Starbucks Gossip

That's harsh, Jenny! Very harsh!

If a guy's coffee order has more than 5 words in it, he should have to tuck his penis and balls behind his butt for the rest of the day.

— Jenny Johnson (@JennyJohnsonHi5) March 22, 2013

Does anyone use Square? (Why would they since the Starbucks app is just fine?)

Nearly three months after its launch at Starbucks, the experience of using the Square app to pay for your coffee "is anything but polished," according to Fast Company magazine staffers who tested it out at many SBUX locations.

They write:

"At worst, the service simply did not work. On average, however, the user experience was buggy and awkward, with Starbucks employees seemingly more confused about how Square works than their own customers."

I used Square once or twice when it debuted, then went back to the Starbucks iPhone app -- and stuck with it.

Do you use Square, customers? Baristas: how many customers use it and have you been properly trained to handle Square transactions? Let us know!

* Shoddy Square rollout baffles baristas and confuses customers

Starbucks shareholders reject proposal to ban political contributions; rewards points move into grocery stores

At today's Starbucks annual meeting, investor rejected a proposal to prohibit the coffee chain from making political contributions or forming a political action committee.
* Starbucks shareholders reject political giving ban

In other news, the company announced today that customers will get rewards points for buying Starbucks packaged coffee in grocery stores. That starts in May.
* Starbucks moves rewards program into grocery stores

How are you dealing with bootlegs of this coupon for a free Hazelnut or Caramel Macchiato?

Just Say Yes to it, or tell the customer that it's a not an authentic freebie? (I heard the store manager at my favorite SBUX tell the customer it was a fake coupon that he wouldn't honor it. The customer seemed OK with that.)

How often are you seeing this bootlegs/photocopies of this coupon and how are you handling it?

* How many bootleg coupons did you have to deal with today?

Investor doesn't want Starbucks making political contributions or forming political action committees

John Harrington, who owns 800 shares of Starbucks stock, is asking other SBUX investors to "adopt a policy prohibiting the use of corporate funds for any political election or campaign." They'll vote on his proposal at next Wednesday's annual meeting.

Starbucks says a ban of that sort would "potentially put us at a marked disadvantage relative to our competitors who are able to participate in the political process."

Here's what Starbucks says: "We rarely make contributions and when we do we're committed to doing so transparently. We believe that we have a responsibility to advocate for public policies that support our business, our partners and the communities we serve."

A professor who specializes in corporate governance sides with Starbucks. "Let's say someone decides to outlaw caffeine," he says. "Starbucks' shareholders would expect the company to represent their interests."

* Starbucks shareholders to vote on political contributions ban

Musings of a bitter barista (you'll probably nod your head in agreement as you read them)

* Read the 190 observations, gripes and whatever from the Bitter Barista
* Bitter Barista lands new coffee job after getting fired for his blog
* Bitter Barista loses job over snarky comments about customers, boss

Had it with Starbucks' sluggish Wi-Fi? Try this!

"Buddy, you look like a dick," says a writer from tech site Gizmodo. (I say he just looks a tad eccentric.) "A word of advice to our hipster friend: if you're going to go through all the trouble of dragging your obnoxiously conspicuous typewriter to a public gathering place, maybe next time, don't choose Starbucks."

* Look at this idiot using a typewriter at Starbucks
* Earlier: Man lugs his desktop computer into a Starbucks store

The shelf life of a Starbucks sandwich

This isn't news to Starbucks employees -- they know all about it -- but customers might find this Reddit thread on Starbucks sandwiches interesting.

Q: What's the shelf life of Starbucks sandwiches once they're thawed?

A: It is 2 days once they are thawed (more than 12 hours to thaw). So if you pulled them on a Monday morning/afternoon they should be discarded Wednesday at close. At my store we pull sandwiches from the freezer during mid, and then the opener dates them to be discarded the following day at close, so technically we have them out of the freezer for 56 to 60 hours.

A #2: It's two days from the moment they thaw; thaw time is officially 18 hours in the fridge.

...and the thread goes on.

* The shelf life of Starbucks sandwiches