OPEN THREAD conversation-starter: Will you be listening in on Howard Schultz's "Conversation with America" next week?

Howard Schultz wants to end partisan gridlock in Washington! (It's a PR stunt, says one pundit.) Do customers bring this up? Do you care? Discuss this or anything else Starbucks-related -- maybe this PSL story written by a former SBUX barista -- in the OPEN THREAD.

Comments

[leftinthebottomoftheroaster]

I think Schultz would be a good politician with how well he talks everything up and spins it. I mean, look at the "transformation". Back in charge then screwed the baristas/shifts/SMs all while talking about how good they are to partners. Where are the partner survey results from last year? Where is the Survey this year? Bet he's a little nervous about the Forbes list coming out soon.

[spence]

Re: PSL: OMG! The word is out. Nothing makes a customer smile more than a PSL. Those that love it; LOVE IT!

[adoubleshotofclarity]

leftinthebottomoftheroaster,
Come back when you have some semblance of a clue. The partner survey results were never meant to be shared publicly... They were to let leadership know how they were doing so that appropriate changes could be made. Bean Stock transition to RSUs? Result of that. Partner cash award? Result of that. The list goes on.
Also, the survey has always been an every-other-year thing. This year there was a smaller sample size check-in survey that went out to a percentage of partners to evaluate progress over the past year.

[Coffee Soldier]

Speaking of the RSU's does anyone actually think they are a better deal? I don't. I think it's sad that there is no calibration between length of service anymore. As a 8 year partner it is far more beneficial to me to receive 14% of whatever other % the Board votes on each year then a predetermined 30 shares for all store managers or 12 for all baristas (forget the actual break down) It is nice that they vest in 3 years now but honestly I'd rather wait the 4 with the old program. But I suppose in this day and age with programs being cut out of other businesses we should just feel lucky they even give us any stock options anymore!

[promotedtocustomer]

What the government needs is a good coffee tasting with a pairing! Ha ha, imagine the House all lined up with those little 2 oz Starbucks cups of House blend with a little slice of banana loaf....hee hee. "It's nutty", say the Democrats. "NO,IT'S NOT" say the Republicans.

[Need a SKU]

Can someone tell me the SKU for Pumpkin Spice labels for shaker bottles? Also, Cinnamon Dolce power label would be appreciated.

[adoubleshotofclarity]

Coffee Soldier - Good point. What pisses me off about the RSUs, aside from the fact that the earnings potential is significantly lower than with options, where you can wind up with nothing or significantly more, provided the share price rises, is that I no longer have control over when the income tax hits my statement. I'm given the shares on the vesting date, which means I'm going to be taxed on those shares this year regardless of whether or not I sell them. With the options, I didn't incur any taxes until I exercised the options, and was able to have the withholding taken out of the sale price.

[Coffee Soldier]

adoubleshot....also a great point. I never thought about that for tax time!

[BryGuy]

I'm kind of weirded out by the whole "Conversation" idea. We all know Uncle Howie isn't stupid, and this is probably another move from his playbook, but what happened to us being all non-political. The ad dropped today, and we have to leave it up for a few days. I fear the conversations that will spring up.

[latteteadah]

As a humble Sbux customer, I read the newsy e-mail letter from Howard, and my first reaction is *yawn*.

Any entity, myself included, has the choice to contribute to political campaigns or to not contribute. Contributing anything in the first place means you have some vested interest in the outcome of an election, so who is Howard's lack of funding going to hurt, other than his (the company's) own interests?

I may not know all the details of "the conversation" but it just sounds like another ineffectual PR stunt.

Money is unfortunately no longer the issue. Both sides have seen election money come and go and managed to do what they wanted in each election cycle since Obama took office. It's up to the voters to start getting serious about voting and quit skipping votes or voting straight party line because they don't know what else to do and can't be bothered to get informed.

[usorthem3]

Howard's use of the rewards program email list has made two of my everyday regulars vow to never return.

[Ian]

For every customer lost, at least three come in place...

[leftinthebottomoftheroaster]

@absoluteshotofclarity-
In my seven years, this is the first year I haven't taken a partner survey. Last year was the first year they didn't share statistics of the results with the stores (at least in my area). We did get bamboozled though, they used the partner view survey to do to us what they did to the customers with mystarbucksidea.com. They used our "ideas" to screw us, then told us we asked for it, but they interpret things very loosely. Kind of like how they did the gold card members.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

Howie the Hypocrite is at it again! He turns his decision to save a few thousand $ on political contributions into a publicity stunt - at the same time that SBUX (under his direction) continues to spend hundreds of thousands a year on lobbyists to influence the House & Senate in Washington D.C. He's part of the very problem that he purports to solve. Let's hear it again for Howie the Hypocrite!

[ncsm]

Just further proof that Schultz is one of the biggest phoneys in the corporate world. I cringe whenever I see his ugly mug on the TV promoting yet another one of his hih minded "public service" stunts. Just shut the F**K up you clown and go back to cutting staffing in your store!

[adoubleshotofclarity]

Then you've been on a lot of pulse surveys, because going back to at least 06 the policy has been full survey in even years, pulse in off years. The barista need to know calls out that only a random sample of stores are selected.
As for results, they are given to senior leaders to take action. Some share more, some share less. In my time here I've never seen much more than a few bullet points of what my area is focused on fixing... Well that and the communications that specifically cited the survey as reason for a change.