Let's get the weekend OPEN THREAD going!

Will there be early fireworks here, or a pleasant tete-a-tete? You never know with the always-lively OPEN THREAD. As usual, anything Starbucks-related is up for discussion. || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[gaybot]

Theres def tons o'gays in town for SF pride... Loves it! Wooo!!

[gc]

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2010/06/24/starbucks-to-give-olive-way-gaybucks-552000-overhaul-in-latest-concept-experiment

Looks like a pretty big remodel.

[ash_sk8s]

Thanks for the link gc. It'll be interesting to see how that turns out...

[BusyBee]

Is it true that Arabian Mocha Sanani is gone for good? I just checked the Starbucks coffee page and it says "discontinued". This was the best yearlong, then seasonal, now apparently gone coffee. So sad, SBUX. so sad.

[CamSpi]

@BusyBee its available in some international markets, such as the UK and even Hungary, which is a country Starbucks just recently opened their first store in. I miss Sanani, too. I guess the farmers over there didn't have a big enough crop for all of the thousands of US stores. :(

[Kro]

Ethiopia Sidamo is gone as well. Too bad, as it was one of my favorites.

[Melody (Reply to Kro)]

@Kro - I think Sidamo is still a core coffee in Europe and UK. They also get Organic Washed Yirgacheffe too. Comes back to what CamSpi said: small growing regions, many stores in the US.

[WPGBRSTA]

New SM & ASM for my store, BOTH from a well known store (not known for good reasons) and suddenly more than half my partners quits. We already did our assimalation, but when we did everyone and everything was great. Now, not so much. I want to call for another one, but is that possible?

[intlbarista]

I know I posted this in the other thread..but here goes again:

"A quick question, I'm now deployed at Starbucks in Switzerland, I wanted to know the recipe for an Iced Espresso Truffle Latte. We have the Premium (what you call "Signature") hot choc. mix in stores, which we mix 1:1 with milk for hot bev's. How does it work for iced drinks? Mix milk and PHC to the first line of the cold cup?"

[dottie]

Intlbarista
We don't have signature hot chocolate anymore. The way we used to make it iced is add the shc that's been premixed add espresso then add ice.

[Sheik]

Is there going to be a Summer 2010 Frappuccino? Peanut Butter Cocoa Frappuccino? Cookies & Cream Frapuccino?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

No big frappuccino. The big push is iced Via this summer.

[thecurtis]

yeah iced via woooh, do you want some iced via for your camping trip/road trip/hike/day at the beach, its all natural and "lightly sweetened"

>.<

I am excited about treat receipt coming back.
We just got the newer vita-mix blenders at my store, they are much quieter and seem to blend everything but chips very well on 1. Anyone else just get theirs? or are we way behind the times

[PDX Barista]

to WPGBRSTA- you could ask for another assimilation. It probably won't happen b/c of the labor hours involved. The DM is probably hearing that these were partners "that needed to go" so you may not. SOunds as though this SM and ASM are being given a "2nd chance" (or 3rd/4th, you know starbucks). Just make sure to stay on standards and keep them on the standards. Good Luck!

[Christinschu]

WPGBRSTA You're lucky you got 1 assimilation. I've never been involved with one at a SM/ASM level. Only DM level.

[Allen]

Does anyone know if Qasa can visit us on the weekends? Or how late in the evening they can come?

[dickbutt]

@ allen
it just depends who's doing yours
we just got a new lady in our area who's also got a day job, so she's been coming in during the evenings. a few stores got hit on sunday evening around here. feels bad, man.

[Allen]

I hate Qasa, could we not be spending our time doing much more important things!?!? I don't understand why we invest to much in this when we pass Health Department with best of them.

[Christinschu]

allen they can come any day of the week untill 9pm.

[Waltie]

"I hate Qasa, could we not be spending our time doing much more important things!?!?"

There's nothing on there that you shouldn't already be doing.

[erstwhile]

There are things about QASA that are just ridiculous though. We lost points because there was an espresso bean on the counter under our Verismo. One. Espresso. Bean. It's not like we work in a coffee shop or something.

The pressure is ridiculous sometimes.

But I certainly think QASA is a better thing to spend money on than Customer Voice. Let's just bring back secret shoppers. SO MUCH BETTER.

[dickbutt]

we had a lid fall under the CBS fridge (underneath which we sweep and mop daily) and the QASA bitch marked it as 'excessive debris'.
when we can rock the health department inspections, there's not a single reason to keep QASA around. It's an absurd waste of money and time, not to mention the anxiety on the partners.
Ecosure can die in a fire for all it's worth, and we'd still do just fine.

[POSITIVE VIBES :)]

Ecosure is a third party organization which goes above and beyond state health standards. They are hired to avoid law suits and claims that our stores is not a safe enviorment. These strigent health and safety standards were developed by NASA . I am proud that our company is doing do diligence in protecting our partners and customers

[Christinschu]

Passing health inspections has nothing to do with qasa. Yes, some qasa violations are health violations as well, but qasa is to ensure we are adhearing to our OWN standards. Our standards, the starbucks standards, are HIGHER and more broad than heath departments. QASA is there to help ensure we are a "world class" (as Cliff Burrows likes to say) organization.

There is a process you can use to fight absurd points violations (like there being "one bean" under the machine. If it truely was one bean, that should be fought and you will win (I am 99% sure, unless there is something more you're not mentioning.)

[CamSpi]

I feel like QASA is strict so it teaches healthy-minded behaviors. What does QASA stand for, again? Anybody know? Quality And Safety Assesment???? Just a guess.

[duckbitt]

ITT: anal douchebags sticking up for QASA because they can't or don't like to think outside of policy and lists and critical assessments they can't make because their own faculties for reasoning are so poor

it's great if you think cliff burrows gives a damn about our individual stores, but cliff burrows just cares about the money. the only people who give even a remote f@ck about the state of each store are the people working from DM and down (and the DM baaarely does, only so much as it affects her own cash and bragging rights) Honestly though, starabucks isn't world class. We're a glorified DQ/braums/McD's selling passable coffee when we don't have guns in our mouths forcing us to hawk via to every man woman and child who steps foot in the store.
If corporate would like to see an improvement in customer voice and an improvement in sales, they can get this by giving the partners a little breathing room and by relieving the anxiety they feel when at their job. Lose via, create a better atmosphere for the partners and better business will follow.

[me, myself and I]

Looks like a few people in Toronto had a grudge towards Starbucks tonight. Apparently if you want to protest against a G20 meeting you have to smash a few Starbucks windows... Or just take the meeting as an excuse... (shakes his head in disbelief)
I am very sorry for my fellow partners in the affected stores. I hope you guys were already closed at the time and nobody got hurt.

[frappy]

They are hired to avoid law suits and claims that our stores is not a safe enviorment.

That's really funny.

SBUX is easily the most dangerous place I've ever worked - and I've been on this earth over 5 decades now. What with wet floors from mopping - I slip and slide as I rush around trying to keep customer wait times to under 4 minutes, and essential products are stored so freaking high that they can't be reached without climbing on surfaces that aren't meant to be stood on. Not to mention the lid to the ice machine is always falling on someone's head (at one time there was a big piece of velcro to hold it open but that was taken away).

I have sliced my finger, trying to quickly open those hard plastic containers of muffins. Hurry, hurry. Other partners have slammed the pastry case doors on my fingers as they rushed to get a scone. Chop, chop.

It's late and I'm tired. But these are just a few things that come to mind. There are many others.

[unknown]

Since you clearly hate Starbucks so much, why don't you quit. You are definitely not helping anything with your negative attitude. Do you think anyone wants to come into your store if you clearly don't want to be there. Also, if your store is already following qasa standards, then you should not feel stressed at all. It's not hard, just be clean.

[frappy]

hey - unknown - I never said I hated the job and I never said I didn't want to be there. Do you have a reading comprehension problem???

I have worked there for nearly a decade and I clearly must like some aspects of the job. My attitude toward my customers and fellow partners is actually quite good.

However, it is not a safe environment for partners. I stand by that statement.

[I.Heart.Spirit.]

@thecurtis

We already have ours - one has even broken already, yay!

---

I'd love to work in one of those concept stores.

[James Connolly]

@unknown: why is it, when a company is doing something astoundingly shitty to its employees like maintaining an unsafe work environment, that people always suggest that the person complaining about the shitty thing is told to quit and look for a new job? Why isn't said company told to cut the shit and stop doing that shitty thing? I mean, I can guess the answer, but I want to hear it in your own words.

Speaking for my continuing eight year tenure with Starbucks, the company does maintain an unsafe working environment that's been majorly exacerbated by the chronic understaffing that's going on right now to support Schultz' forty five million dollar compensation package, and the pressure put on by QASA and having to hawk Via isn't helping either. I've had more burns than I can count, a similar number of cuts and abrasions caused by everything from box cutters to the serrated knives to sleeves, repetitive strain injuries from being on bar too long, pulled back muscles from till drawers put too low in a remodel, customers who have threatened me with violence and weren't banned from the store, and a sprained ankle because of slick floors.

Most of these injuries have happened recently, when there's been more pressure to hurry and do more with less time. If we had more people on the floor and people didn't feel so obligated to rush, then I think some of these injuries wouldn't happen.

[mattoloRIPRIP]

I just started at starbucks last week. My 2nd day on espresso bar and i've succeeded in floating a quarter on both 2% milk and also nonfat milk when practicing the cappucino free fill thing.

However I was just struggling with doing a 'dry' cappucino using the free pour method. it seems like the nonfat milk is just a bit picky when it comes to free pour.

[A Non eMoose]

Frappy, really? Slick floors are a problem? Get some non-slip boots, which IIRC the company heavily suggests you do anyway. Things are too high to reach? Why the hell do you have a step-ladder if you're just gonna climb on other stuff instead to get it? How can an adult possibly cut a finger on those muffin containers?? (And how does scratching your finger qualify a place to be dangerous?) Your partners somehow slam the pastry door on your hand when you're getting stuff? Jeez, sounds like you just need partners that are not drooling morons. It's not hard to LOOK and see if someone's hand is there. Seriously dude, all of your complaints sound childish. Starbucks has a crapload of issues but your own personal faults don't make it a dangerous place.

[botox]

Here's something for the other store managers out there. In our district after the SM conducts a 1st interview the DM will conduct a 2nd interview with with every potential candidate and give final approval. This was due to a couple of stores having high turnover % during FY09. My store didn't have high turnover, but now that I have people moving on to other endeavors it is hard to get staffing levels up. Basically you schedule the 1st interviews, after conducting several interviews and picking the best candidate for the job, call the DM and see when they have time in their calendar to conduct the 2nd interview which could be a week away, and then wait for a reply. DM conducts 2nd interview and makes final decision. I have 1 new hire that will be starting in a few days that is taking 3 weeks from my initial interview to start date for training. I'm still needing to add 3 more baristas to my roster as well as it seems I've been down 2 people almost the entire year due to this process. I feel that we're being micromanaged for the process of staffing our stores and its hindered performance and morale in my store.

Any other SM's dealing with this in their district?

[Noah]

botox: one thing to do is hardwire one or more permanent interview hours into the DM's weekly schedule which the DM can not preempt until the day before. The SM still has to call and schedule the DM interview, but you know that the interview should be sooner than later.

[datedotit]

Nobody is going to buy iced via, just like nobody really buys via. And why would they come to sbux to do so anyway, when they can just get it at the grocery store on sale. Duh....

[Ocelot]

FYI, the official standard around QASA is that EcoSure can come into your store 7 days a week, from 9am until 2 hours before your store closes (they have to be in the store before 6pm if you close at 8pm, etc...)...holidays included.

[Erik]

Iced Via? I keep a couple in my office for "in case of coffee emergency" (it happens), but for iced coffee, I prefer cold-filtered: 1/3c coffee to 1.5 c water (roughly).

On another note, we just bought a Sirena (the BMW-designed espresso machine) from Seattle Coffee Gear. According to the video on their site, the one's they are selling have been rebranded Saeco and have been upgraded somewhat. I know the original received mixed reviews, but has anyone else bought a Sirena from this site? They seem like a good outfit, so we are hopeful - but we have been missing our daily espresso since our Barista finally gave out a month ago.

[me, myself and I]

Erik, I own a Sirena, about a year old and heavily used. I am very happy with it. I am curious about the updates, though. Do you know any details? My "update" was limited to getting rid of the froth enhancing cover of the steam wand. It's much better without it. :-)

[Anthony]

Why do Starbucks baristas spoon milk/foam versus free pour? Isn't free pouring supposed to produce a better drink?

[baroosta]

Anthony - because the majority of the customers at Starbucks will go apeshit if there is even a centimeter of foam on top of their latte...

[fish heads]

@ baroosta

I have a customer that doesn't want the milk aerated at all when you steam her milk because she hates foam. The squealing of the steam wand just shreds your inner ear when making her drink.

[CD]

@Erik - I heard that the Sirenas and Starbucks' Espresso Roast did not mix well together. Specifically, I heard that the SBUX beans were (too oily?) clogging the Sirenas.

I don't have one but I was told this by more than one barista when I was looking to buy one.

[HipsterDufus]

@anthony: because that's the starbucks standard way to make it. We free pour cappuccinos, and hold back with a spood for lattes. It's the best way to ensure the lattes only have the dollop of foam they are supposed to have.

[me, myself and I]

CD, I usually use either Espresso or Guatemala in my Sirena and never ever had a problem with the machine cloggin up. Maybe if it is ground too fine? Some stores don't calibrate their grinders often, including mine. I usually grind it a tiny little bit coarser than the dial would suggest. If you let Starbucks grind it, just divide a pound into four quarters, grind them all on slightly different settings and find out at home which one works best.

[Frapped Out]

what area are you in that requires the DM to conduct a second interview? My store has an incredibly high turnover rate but I don't think it's because I don't know how to hire. The problem is no one in the damn company is allowed to be fired. You get pushed out. I'm being pushed out. I hate Starbucks. I drank the koolaid at first but after months of no support I feel like slitting my wrists and dripping blood into my boss' latte.

[unknown]

Hey Frappy
I don't have a reading problem, I wasn't actually talking to you! I was talking to duckbitt.

[calibarista]

botox - I'm not an SM, but I'm also having problems with the DM wanting to conduct interviews instead of the SM, this time for promotion. I'm a 5-year barista who for the past 2 years has been asking to be promoted and has been continually told I'm "next on the list," but every opportunity I've had has been blocked by various promotion freezes in the district, can't promote during holidays, etc... This time, we're losing a shift lead soon and my SM wants to promote me as a replacement, but the DM wants to conduct interviews rather than relying on her judgment. However, it's been months since he's said he's going to conduct said interviews. It's ridiculous. They need to just let the SM's do what they're going to do and stop blocking them.

[justinsane]

@memyselfandI I don't think it was a grudge against starbucks that happened in TO...all kinds of businesses got hit. The media were attacked too. As well as police cars. Nut jobs.