Is there anything left to say? If there is, post it in the OPEN THREAD

What a week -- the Trenta-sized drinks debut, as does the national pay-by-smartphone system. On top of that, Starbucks nearly slips off the "Best Companies to Work For" list! What else is there to say? Whatever it is, post it on the OPEN THREAD. || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP WEBMASTER]

Might there be a way for the Starbucks mobile payment app developers to come up with a way for customers to set a standard tip for each purchase -- say, have them select 5%, 15%, or 20%, etc. to be automatically deducted with each purchase? I suspect that tips will continue to decline as the mobile payment system becomes more popular.

[nick]

That would be amazing... but I can't imagine that happening. Tips are so weird. I work at a store where I think the most tips comes from regular coffee drinkers where as the ones who get the most complicated drinks don't even think to help. They make SUCH A DIFFERENCE in our work week!!!!!

[rawr]

I doubt it will be any different from before. Those who pay with a Starbucks card or a credit card usually don't tip as it is, which is how a good portion of my store's customers pay.

[the geek]

Anyone find it odd that we start getting the 2011 bi-weekly 401(k) match before we get the 2010 (year end) match? Last year the match went into my account on Jan 25th, so 2010 match should be soon, but I also found it odd that NO ONE at Fidelity or Starbucks Benefit center could tell me WHEN the 2010 would take place. If it was happening next week, you think someone would know... Anyway, small rant that probably no one cares about....

[abe]

hey you forward looking Starbucks !
ever heard of a ROTH IRA ?

[Free Refill]

My store is in a test market for a new drink called Ristretto Bianco. With it we got new steaming pitchers that are amazing. My guess is, whether the drink makes it or not, they will probably end up using this new pitcher company wide.

[BB]

how can a new pitcher be amazing? Please dont tell me they are amazing because they are twice as large..! hah.

[I <3 music]

The new pitchers are better. BTW they are smaller.

[I.Heart.Spirit]

I'm loving the 'classic' black iced tea. om nom nom.

Also, I was communicated via another partner that our district manager stated there was a HUGE announcement coming in Feb that has them all in a tizzy. Anyone have a clue what it could be?

[baristamclane]

Another BIG announcement? Probably that frappuccinos will be available in Trenta size with the launch of the summer promo...

[lattelady]

Just what we need, fraps in a new size, requires new measuring, more squirts, toppings....they take forever anyway!! How about smoothies as trenta!! Saw a picture of a trenta paper cup so there is no doubt that the hot drinks will probably get bigger in the fall promo.

[KFC]

we are being sold to pepsi...

[IL barista]

What I find most troubling is the excesses that some customers will take when ordering drinks. Extra pumps of caramel or mocha in frappuccinos or lattes.In a grande 350 - 400 calories, more with extra pumps of syrup.If Starbucks allows all drinks to be made in the trenta size 600-1000+ calories depending on type of drink, with extra pumps. I realize its the customers problem, but Starbucks is really throwing its ethics out the window when enabling customers to excess.

[Tribute]

The big announcement is probably the new 'tribute blend' that will be launched for spring 1, March 8th.

[slaw275]

@lattelady

are you sure you saw a pic of a trenta paper cup? The pic that accompanied the trenta thread last week was of the foue existing paper cups: short, tall, grande, and venti.

[slaw275]

*four, not foue

[Another former SM]

No no the big anoucment is that there going to start send baristas in to the grocery stores with sales goals to push our bagged coffee there. Think of the new challenge and customers that have not tasted gold coast. Helping people know the difrance between tasting and drink coffee. Hmmm that sounds a little to close to what we used it do in our stores better just make them sell via.

[Laid--Off]

Starbucks changes the Logo on the cups, so they can get ready to sell the company. this way Howard won't have any part of the company anymore.
what will Howards Kids do now for Jobs.
Howard will still get paid in Stocks.
I still don't understand why Howard get's paid in Stock options (thousands).
The People that Buy the Stocks are wanting that Money to go back into the company to make it biger, so they will make more Money on their Stock options.

I guess Howard will still need the Three Jets that are listed under Starbucks.
to fly him around the world.

Howard said back in 09 that he would sell the Jet's, to save company Jobs.
He didn't sell the Jet's, he ordered a new one to add to the fleet...to save their Job's... not our's (Howard what a Partner) in the Military we call this person ( A Blue Falcon ) this stands for a ( Buddy Fucker ) Howard is starting to meet these Standards....

[Laid--Off]

Too Many Changes in a Company: mean they are getting ready to Sell.

Pepsi: is willing to take Starbucks anytime....

The Stock is ready for the take over..

Starbucks: is also selling Seattle's Best, Franchise Opportunities to start competeing agaist themself's, this is called taking over the market share.

[javagirl666]

The new pitchers are actually VERY nice! The ristretto bianco is very good as well.

[Laid--Off]

Within the Five years that I worked for Starbucks the company changed the Pitchers Four times....
Too big, too small, for a Chocolate drink, the ones they are using now, or they might have changed them in the last three years,-- I have been gone..

[Melody]

@LaidOff - You asked in another thread if this site is independent from Starbucks - Indeed it is. There really are a huge number of blogs about Starbucks not run by Starbucks.

I'd love to hear more about the "Ristretto Bianco" - What does it taste like? I assume it uses Ristretto shots? It sounds like a sweet latte ??(I have no idea, just wild guesses).

[Grande Latte]

Back to the beginning of the thread. Your tips are going down? Not by us. Maybe you need to smile at and bs with the customers a little. Not enough time? That's a crock. We do 80+ per half an hour in the morning and manage to talk it up with the customers, who in turn tip very well. Our tip rate hasn't gone down and we have anywhere from 35%-50% of our customers charging their drinks.
I've been in lot's of stores where the baristas barely make eye contact with the customers let alone even ask how their day is going. And forget about "thanks, have a nice day." Even though I am a partner, I don't tip at Starbucks or anywhere else unless those who are taking care of me show some interest.

[BAYAREABUX]

The biggest roadblock with tipping is that any non-cash tips would have to be auto-reported to the IRS, resulting in more taxes taken out of a partner's paycheck.

In the event that, God forbid, electronic tips did not increase the store's overall take, partners' pay would actually go down.

For now just be happy that you only get taxed on 50 cents an hour and the rest is under the table!

p.s.... I heard that Tribute Blend is only available as VIA. Now go sell some!

[Melody]

@Bayareabux - What? You've got to be pulling our legs, knowing it will get us going! LOL Tribute Blend only as Via? By the way, have you tried any of the new Reserve coffees. Both Blue Java and Peru are very good.

@Nick - Funny you should say that. I've heard other partners say the same thing - That the people ordering brewed coffee tip better than those ordering complex beverages from the espresso bar. Maybe those paying a lot less for just a drip or an Americano think they have more left over for a tip. ?

@GrandeLatte - So true. Very well said.

[letsdisinfect]

What is a ristretto bianco? How small are the new pitchers?

[KFC Blend]

I cannot wait to work for pepsi...the minute he sells the company your stock options will be worthless...why do you think they just standardized the training wake up...we are going to be sold

[Coffee Soldier]

Please...we are not being sold..this rumor goes around numerous times a year for the past 5 to 6 years.

So who do you think is going to pay for all the books we will be getting from Howard? and if he buys them rather than just gives them away will he instantly have a #1 seller on his hands? If we have over a 100,000 partners and everyone gets one that is quite a few books sold!

[usorthem3]

@GrandLatte our tips dropped $.50 per hour when the ASM position was dumped and those 30+ hours were now worked by another tipped barista. In my store it has nothing to do with the way people pay, it's about the extra hours scheduled.

My guess at the BIG announcement is the recipe for the green tea latte is changing.
@Laid--Off Howard actually cashed in stock options last year from earlier and took away $24.9 million that day.

I'm kind of looking forward to the new logo change. It opens the possibility to enter every industry. Does anyone know when the Starbucks Edition Ford Explorer will be out?

[Curious]

Big NEWS ALERT!!!!!

You get paid for driving to bank/picking up product gas wise.

Wow. Shocking.

[Curious]

That's the big announcement I mean.

[Waltie]

Howard isn't going to sell Starbucks to Pepsi... at least not any time soon. How do I know this? Because he's about to publish a book about how he's a great leader, and selling off his company at the same time he's publishing a book would totally cut into his potential sales.

[Free Refill]

Ristretto Bianco is kinda like a free pour cappuccino, but it creates a much better velvety foam. The top of the foam is caramel colored marked with a white dot the size of a quarter. It is really more of an art. Ultimately we just learn how to make an amazing tasting, and looking beverage. The pitchers are smaller, and enable you to make better foam. Can't wait to see what customers think in a couple of weeks when it launches.

[gc]

The problem with Starbucks deciding to debut a free pour cappuccino as Free Refill describes is that it can't possibly be done at Starbucks with any sort of consistency.

The coffee education is severely lacking and, even if there was more of a focus on it, the tools Starbucks offers to its retail foodservice workers are certainly subpar for anything remotely in the "artisan coffee beverage" category.

Let's be honest, 80% of the time a cappuccino at Starbucks is merely a latte with 4x the foam one would expect. It's half milk, half foam. The foam is rarely velvety, but merely air-y. It's full of air bubbles, more like a what the crumb of a ciabatta bread looks like than a sandwich white bread.

Further, even if you can find a Starbucks retail foodservice worker that knows how to properly aerate and foam milk, you're still going to have disgusting espresso. The espresso there tastes burnt beyond. It's roasted far beyond any respectable espresso roast should be. For that fact, that seems to be Starbucks coffee profile for many of it's beans: Charred.

Finally, it's all done on an automatic machine. A Starbucks retail foodservice worker is nothing more than a button-pusher. Starbucks can claim something like a Ristretto Bianco can be created, but I'm skeptical. (Can an automatic espresso machine even pull ristretto shots?)

Starbucks needs to realize they are the McDonalds of the coffee industry. Instead of trying so hard and failing at something like an artisan coffee beverage, they should just own the fact they serve warm milk, charred-roasted espresso and sugar to cover up the taste topped with whipped cream and syrup. That's what they excel at and make profit from.

[cappuccinolover]

What Free Refill is describing is a cappuccino. Sounds like they just want to actually train the baristas to make a cappuccino but don't want to admit that they have let them produce bad drinks in the past, so they're telling everyone it's something different and continuing to serve chunky "cappuccinos" as well. My question is what size are these ristretto biancos served in? If it's a six-ounce (the size of a real cappuccino,) I don't care what they call it, I'm in.

[tired]

Actually the Ristretto Biancos are supposed to be made with a white dot of foam the size of a nickel, not a quarter. They come in all sizes. They are lattes, not cappuccinos. You are to pour slowly out of the new pitchers, that way you can pour the foam last instead of all at once like a cappuccino.
The new pitchers are more narrow with markings on the inside for all sizes of drinks, even a short. With the new pitchers, we can steam milk for a short and not have any waste left over.

[BB]

if Starbucks is the McDonald's of the coffee industry, what is McDonald's? I think McDonald's is the McDonald's of the coffee industry now!

I have found that smaller pitchers make it easier to foam good milk. I have a smaller pitcher I use at work to do latte art and it seems that milk just foams easier.

[usorthem3]

Someone please remind me when we changed pitchers last? Three or four months ago that all have the graduations in them. Now there are more? I just don't get it anymore. FREAKING HUGE sigh. All I can say is whatever. Just figure out which way you want to do things and stick to it. DAMN.

[otterinthewater]

If Starbucks wants to make a foray into latte art, like it perhaps seems with this weak example of a white dot on top of properly steamed and poured milk, why not teach us how to make a rosetta?

It's not that hard, really.

[Crema_the_Crop]

@usorthem3--"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."

[lattelady]

If making drink art is the new thing how is that going to fit in with the "repeatable routine" that we are doing now when making 2 drinks at a time and only steaming for them? isn't that going to slow down the whole process?

[Laid -- Off]

Yes when Howard sell's Starbucks,,, his only Income will be from the books.
so he has to push it and give them away...

I forgot and the Million's of Stock he hold's in Starbucks....

He will still get his stock options every year... about 2.5 Mil.

[javagirl666]

We are not making drink art. Its just the effect you get if you foam and pour the milk correctly.

[tired]

The white dot is specifically for the Ristretto Bianco, no other drinks.

[Mike]

I'd like to see Starbucks get into the K Cup business. I guess those of you who work at a shop may not like it because it's not making money from the store. But imagine the company coming up with its own K Cups. Then it can invent a better coffee maker and sell it.

[redcup]

Big announcement? I personally couldn't wait to meet Howard's long lost half sister.

[Crema_the_Crop]

What is the recipe for this "ristretto bianco"? Is it similar to the UK's "flat white"?

[Alex]

@Mike: Starbucks already makes pods for the Tasimo brewing system. My guess would be that manufacturing K Cups would be pointless since they've already got an extremely similar product available.

And besides, Via Via Via Via Via!

[usorthem3]

@Crema_the_Crop Growth without responsible sustainability is what happened to this company from Dec. 3, 2008 to the present. Constant change to give everyone what they think you need to give them leads to things such as gluten free orange cake. Remember those? Bigger, better, stronger, faster is not always the best direction without thinking a thought through to it's end before action. Wonder why you will not find a Starbucks in Italy, because they have done espresso right for a LONG time, with out changing every other week. I never said I wouldn't perform the "new" whatever it is this week, but I have been in food service for 30 years and know when you start to change things that 100,000+ employees need to know, you get what is happening now, inconsistency from store to store, barista to barista.

[Mike]

Alex: Isn't Via an instant coffee? The K Cup seems like an upgrade from instant coffee. P.S. I don't drink coffee but know people who do and most don't drink Via but go wild for the K Cups with all the flavors, etc. That's why I'm suggesting it.