid my DM wont understand my side of the story. I did NOTHING WRONG! I feel unconfortable in this situation and dont know who to turn to.

[I like Canada]

Vanilla horizon milk has been only on the RP order for a long time now. When ordered with the SKU for it all you get is the new reduced fat milk.

[GOOD]

To Help Me:

First of all you should mind your own business and not get into assuming what you "THINK" you saw was actually happening. There is a saying, when you ASS-U-ME, you make an @$$ out of you and me...that's exactly what you just did.

It seems like you were jealous of that partners relationship with the SM, maybe you wanted that relationship, and everyone gossips at your store. Is this what you all do when you come to work? No wonder Starbucks is going downward look at this people...

[UNION]

To Help Me:

Contact the Union they can help :)

[BA]

LOL customers are always right, especially when they throw temper tantrums like a 3 year old just so they can get what they want! I mean, why teach actual children manners when they'll possibly grow up acting disrespectful towards people that sincerely tried to please them? Oh, but that's ok. It's fine to make other people feel horrible.

As for Green_Cup, some people actually enjoy this job and try not to let creeps get to them. Some people need the job because they need the money since it could very well be the only way they are able to move onto another job. You know, because who would have thought people save and penny pinch until they know it's pragmatic to move on? So if you want to try and talk about reality, you should take your head out from under you pillow and open your eyes. Necessity versus Luxury.

[Katie]

Thanks, Mrs. Tillinghamshackles!

[HelpME]

GOOD!

See you took it the wrong way too and this is why Im not sure that I should contact my district manager. My SM has been hanging out with a Barista one on one and the conversations Ive heard are inapropriate for work. I did assume they were hooking up, I just felt that the two of them always hanging out together isnt something a Barista & Manager should be doing. So why am I being blamed for pointing out their actions if this is something that Starbucks DOES NOT encourage.

[Not So GOOD!]

@ Help ME
You are now going to be in a battle between partners and more importantly your SM. Honestly, you should have pretended like you never saw anything and written your DM an anonymous letter or something of that sort...

This is grounds for termination in some aspects if you can prove this and your SM is not happy that she/he got caught as well as the Barista.

Some stores have partners that date, but Corporate discourages this behavior and in my opinion someone's personal life should be left outside of the front door when you walk into the store for work. All that junk should not be brought onto the floor. It's distracting and could show favoritism. But that's how Starbucks works...SO get your partners who are on your side together, get this down on paper with concrete dates, times, witnesses and have them present to testify to your DM. If needed tell them who was the one who opened their mouth, unless you want to take the fall, but if they are itching to get rid of you this could lead to termination possibly if they turn into that. I wish you the best of luck and whatever you do DO NOT SIGN ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION OR ANY FORM, REFUSE-on the notion that the allegations are ALL false ands you want to challenge/fight this action.

If you contact www.starbucksunion.org someone may be able to guide you through a more detailed plan of action that will benefit you, the choice is yours...keep us posted and GOOD LUCK

[DOINIT WELL!]

@ HELP ME
"I just felt that the two of them always hanging out together isnt something a Barista & Manager should be doing. So why am I being blamed for pointing out their actions if this is something that Starbucks DOES NOT encourage."

Now are you understanding how two faced this job is and the people running it who abuse the system never want to admit they were wrong ESPECIALLY an SM, they are supposed to lead by example, not start breaking up partners relations at their store, or even better start having sexual relations with their workers. If I were at your store I would have taken much advantage of the STUPIDITY and actions of your SM...You need to use this as leverage against your SM. The Manager will be out to get you from now on, so why not try to get him/her transferred if not fired...I would.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

I tried this on the other threads, but maybe last weekend's open thread is the appropriate place. In any case, aren't any of you surprised that it only took 2½ months for Howie to reverse himself on the "no more layoffs" prediction that he made in March?
Starbucks announces Customer Service layoffs.

[Melody]

http://coffeecupnews.org/index.php/2009/06/episode-34-starbucks-pikes-place-roast/

^ That is worth watching. Jason from Coffee Cup News doing a tasting with a French Press of Pike Place Roast!!

He's very kind in his description of it. He had to have had holes in his tongue by the time he was done making that video!

I put the link to his video in my name for this post. I totally enjoy Jason's coffee cup news videos, but this one, lordy, is it for real?

http://twitter.com/CoffeeCupNews

(I re-tweeted his PPR coffee tasting vid, but that seems silly since my few followers are probably all following him too, given that he has almost 20k followers. LOL)

[Sumatra Sunny]

@GOOD
It's people like you that make it difficult for others to speak out when something inappropriate is going on. Regardless of what may be happening outside the store, the involved parties should keep their business there-outside the store. Not only is that sort of behavior absolutely discouraged by the company, but when it enters the workplace it makes people very uncomfortable.

@ HelpMe
as Not so Good said, don't sign ANY corrective actions. Handling these situations are exactly what a DM is for. In addition, you can always call the partner hotline. That way you can get objective advice, or make a complaint anonymously.

[Christie Rodger]

What is up with the new Strawberry Puree? They took out the corn syrup to be more natural. So now I have to add the classic for some sweetness. To taste the new puree without it is terrible. It is also made with grape juice. Why is this called strawberry?

[Melody- reply to Christie Rodger (re: strawberry sauce)]

@Christie Rodger -

I haven't tried the new strawberry sauce yet, but I've seen a couple of threads on MSI where people are already complaining about the new flavor.

I thought I would pass on a couple of those links, in case it should interest you (you can click on the link in my name too for this post only)

http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaView?id=087500000005PszAAE

http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaView?id=087500000005PWPAA2

http://preview.tinyurl.com/stawberrysauce1

http://preview.tinyurl.com/strawberrysauce2

[Kenya Dig It]

I'm a supervisor who gives my SM full time ability and I always give a lot of notice if I need a weekend off as to be polite and profesional. If I have a weekend off my shifts usually run 9-10 in a row and by the time I have my weekend I'm too exhausted to enjoy it! I pointed this out to my SM and she didn't really care. I'd rather work than not work so I'm not going to make this into a big stink but if I'm being pushed around or I am paying my dues for a weekend off I want to stand up for myself! How would you go about this? Or, am I just a complainer?

[oldschoolbarista]

How does this minimum wage increase work out? It jumped 70 cents if I am correct. Starbucks has always paid more than minimum wage so does that mean that a new hire now will be making just as much as someone who has been working there for six months or a year? My point is does the minimum wage increase affect any other wages?

[usedtocare]

I just have a rant about optimal scheduling. I am a shift, I have been for 5 years . I am very disappointed in what starbucks is now. We are reduced to hiring idiots who don't care about their job at all which makes it harder on the ones who do. All I want now out of this job is an exta day off here and there , to be able to go out of town for 2 or three days without having to call 20 other stores to get my "optimal scheduling shift covered". I mean really this is ridiculous I have called in sick maybe 5 times since I have been here and now I will probably have to resort to calling in just to get a day off. I was told you can't ask for anything off , just vacation. I was also told you have to take your vacation at once so you can't have 3 days off a week ever! I also hate that this company has no integrity anymore. It's ok to break rules and standards as long as you make your target on smoothies . thanks for listening