'Annoyed Barista': What should I do about my terrible Houston store?

A Starbucks Gossip reader sends this in:

I have been a barista for about 2 years now. In the last 2 years I have worked at various locations but have had 2 main stores. My current store is in the Houston, TX area. We have a total of 17 people that work at my store and 90% of the people that were hired are completely incompetent, but what's worse is that of those 17 people, 7 are some form of manager (SM, ASM, or Shift) and they can't run a store.

My SM was an outside hire, his knowledge of SBUX is limited, and he is not mature or professional enough to run a store. He makes inappropriate jokes, slaps some of the baristas on the hand (like a child). I had an incident where he thought it would be funny to pour tea down my arm (it was room temperature but nonetheless), he plays favorites, he sits in the back texting most of the shift. He thinks it's funny to dance/ grind on some of the baristas, he makes fun of many of the employees, and altogether brings the morale down. This behavior is passed down to his shifts (as well as the new ASM he hired) and they think they can pick on the baristas as well as making us do some of their tasks (training, orders, log book info).

The new ASM is just as bad, he takes between 5-10 smoke breaks a shift, talks down to the other baristas (ones who have many more years of experience than him), he tends to have a short fuse, and although he has been there for close to 2 months, he has not retained ANY of the information AND he is about to be given his own store. Please tell me what this company is coming to?

Typically I would just choose to transfer out, but I have come to find that almost every store in the area has outside hires that they'd prefer to make management rather than hiring from those of us that have the experience and background. One guy I work with has been with the company off and on for the last 8 years. At his last store, he was the ASM. You know what he had to do to get that job? He had to go to a job fair where they were interviewing new people even after he contacted the DM and requested the job. Finally once the DM saw him at this job fair, he got the idea and decided to promote him. Is that really what we have to go through? It's already a thankless job, so lets just make it more difficult for those of us who have the dedication and motivation to move up. Are other partners out there encountering this problem? PLEASE tell me what can be done to stop it.

Signed,

Annoyed Barista

Comments

[Partner]

Have you talked with your store manager and voiced your concerns directly? It amazes me how partners can get so upset and go straight to DM or above for action.

Most scenarios can and should be fixed at the store level if the communication is there.

[MGR]

As an SM, it really upsets me when partners go outside normal channels to vent their frustrations of their store, managers, and other partners. In this instance, where clearly the offending SM is the problem, the next logical step would be to take it to the DM. In no way would I ever resort to the blogosphere though. Horrible reflection of character. What also concerns me is that perception isn't always the reality. While there are plenty of SM's in this company that have no business in their roles for various reasons, sometimes their incompetence gets exaggerated to a degree. Just be careful when being so subjective especially out in the public.

[3M TA3]

@ MGR-Aren't you doing the same thing...you should vent your frustrations at the webmaster who chose to post this.

To Annoyed Barista- Screw SBUX operations. Salary management are tools and perform on the fly. Go to (or stay in) school and get a degree where your decisions really matter, other than scrubbing drains or other endless grunt work. Advance to some business aspect like marketing/finance/r&d amd then walk into your old store (you probably wont recognize anyone by then) and feel great about how you don't have to deal with the fake happy-go-lucky attitude you must display and the stupid threats of complying to "standards" that seem to change and flip/flop. SBUX operations after all is just fast food.

[Super Supervisor]

Consider calling and complaining to the Compliance Phone Line (numbers listed on the first page of the log book). It is a 3rd party run service where you can openly and anonymously vent about what is going on. This company then compiles a report to give to corporate and then the appropriate actions are taken. This DOES work as I have called it in the past and our store saw results in less than 36 hours! So please, utilize the resources that corporate does provide! There are no ramifications to you calling Compliance... That's what it is there for!

[Yimbo]

Why wouldn't they hire the managers from outside?? What are they going to do, promote the teenagers slinging the coffee? Yeah right! hahaha

[Alex]

Just saying.. If a manager isn't mature enough to know better than to grind on partners, do you really think they'll be mature enough to handle feedback from a barista without retaliating against them? I'm a store manager who started as a Barista... I would say call compliance if you want to protect your job/see some action. At least then, you're protected from retaliation.

[frapatte]

Yimbo, why would they promote the teenagers when there are plenty of capable adults, many with degrees, who spend years working hard for the company and learning the ins-and-outs of company policy and the most effective customer service which can be offered by the store? Oh, is it because they tried to work their way up the ladder instead of immediately starting out with a marketing degree? Yeah, how silly of them.

[Coffee Soldier]

Tell us what store it is and then all us SM's can stop in when we arrive in October and see if it is really that bad?

Totally kidding.

Like suggest above either talk to your DM, call the business conduct line which is listed on your paycheck if you still get a check and not direct deposit, should be posted in backroom, available on starbucks.com/partners, on the portal or in the cash management log! You could also contact your Partner Resource Manager if you feel you can't go to your DM.

Good luck! Maybe if other baristas feel the same you could band together and email your DM or write a letter to Starbucks. There is help out there!

[macha latte]

I live in Houston and the number of stores this could be is staggering. It's not like we customers don't notice this stuff too... ugh.

[TimeToGO]

Quit. Now.

[Broyling Water]

Back when I was with the company, I would tell you to go above your manager's head, and talk to your DM. Now, after being away for a little while now(1 Year Starbucks Free on July 1st), I'm going to tell you to find a new gig.

I know you are trying to work your way up, and you have a passion for the job, but if your DM can't see this on his visits to your store, odds are he doesn't care either. Just remember, your DM hired this mouthbreather of a manager. If you want to go to Partner Services, or Compliance, then go for it, but I have found that it's rare that actual things get done, they usually just farm it out to the DM, or in the best case, the RVP.

[jadedbarista]

I'm with all of the people who encourage you to find another job. I recently had an explosive confrontation with a shift who attempted to hit me (i contributed by pushing buttons). we both got put on a final for composure and then he got confrontational with a customer. that should have been it, but it's not. he's still there. i'm also in texas and i'm almost certain i know who your DM is. they don't care about you or your problems. i hate to sound callous, but they don't. many of the things your manager is doing is illegal. i.e. grinding on people=sexual harassment (ONLY if you voice how uncomfortable you are with it). the shift who has a short fuse... that would be composure. but whether someone will do something about it. nope. in my situation, it would have served me better to press criminal charges because starbucks doesn't care. someone said it best when they said to get a degree and go back into your old store. i'm only starbucks free for the last month and i'm doing just that. going back to school and screwing this menial stuff. good luck.

[passionate starbucks partner]

I am a sm now but for many years as I grew with the company & promoted I have worked with incompetent asm ss & mgrs & baristas. I just continued to be my very best. & had the leadership courage to stand up for myself & for other partners to these abrasive & immature leaders.You cannot be a horrible leader for long your cv,ecosure.P&L etc will eventually catch up to you. Just go in everyday do & be the best you can be at it & have the leadership courage to call leaders out.We all know right from wrong in our personal life .That doesnt change in business. I overcame it& if you have enough passion for your job you can overcome it too. Good Luck

[whatashame]

Bringing your business to a blog just shows you don't know how to handle situations like this. It's time to grow up and learn how to handle conflict like ad adult.

[Mickey]

i don't believe a word of this. get a life.

[Roque]

Yours is a great point and one that was ignored by much of the media even the reidatvsing industry media. This big PR event was all about quality, but the result did not improve quality that is a real problem.

[Pushed out of work]

I would just like to say that you are not alone in poorly run districts. I was a partner of almost 9 years, and just quit my job because of my manager. I have 2 small kids, and for the most part, Starbucks has been great allowing me to work just nights. This manager, however, had made it clear without saying anything to me, that he didn't want me there. I tried to transfer but was denied because of my limited availability. External hires never work in the this business, from my experience. My only advice is to go to the DM, or area manager, contact the Partner contact center, and Business code of conduct numbers. Good luck to you.

[andrea]

Get a friend to be a customer and secretly flim all of this. Then send it back to the company, threatening to sue.

[passionate, but upset.]

Wow! I'm a five year partner (SS) and I'm amazed at some of these responses. I know how bad the company can be and also how great it can be. My district changed from horrible to amazing within the five year period I was in my district. It's only been until now, that I've transferred to a completely different district, that I'm realizing how truly terrible other districts can be. I am experiencing the same thing with my manager. Also, as a shift supervisor who has many close friends that are sm's, i think i speak on behalf of them in saying that this company should not be so creepily secret about their ongoings. You sound like an abusive husband. People need to vent about their experiences, and if you think that it is this bad to vent in an ANONYMOUS forum about the reality of the company, you have no respect for your partners needs or for the growth of the company. I advice YOU to grow up, because sometimes your working conditions are so bad that you can't go to your manager, and you especially wouldn't be able to go to them if they don't even allow you this much anonymous breathing room. If some of these managers were a little more understanding and a little less concerned with their bonuses, a few things would really change. It is devastating to me to hear these partner stories. It is true that the baristas in this company are at the lowest end now. When I started, I was amazed at all the really great ways the company gives back to the communities of coffee farmers, how they were a standalone company contributing to gay rights within health care, how they seemed to truly care. It's hard for me to see this happening all across the country when the companies policies reflect such a different attitude. Howard Shultz and upper management, I'm begging you, take this company back to what it used to be, bring it back to the partner level and your company will thrive. Give partners opportunities that cannot be denied to them by their managers. Passionate Starbucks partner - stop seeing all the people around you as incompetent. These people are not incompetent, they are valuable, they just need ACCOUNTABILITY. Have the bravery to stand up for yourself and the company AND your team. You may not be happy with who you get, but they are your team. If you don't like the way they do things, fight for a way to make it work and stop living life passively. APCO. Also, I will try Partner Services and Compliance and hope it's still the same company I started with.