Let's get the always-lively weekend OPEN THREAD going!

There's a reason why the OPEN THREAD always has 100-plus comments -- it's a great place to discuss anything Starbucks-related (in a civil manner, of course). || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[drive]

Jim Webmaster, can you get rid of that banana picture? It really is gross to have to look at it.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

Here are some comments by Troy Alstead about the Starbucks recovery strategy.

[Melody]

Thank you to my most regular Starbucks store today. They made my day. I have a routine in the morning which involves tossing my wallet in my briefcase for my Starbucks run at lunch.

Today I got to my Starbucks, ordered my drink, and realized that somehow I had forgotten my wallet back at the office and I had no way to pay for it. I haven't done that before!

The baristas just gave me my iced drink and said not to worry about it. It was totally nice of them. Thank you. :-) Since this is an open thread, I think this post is fair game.

[me myself and I]

Why are there so many people actually offended by a banana? Shall we just ban all bananas from this planet? How about other fruits and vegetables that could be used as a phallus symbol or as breasts or whatever?
Please be so kind and just ignore them. Or even better, get a personal life consultant (aka as shrink).
Thank you!

P.S. Webmaster, please leave the pic. I like bananas.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP Webmaster]

I don't find the banana photo particularly offensive. Sorry those who disagree, but it's staying.

[Glendale Acacia Regular]

Some's bananas are longer than other's bananas...

[Don't Care]

So let's hear about the Tech's getting Laid Off, No one will talk about this.
Why is this..
Most of the Tech's are Pissed..
Most of the Store Managers are Pissed..
Most of the DM's are Pissed..
Most of the Facilities Managers are Happy as Hell they Still have a JOB, (for now)...
So FSN is still sending out Vendors that don't have a clue, they have to wait on Parts...
it's so nice going to a store and see the Partners working on one Mech. and the line out the door, then watching people walking away from the Store, but that's what Starbucks Management wanted to happen..
This was the worst Idea ever by Starbucks.
show me the saving, they can't. because they don't care.. it's to cover their own butt's...
Good Luck Starbucks.

I still think Howard will Sale Off the company soon....

[sbuxgrinder]

I had one of those massive recalled coffee grinders that Starbucks sold. After calling the 1-800 number, Starbucks sent me the way-bill (which covered the cost of the package), I then dropped it off at one of the courier locations. Exactly 8 weeks later, I get my replacement grinder by Fedex. I opened up the box, only to find the grinder in a bubble wrap along with the Starbucks grinder instructions. The quality of the newer grinders are lousier (sharp edge plastic siding, etc) - not well crafted at all.

The one thing that disgusted me the most was the fact there was no apology or sorry for the inconvenience, and no other Starbucks benefits (ie. free beverage coupons or free bag of Starbucks coffee) for the 8 weeks without my grinder.

Starbucks wasted so much money on this recall for nothing (shipping, mailing the letters with the postage paid way bills, etc). I wonder why they just didn't ship all of these newer coffee grinder replacements to the STarbucks stores for customers who had bought one of the defected and recalled grinders for a straight exchange!!!!! What a waste of money and time.

[formerly]

"I wonder why they just didn't ship all of these newer coffee grinder replacements to the STarbucks stores for customers who had bought one of the defected and recalled grinders for a straight exchange!!!!!"

Posted by sbuxgrinder

Because the cheapest way to do the recall without wasting money and labor would be mail-order, and that's exactly what they did. You should be glad you have your fingers and a new grinder...

[sbuxgrinder]

Hi formerly,

Considering there were over 500,000 of the grinders sold and produced, only about 25 idiots losts their fingers because he/she did not "unplug" the grinder while cleaning out left over coffee grinds. If you leave it unplugged, no lost fingers. If you can't read and are stupid to leave the plug in the electric socket, then one deserves to lose their fingers.

The new grinder still operate the same way as before - you can still lose your finger in the grinder. The only difference is that the instruction emphasizes that you must unplug your grinder while cleaning. That's the ONLY difference.

[Burnt Brew]

“This was the worst Idea ever by Starbucks.”
Posted by: Don't Care | September 25, 2009 at 02:47 PM

Please! They’ve done nothing but have bad ideas in the past 6+ years. It would be hard to determine “the worst idea ever”.

[CO SBUXTER]

Even though I don't have a lot of confidence with the upper management of this company I did notice something interesting the other day in some of the reports from Fidelity. While Howard Schultz exercised and held his stock options that were about to expire, Michelle Glass and the Starbucks US President ( I forget his name) decided to sell a few thousand of their shares off while the stock was up making quite a pretty penny (something along the lines of 6 figures each). So good old uncie howie is actually still investing into the company showing his support, at least for now, (which is something considering that is salary this year is less than most baristas) and officers like Glass are just out to make a quick buck and probably dont care for the company or what it (at least supposed to) stands for.

[NJ_newbie]

Random thought: why did they get rid of the black & white cookies? First they changed from the big ones to the pre-packaged 2-pack mini ones...

now there are only madelines and chocolate madelines. no black and whites. :o(

they were my favorite...

[spence]

NJ Newbie, I loved the black and whites too. Unfortunately, i think it was just the two of us. We would get a box of 24 every month. At the end of 30 days, we threw out all the packages I didn't buy. It didn't matter how well I displayed them. No one bought them. And my store partners thought they were gross.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Is everyone ready for the Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Launch. I certainly am ready to go.

[redcup]

being a licensed store, we went rogue, handed out a thousand (and three hundred?) packets of ViA samples, sold two hundred dollars worth and throw the tasting banners, coupons, aprons, decals, stickers away.

we're closed on weekends so my team members can have a life.

next week, we're focusing on customer service, store cleanliness, product quality and speed of service.

[oops]

were all service techs layed off? If so what happens to remote stores where the closest vendor (at least in previous years) is 4 hours away so they can opt to wait a day or two before coming to repair brewing equipment. Thankfully its only happened twice in A 4 year period where our techs were not available due to overtime so vendors had to cover....and due to the amount of distance from remoter stores the vendor expended their response time by 24 hours. If the same still applys I don't see the tech being layed off for long as Starbucks will find a long list of stores operating off of poor equipment, customer lines lengthing, and partners quitting

[Coffeeking]

To be completely honest I think Starbucks via is complete shit. The product doesn't taste like quality coffee in the least bit. Although I do understand what type of market Starbucks is trying to appeal to, it might not be the market in the company owned stores. As I handed off the protect to most drip coffee or CF customers (thinking that might be the market) I received friendly responses. But I'm just going to have to wait and see how this product will sell for 1 buck a stick..... (I think the product will bomb) what do you guys think and what have been the reaction in the last week? Also how was your store meeting and how did everyone react to the product?

[Bob B.]

I've kinda had it with Starbucks. Once I was a Starbucks freak, but over the last few years this company has deteriorated into a shadow of what it used to be. This morning, at 8:15, at the store on Old Dominion, in McLean, VA, I asked for 4 vente coffees, 1 decaf, 3 half-caf. My money was taken quickly, and the after standing for s few minutes watching the folks behind me get served, the cashier looks at me and says, "We're brewing more decaf. O.K.?" The O.K. didn't mean he was asking me if the wait was O.K., he was telling me why I was getting served, and asking if I understood. Unfortunately, for me, it was not O.K., I didn't have 5 or so minutes to wait, so I left. They're up 8 bucks, which will please the manager and the bean counters in Seattle who seem to be running the show now.the down side for them is that I'm done with Starbucks. Used to be if you had to wait the coffee was free, used to be you could get decaf anytime, used to be their stock was something of value. In a few more years they'll be doing case histories on Starbucks in Business Schools,on how it all went wrong. In McLean, VA, the Silver Diner always has decaf, as the The Dunkin Donuts by the Mall. Goodby.

[NJ_newbie]

Bob B...you could have just told them to give you decaf and half-caf americanos...your lack of patience is why starbucks has gone down the crapper...

customers don't want quality anymore, they just want speed.

maybe you should have planned ahead and then you would not have had to rush to get your coffee. Or...just go to Dunkin Donuts.

[JavaJoe]

not to mention they probably already had a couple of the half cafs poured which means whatever coffees they had poured would be thrown away, not to mention you have no idea what the people before you ordered. it might not have been their fault. on top of that they were probably busy and werent thinking right to give you a proper response and didnt even notice you were gone until they went to hand you your order. when you are trying to reduce waste and brewing quarter batches at slow times, ordering 4 ventis is a HUGE pain in the butt. baristas are people too, not machines! show us some respect. only machines are perfect 24/7 so get off your high "paying customer" horse and at least pretend we are people. it makes going out of our way to be nice to people like you so much more comforting. go to DD with the rest of our customers that cant figure out how to patient or talk on their cell phones while we are trying to get your order

[Redd]

NJ Newbie - They should have told you immediately that they needed to brew decaf, but since it's the new policy to brew decaf on demand, you still wouldn't have gotten it free. So yeah, this store dropped the ball...but it's more of an idividual barista problem. I've seen customers get mad that they had to wait so long, and I'll ask the register person if they explained why, and they'll say, "No, I just went ahead and brewed it" and I've seen baristas put drinks on the hand off plane without calling them out...it's frustrating when everyone doesn't follow the same rules. We were all trained the same way, but some people just don't care, and it gives the company a bad name. I don't think Starbucks is God, but I love my job and I'm good at it, and it sucks when a few bad baristas give us all a bad name.

[Redd]

Sorry, I meant Bob...

[Will]

You didn't have 5 minutes, or you just don't have patience or the ability to be a reasonable person?

We hardly sell ANY decaf, and never brew more than a quarter batch at a time. Sorry, there just isn't the demand for it. Not our faults. What do you want us to do, keep a constant stream of decaf brewing 24/7 because you dont' have a measly 5 minutes? Please.

So on the one hand, you're advocating a complete waste of resources, but on the other, bitching about the stock price? Dunkin might have decaf, but it isn't brewed every 30 minutes and probably isn't very good. Neither is Pike Place, but that isn't our fault, either.

Get your panties unwadded, Tipper, and think about how it is behind the counter for once. Seriously, you "I don't have 5 minutes to wait" people are a complete joke. We love your money, but your attitude is worthless.

[Tanya]

JavaJoe - I hope they didn't pour ANY of the coffees until the decaf was ready. Pour half regular, wait 5 minutes and then pour the decaf? yuck!

I'm on the side of Bob B. A few weeks ago I was running late - it was totally my fault, I know, but I was willing to be a few minutes late for a black tea. There were 3 people goofing off in the drive through area, 1 person at the cafe register, and 1 person making drinks for both DT and cafe. Since there were a few drinks ahead of mine, it was at least 10 minutes BEFORE they noticed they had no black tea.

I don't care if the people in the DT were on the clock or not - if you're not working, you shouldn't be on the floor.

[Kristin]

I am afraid i must agree with almost all of the posts above BOB... I am a former Starbucks store manager and people like YOU are one of the reasons that I left.

The funny thing is that Starbucks created people like you by giving you the impression that the customer is always right. Wrong. Some Starbucks partners have finally realized your not always right, and definitely no longer need their lips glued to your ass.

Barista's are sick of people acting rude and self-entitled. Seriously. Would you treat ANY one else that way? What if your meal took 5 extra minutes a restaurant? Would you storm out like a child... esp after you had already paid? Didn't think so.

If you wanted someone to profusely apologize to you for something that is company policy.. well you are just ridiculous.
Have fun with your donuts.

oh and PS the DD here holds their decaf for 90 minutes.. ew.
(yes i asked)

[Tanya]

Will - there is a difference between letting someone know that there is no decaf at the register, and asking them if they could wait and telling someone after they had been waiting that there wasn't any. It's easier to wait when you know what's going on.

[smile]

Wow. Way to chew the guy out. No wonder he doesn't want to come to starbucks, and if this is the attitude of baristas, maybe I don't really want to work for this company. It's not about the waiting, it's about how rudely he was treated by the barista. What a poor example of customer service.

[me]

bob - I would have asked you if the wait was ok before I charged you, but told you that if you were going to be coming in for four ventis (including 50 ounces of decaf), that you call to make sure we can have it ready for you - thats nearly a traveller....
I don't know of many stores that have 50 ounces of decaf brewed at any time, but they should have told you before charging.

[LAME-O]

Used to be if you had to wait the coffee was free,

Posted by BOb B

Another cheap-o trying to get free coffee, tell me where else in the world they give away their product for free, you are the reason all our good partners got cut and fired, WE DON'T GIVE AWAY FREE COFFEE YOU CHEAP A$$...we are in the business to make money not tank the company and contribute to the theft

[Emily]

Technically, doesn't just a half batch have 80 ounces in it? I seem to remember from Pike Place training that a half batch is 5 grandes.

Now, if you had only brewed a quarter batch of decaf (as my store often does) that's about 40 ounces of coffee (2.5 grandes) Then, there's a problem because the 1 venti decaf and 3 venti half-cafs would require 10 more oz. of decaf than is present.

I would say offer 2 shots decaf and hot water in one of the half cafs if the customer really can't wait, but don't wait to tell them.

Now on the other hand, I had a customer the other day who was so busy yapping on their cell phone when I told them that Bold was brewing and it'd be just a minute that he didn't hear me, and then gave me the look of death and hovered waiting for his coffee. Now that could have been avoided if he had just told the person on the other end to HOLD ON.

Now that's annoying.

[YEA YEA!!]

Partners we as the people who run the individual shops don't have to take the abuse from the customers...you have the right to deny anyone you would like...we have brains people and RESPECT should be a number one priority.

If you are on a cell phone in my store we simply skip you...
If you are rude we deny you coffee and
If you become an issue on the floor we kick you out and ban you from our district... We run our store and no one tells us PARTNERS how to do our jobs

So, Tanya if I'm on the floor and I'm not clocked in I have that privilege to do so...I might be doing something business related, or trying to locate something or defusing a situation, WHATEVER it might be, please do not tell us how to deal with the millions of people that come through our stores and how to do our jobs

[NEWS]

Starbucks seeks right brew for success in recovery

Paul Ziobros

STARBUCKS is planning for a drawn-out recovery in consumer spending, but believes it has trimmed its high-growth business model with more than $US500 million ($581.4m) of cost cuts.

"We have shaped our plans assuming there's a long recovery here and takes a while for the consumer to come around," Starbucks chief financial officer Troy Alstead said at a recent Goldman Sachs retail conference.

The consumer health outlook in the US is still hazy as unemployment approaches 10 per cent and consumers build up their savings, leaving Starbucks preparing for more uncertainty before prosperity.

Alstead also said Starbucks would continue to use traditional marketing and social media such as Facebook to fight against attacks from competitors that have chided the worldwide coffee shop for being too pricey.

"Starbucks will not allow others to continue to define us in the customer's eyes," Alstead said.

Starbucks, which closed most of its Australian stores last year after failing to penetrate the local market, has elsewhere faced new competition in the premium coffee market from McDonald's.

Earlier this year, McDonald's billboards in Seattle, Starbucks' home turf, proclaimed: "Four bucks isdumb."

But McDonald's premium coffee launch, McCafe, may not be giving the chain the boost it wanted. McDonald's has posted disappointing August same-store sales results, including a 1.7 per cent increase in the US, a figure Research Edge analyst Howard Penney says reflects consumers not taking to McCafe with the gusto predicted.

Starbucks shares have more than doubled this year and have bounced from a low of $US7.06 last November. McDonald's shares, meanwhile, slumped on their results.

Starbucks has identified about 1000 stores it has closed or plans to close and expects to cut about $US550m of costs this year as it responds to a global economic slowdown. It is also making its supply chain more efficient and reducing waste in stores.

As it had improved store profitability, Starbucks was taking about 30 US stores off the list slated for closure, Alstead said.

The company would eventually resume opening new stores in the US, though saw more potential for growth overseas, he said.

Starbucks is also trying to grab a larger share of the $US21 billion worldwide market for instant coffee with Via, which it plans to sell across the US later this month.

In test markets of Seattle and Chicago, Starbucks found that the introduction of Via had "no discernable impact" on in-store beverage sales, Alstead said, something some investors had feared.

Instead, Via cannibalised sales of packaged coffee, which the company had expected. "That's a trade we're prepared to make," Alstead said.

Alstead also indicated that Starbucks' board was evaluating how to distribute free-cashflow over time, although its primary investment would continue to be in improving its existing stores and business.

Penney said Starbucks could consider establishing a dividend like other global restaurant companies such as McDonald's and Yum Brands.

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

Do you have Cider in yet?

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

I need a cinnamon mocha, medium. Also, a vanilla frappuccino, small. And can I have breakfast blend large?

Can you leave off whipped cream and carmel off of the cider?

My mom also needs a large coke!!

(To friend on phone: what? Oh, we need sweet iced tea, biggest size you have with no lemon silces in it!!)

[Will]

Will - there is a difference between letting someone know that there is no decaf at the register, and asking them if they could wait and telling someone after they had been waiting that there wasn't any. It's easier to wait when you know what's going on.

Yeah, but apparently the world was going to end if he didn't get out of there in 5 minutes. Nothing is gonna make a scenario like that easier.

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

Sorry, I forgot to ask. Put the frapppuccino in three small cups but can you please put tons and tons of whip on each? Thanks, oh I need 3 waters and 2 kids milks.

Can you add a kids hot chocolate but can you put it in a cup next size up but also lots and lots of whip? Make sure you don't make it hot or my kid will get burned. I heard this happened to someone.

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

(at the window) Do you have sandwiches? ... Oh, what kind? Can I have three sausage ones, please don't put any cheese on them at all, and one needs to be sliced in 4 squares.

...

What? You need how much? That Starbucks card is worth 20 dollars!! Why do you still need 17. 97??

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

This cinnamon mocha was supposed to be cold. ... What? ... Iced, yeah (as in: whatever yeah).

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

(on the phone: So, Janice! Sorry, they screwed up my order, so I have to wait now? huh? Yeah, everytime!! I know.. They are helping some guy inside with his coffee or something. I think they ran out of decaf coffee or some ^&*( like that. They don't have coke! Yeah, one of the drinks was supposed to be cold and they made a hot drink. Seriously, I knew I should have just gone to Dunkin, I would have been home already....)

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

-----Sorry, Jim, for hijacking the space with several comments. I was simply demonstrating how so many people are getting ruder by the day by being on their cell phone and bluetoothes all the time and really being condescending to the person who is serving them. I don't know why everyone is losing manners -- it's as if they aren't taught any more. But, then, again, look at our schoolchildren, They get up in the classroom and head straight for the bathroom without even raising their hand and asking the teacher. Heck, the teacher is a lot like a Sbux barista any more, and kids rule the classroom, and not the other way around. Respect and dignity is out the window...

[JavaJoe]

legendary, i couldnt have said it better myself. ive gotten to the point where i ask people to pause their phone calls momentarily. as for me having a bad attitude? i disagree. on the floor i am very legendary and never act rudely towards a guest. however when im off the clock on an online forum, i feel i am able to voice my opinion. the truth is people suck. and as i voiced before we are seen as vending machines. if people dont get exactly what they want out of a vending machine they kick punch and shake the hell out of it. what do you think happens to us on a daily basis?

and btw, i wonder how long it will be until people finally figure out we dont have pop!

[Emily]

Seriously. I usually do the one thing that I have a pet peeve with, which is say "excuse me" in a loud obnoxious tone, when someone is next in line and they're on the phone. Because seriously, they're not only annoying me, they're annoying everyone else stuck behind them dilly-dallying in line! If they don't respond, I just say "hi, I can help the next person who's READY."

Either that shuts them up or they get passed. I've learned enough to know that if I have to be on the phone while ordering, I at least say "hold on, excuse me" to the person on the other end.

[Former-ly@™]

LEGENDARY OR BUST

God Bless You and tell your team to stay strong and keep up the LEGENDARY work, run your store how you must we support your efforts, another hard worker who should not have to explain the horror story of customers, please a moment of silence...

[Sick of Howard!!!]

It is not the customers or the partners who are at fault in this situation. It is this lousy company’s fault. First they train customers to be extremely demanding and high maintenance then they destroy the company to the extent that they need to cut labor and resources so we can no longer service them. You can’t run a company like this and expect it to stay successful. You can’t lie to investors with unsubstantiated growth one year, come up with outrageously stupid promotions and products continually, treat your employees like dirt while lying to them that they are partners, and treat your customers with indifference without a bit of fallout. All of this has happened and it’s all Howards fault. Whether he was CEO or not he has been in charge of this company since he bought it. He might be a great innovator (that’s still up for debate) but he is a rotten business man. Upper management blames it on the recession, but the problems started five years prior to this. Starbucks needs new leadership with more answers and less ego. There’s only so much “ambiguity” one can embrace until it becomes a chaotic catastrophe. If the idiots that ran this company would pull themselves out of their luxurious office suites they hide in and put on a green apron for a month they’d know what hell feels like. They’d also fail miserably with every unrealistic expectation they ever set. This company talks about accountability yet the big guy hides from it and deflect it to everyone else. Thanks for the respect and dignity Howard, next time keep it.

Years from now when college students study business history Starbucks will be in the “don’t do it this way” column.

[CamSpi]

Have you guys visited Melody's blog?
Her interview with Winter is pretty interesting!

Also, how many Via Ready Brews have you guys pre-sold? I was talking to a barista from another store, and she said they've only sold 15 and they're behind in her district.... yowza! We've only sold 2 pre-orders. I feel behind.

ANNND, who's watching those via youtube videos? They're hilarious! Brad, the Starbucks tweetmaster, and comedian Erin Foley are on a roadtrip spreading Via love. It's actually pretty funny.

[Vivianne Via]

I dont know about you but how is everyone(SM's) enjoying their 1% raise-executed 100% with half the staff and a quarter of the resources-got 800.00 raise and a ME-my baristatas got a higher increase when they raised minimum wage-I wish I would of known New Orleans was my compensation-I would of drank more-heres to 2011 Guess i will be like everyone else...I mean really I didnt even want the money-thanks

[HUH?]

Viviann Via, WTF? Didn't understand a word of your post....

[me myself and I]

So if I understand you right, you are complaining about a measly 800 Dollar increase in salary? If you don't want it, I'd take it. And even if this is 800 for the entire year, this would still mean you earn 80,000 Dollars a year. Not bad for that kind of job. You don't even need any kind of degree for it.
And please don't forget you can bonus as well. So I really don't see your point. You must be one of the best paid SMs out there and you are still complaining????

[So Disappointed.]

I'm venting.
I'm a shift with a family of 4. I opt for the insurance that covers 80% of hospital insurance vs 70%. I also have med and eye insurance. After the new insurance plan goes into effect, I will make $80 every two weeks assuming 20 hour shifts per week.
Seriously, I would have to be freakin nuts to get up at 4 in the morning for $2 bucks an hour. I worked for Starbucks for the insurance but I'm not willing to work ONLY for insurance.
As it happens, I work more than 20 hours a week.
When I consider that I spend $40 on gas and another $40 on Starbucks food (because I just don't want to get up even earlier,) I am working for free plus health insurance. In well over 2 years, I've never been late and only missed one scheduled work day due to illness.
CORPORATE: WOULD YOU GET UP AT 4 IN THE MORNING AND WORK 80 HOURS A MONTH FOR FREE AND A DOUGHNUT????