Let's get the Labor Day weekend OPEN THREAD going!

Lots of people on the road for the holiday will be making a lot of coffee detours. Are you ready for them? Discuss your Labor Day plans or anything Starbucks-related in the OPEN THREAD.

Comments

[lol]

Starbucks is a good company.

[Jim Romenesko]

Care to elaborate?

[micromanagedtoDEATH]

There is a district manager in Tempe, AZ that makes up his own policies outside of written starbucks policy. He has had SEVERAL compliance calls, but he is such a good friend with the partner resource lady that he never gets held accountable for his behavior. What options are out there for filing complaints if the business conduct hotline isn't effective?

[BrewedDecaf]

Nearly every time I visit a particular Starbucks in my area, I'm approached by a particular partner who's trying to be a comedian. "I have a new video on YouTube!" he'll say, and then proceeds to remind me how to spell his name so I can look it up. Then, he expects me to check out his latest work and laugh at it. I've checked out a couple. He's not really that funny.

I love it when Starbucks partners are polite and even jovial, but this just seems like too much. Today, while I was in the drive-thru, he took the time to ask me to mark my calendar for his next appearance at the local comedy club, and asked me to commit right then to buying a ticket from him for that night.

I'm just a customer so I'd like to ask the partners who frequent this site: do you consider this appropriate? If inappropriate, is it harmless? It strikes me as annoying but maybe I should just be nicer to the guy.

[me myself and I]

It's definitely inappropriate if it annoys you. Just tell him you are not that into it and you are sorry if thought otherwise. This can all be done very nicely without anyone getting mad at each other. :-)

[Spencer]

Hello! Former partner here -- spent 2.3 years as a Barista/Coffee Master. I totally agree with the controversy surrounding VIA; this was one of the reasons I was in a hurry to get out. Our store manager would take a traveler order and if they didn't specify the brew she would make a VIA traveler every time. This in addition to connecting individual performance reviews to store VIA sales -- industry standard in sales, but not as a food/drink preparer. I honestly don't hate Starbucks; it's great coffee and was mostly a fun experience. But VIA? No thank you. Done.

[Kristina]

BrewedDecaf: It sounds most inappropriate to me. I wouldn't even approach that particular barista...I'd either go in and talk to his store manager, or call the store manager on the phone and address your dismay that way. I am guessing you're not the only guest he's approached and this way, he won't know who complained. If it continues after that, I'd go to the next level. But, definitely DO say something. Otherwise it won't get addressed and you will continue to feel uncomfortable.

[black apron boy]

HAHA...whoever you are MicromanagedtoDeath, I agree with you. He seems two faced. He can be friendly and jovial, or he starts attacking baristas with USD goals and techniques during the morning rush. My manager literally gets like 20 texts a day from him, to report on VIA and coffee sales. HAHA

[ncsm]

As I've noted in previous postings here, most Starbucks DM's (and RDO's for that matter) are nothing more than MAJOR drains of precious company labor dollars. I've worked for about a dozen DM's and with one exception, they were all basically lazy, self-centered prima donnas who would rather sacrifice their first born than step in to help out during a rush. Why bother to assist fellow PARTNERS when there are fresh numbers to look at on their laptops? At the very least, all DM's need to have the number of stores they're responsible for DOUBLED.

[Waltie]

micromanagedtoDEATH: I need to know more information. What are these policies that you find unacceptable?

BrewedDecaf: What's his name? I want to watch these awful videos.

ncsm: I've had many DMs who haved stepped behind the counter to help if they happened to be there during a rush. Trust me, you're usually better off without the well intentioned "help."

[spence]

just curious... A DM's job is not to be a barista. I personally don't think my DM knows how. That's okay. I don't have the experience to be a DM. But, it would be nice in a rush if she would pour coffee or get a pastry. Heck, even cleaning the condiment bar would be helpful.

[An Ex-Customer]

At the local store here in Stafford Virginia a new manager has come in and quite simply put, is pushing all of the experienced partners out the door to replace them with noob idiots who don't know what they're doing. In two months they went from never getting it wrong to an almost 80% failure rate. How many ways are there to ruin a White-Mocha?

Now I know in this modern day of automatically steamed milk and push-button espresso it doesn't take much to be a barista anymore, but Starbucks should show respect for people who have dedicated themselves to the trade.

It's a sad commentary on how 'Bux is rapidly turning into nothing but another fast-food joint. Gone is the former glory.

I can't spend my money at a place that treats it's most dedicated employees like crap. "Partners" is a joke. There is no partnership here.

Wendy Barela, Diana Kelly, Nora Essawi and Jim Halinan all need to be replaced, their mismanagement is ruining the company's formerly good image.

[sadstory]

your dm does not know how to be a barista? Sad...very very sad...and yes, it's an important aspect of the job

[Georgia Latte]

Ex customer you have no idea why those partners were really let go. Not to defend the new manager, but NO partner is going to say there were let go for reasons they are responsible for. (its embarassing) so they are going to act like they did nothing wrong, or were pushed out.

[Really?]

I on my 7th DM so far an none prior to this one were " bad " baristas. 6 of the seven started as baristas. Regardless, they do not spend their days making drinks for customers...so why should they be as fast or as talented as the ones that spend 40 hours on the bar. Yes they can do a lobby slide , get brewed coffee and don't often enough but is that "their job ", no its ours. They are there to maintain " Starbucks Standards and policys " not be a barista.
With that said...I will soon be a former partner, because my newest DM does nothing to help the store but back a SM that should never have been promoted. The DM in 10 months has not looked at Cash Managment logs, or any other duties required by their roll. The time has been spent listening to the SM's line of bullshit why the store is in it's current state. The partner files , Customer Voice, Training are all horrible. Corrective actions are issued only to partners that the SM wants gone, her pets remain untouched even when they are the worst of the bunch.
My SM should have been seperated long ago and still remains only because a DM disregards partner, customer feedback, and pure numbers regarding how bad a SM is in charge.

Yes, brings tears to my eyes because I love my job, just not my boss. When is the DM's job going to be more accountable. You hear of SM's and down loosing their jobs because of preformance, but how many DM's lately ?
Pitty !

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Does anyone know how Washington DC Metro is doing. Heard that market literally caved in on itself and only recently have they been PAYING store managers to move down to that area to get it back in shape...
On a side note, you have a 25% greater chance of being shot in DC than in Iraq. True story!

[ash_sk8s]

I had a toffee mocha today. I was not really impressed...

[FormerVAMGR]

VA/DC stores are still a mess. DM's still lazy and "afraid" behind the bar. Still "retail" focused. DM's still play favorites especially DK in Fburg. She is the most untalented DM in the company. Time to move on!!!

[green]

talk to your sm. you'd be surprised how stressed out we are. and if your sm really is a problem, call your dm.

[ExSbuxManager]

We used to do via coffee travelers but with permission from our DM. Actually it was my idea. You bought a 12 pack of via and we gave you a traveler of hot water, the cups, condimetns, etc and it saved you a few dollars.

Thought we sold them as VIA travelers, not a bait and switch. And when there was a rush and people didn't pre-order they had to wait seconds instead of 10-15 minutes (as our brewer was always in use even with coffee candence).

But those things introduce people to the product. "Hey that was easy."

Now when we had all the coupons for $1 off any size via and it came to the same price as a grande coffee and everyone had unrealistic goals... I know my team was rining via for coffees. But when we're all afraid of getting the axe for not hitting our goal... it really becomes this ethical catch 22.

It was the way the company went about the accountability piece for a risky product that screwed everyone. I think the pressue made people less genunine and not want to try as much.

[YankeeFan]

Could someone please tell me how you initiate a service call on equipment -- say your espresso machine?

Do you call a support center or do it online?

If you do it online, do you use your own software or do you use something like ServiceChannel?

Thanks in advance.

[east coast mgr]

@YankeeFan ...
you obviously do NOT work for the bux otherwise you would have known the answer to this ...

you selling something??

[tidebarista]

east coast mgr, do you think that our company's integrity would be threatened if YankeeFan found out which medium we made service calls from? Like that piece of information could potentially monkeywrench our business in some way, shape, or form? It really sounds like you're going there.

I mean, as far as you know, YankeeFan could be a 1-week fresh barista who was browsing the internet after work and just curious.

[Crema_the_crop]

A quick survey for those stores learning or already using Beverage Repeatable Routine:

For ICED beverages, say, an iced grande SKVL, how have you been taught to build the beverage?

Our DM is teaching that you do milk FIRST (leaving "room" for the syrup), and then, as per the routine, hit your shot button, and THEN after hitting the shots, pump your syrup.

For sauce based drinks this requires the use of a "clean" foam spoon to stir before adding the ice, then rinsing it in the dipper well.

IMHO, it works beautifully from a workflow standpoint since you are starting each beverage with cold milk into its respective container (pitcher or cold cup), moving to the espresso, then syrup, then finish/connect. Routine doesn't change, and that's the reason our DM has given for the "change" in the recipe/build standard.

Plus, in 2 barista or barista support mode, your cold milk is prepped all the way through, hot and cold bevs alike.

[YankeeFan]

Not selling anything. Just trying to do a little research.

Don't work at Starbucks but am in the industry.

[ABDULA]

This site sensors me a lot WTF, freedom of speech is still a right in this country webmaster I pay taxes you puto!

[Kristina]

Abdula, probably because you never have anything nice to say, are rude and irrelevant. Maybe if you changed your tune, your posts would show. I've seen enough of your posts to know I really don't want to hear what you have to say....see previous days' posts to yours for reference.

[(former) FLA SM]

Another reason, "Abdula", might be because you post under so many different names. *cough* PAPI *cough*

[Winterene]

Not a lot of comments, so I'll ask a question that's been on my mind, and just came up here at a store in Portland, ME.

If you are a Starbucks barista, can you produce an e-mail that I've been told about, from corporate, that tells partners not to give coffee refills in the same cup (presumably for health reasons?).

I just went up to the counter for my free refill (with Starbucks card), and the barista grabbed another cup. I had to stop her and decline my refill, because I don't want to waste the extra cup.

I had trouble sleeping last night, and I could really use that refill, but I hate the thought of wasting a perfectly good cup.

Starbucks claims to support the environment, so this doesn't make sense. Baristas should be washing their hands regularly anyway, so what is the harm in touching a cup that I've touched. That is really taking concern for health too far.

[Winterene]

Oh, here's an idea. This might seem complex, but when a customer doesn't want to use a new cup, baristas could pour the coffee into that new cup, bring it over to the counter, pour it into the customer's cup, and then reuse that new cup for the next customer who wants coffee. That way, only a barista touches that cup. Yeah, it sounds complex to keep track of it, but does Starbucks support the environment or not?

[Winterene]

Okay, what ended up happening is that the barista offered to pour it in a porcelain cup. I then poured in into my cup so I could take it to go. Of course that was hard to do without spilling some.

[Noah]

ABDULA - Freedom of Speech is a limit on the US Congress not a guarantee that you may say anything you choose in any forum you choose.

US Constitution, Amendment #1 "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech..."

[Noah]

Winterene - Having spent some time there, Maine ranks near the top of the nanny state list. I suggest you check local and state food service laws and regulations before laying the blame on Starbucks.

If the Gulf oil spill is a 7 on the 1 to 10 disaster list, where does using a second coffee cup rank. 13 or 14?

[dc mesafint]

DC still bad. SMs still working too much. More SMs leaving and 2 more DMs gone. It is a sad place with out spirit.

[ss]

are the stores open on Monday >

[(former) NJ_newbie]

Winterene, may I suggest a reusable travel mug if 1) you're that concerned about the environment and 2) you enjoy the occasional refill in the same container?

It seems a bit foolish to be so concerned about wasting a second cup but not concerned at all about using the first one...

[hunguptheapron]

Holy s*** Winterene, seriously?? If you were honestly so worried about the environment, you'd be using your own re-usuable mug.

[adoubleshotofclarity]

@Winterene - First, second, seventeenth and foremost, (former) NJ_newbie and hunguptheapron are spot on. If you care about the environment, stop wasting a first cup in the first place and use a reusable tumbler. In addition to being environmentally friendly, it keeps your coffee hotter, longer.

As for the policy, it has everything to do with local health department codes. Several cities/counties/states began changing their codes that used, "disposable" serveware could not be taken back into the food prep area. This was inspired by watching homeless people dig around in garbage cans, grab a dirty cup buried in used needles, then come hand it to the barista for a refill.

[Former NOVASM]

just curious, what DC DM's are gone now?

[Melody]

@adoubleshotofclarity - 2 more advantages of a personal cup: 1) ten cents off your drink (okay, I realize that's a small thank you from Starbucks, but I appreciate it) and 2) the customer is far far less likely to get his or her beverage confused with someone else's drink when grabbing it at the hand off area of the bar.

[Coffee Soldier]

There was an action item sent out..I'd say maybe around August or Sept of last year when the swine flu was the big news ragarding refills. I was under the impression it went to all stores but I'm sure you could go back in your archived action items to check...it stated that new cups were to be used at all times when refilling a customer's beverage. I always chalked it up to the huge hoopla around swine flu but my store adopted it immidiately because the company set that standard....I am in New England, although not Maine...but maybe it was only in our region...hmm..

[NotYourPersonalDishwasher]

Do you go back to Sizzler and use the same plate? Seriously, use one of your own cups from home, but please don't expect me to wash it for you. That is just gross.

[Coffee Soldier]

I wish there was a "LIKE" button on here or "AGREE" similiar to Facebook when you agree or like someones post!

[tired]

Coffee Soldier has it right--it was because of the Swine Flu breakout that we had to switch to using new cups for refills.

[Mr. Frugal]

Are there many Starbucks stores that *do not* give personal-cup discounts?

I was at the Milwaukee airport today and got a brewed coffee for my travel mug. The barista at the licensed Starbucks store said they don't give personal-cup discounts. No big deal -- it's only a dime -- but I thought all Starbucks had the discount.

Wrong?

[fs]

I tried Clover-brewed coffee at the Starbucks near the Kendall/MIT T stop in Cambridge today. It was flavorful and drinkable, no cream or sugar added.

re: the second (paper) cup

It's completely reasonable to balk at a refill if it takes a second paper cup--the customer felt it was right to use one paper cup for his/her coffee consumption that day, and desired the refill if and only if it did not make him/her use another cup.

To be environmentally sound, a person doesn't have to take the absolutely environmentally best option in all cases. It's enough to be conscious and do better--deciding to consume only one paper cup qualifies as being conscious.

[An Ex-Customer]

Interesting considering how slow Starbucks has been to adopt any recycling measures, for them to pretend to be all green all of a sudden.

The DC store I used to go to was the only one I've seen with the bins, but later found out that the recycling goes out with the regular trash so it's all a big lie anyway.

[Siberiabux]

@crema, your DM is clearly confused, refer them to the key points of the BR2, for your example iced skvl, there I no step 1 (no milk steamed for an ice bev), step 2 queue shots "shot glasses for iced bevs and cm;" step 3 pimp syrup, step 4 finish "key point: pour milk into cup" then shots, then ice, an of course engage with customer (smile, make eye contact, say thank you and deliver our promise). If your DM protests, remind them that with the repeatable routines nothing is to be added or taken away, ie no stirring spoon in step 3.5. Sorry for the shorthand, typing from my phone, hope all goes well!

[Barista Ben]

Mr.frugal the airport sbuxs are owned by the airport and probably don't. Odds are only the stand alone, real Starbucks, give the discount.

[Schultz!!]

@ An Ex-Customer

I work in a DC-area store with recycling bins. We have a bin behind the bar for all the used milk jugs, etc. That gets recycled, and there's a special bin for it by the dumpsters.

The recycling bin we have for the customers might be a nice thing were it not routinely ruined by idiots who think every spare cup/napkin/you name it is recyclable. The whole thing ends up filled with trash anyway, so what am I supposed to do with it? Put it in the recycling bin so some poor county employee has to sort it out? Not likely. People, show some sense when you recycle.