Two free ounces of coffee for a regular customer? We can't allow that here!

As a daily customer of Starbucks, I see a lot of good and bad things about the chain, and I should probably write more about my daily experiences in the several stores I visit each day. Here's today's little anecdote: At the Chicago/Dempster Starbucks in Evanston, I ordered a "tall Sumatra for here." The young, alt-rockerish barista got the coffee and put it on the counter for his colleague to ring up. Here's the exchange that followed:
ME to an assistant manager I'm told is Natalie: "A tall Sumatra for here."
NATALIE: "That's a grande."
ME: "I asked for a tall."
Natalie then took the cup, turned around to the sink behind her and dumped about two-ounces of coffee into the sink and handed me -- a regular customer who pays with a Starbucks card -- the cup.
About 15 minutes later I went up for a refill and told Natalie that half-to-3/4 full is fine. She gave me no more than a half-cup.
ME: "If you hadn't tossed the two-ounces, it would have all evened out at the end."
NATALIE: (Silence.)
(Natalie, by the way, is the same Starbucks employee who didn't want to bother doing a French Press -- that's recounted a few posts below -- and insisted that Gold Coast tasted just like French Press coffee.)
And that's today's amusing Starbucks experience story.
(On a positive note, the African-American woman who recently started working at the Chicago/Main Starbucks in Evanston is the greatest; promote her quickly, Starbucks.)

Comments

I'm not being anti-starbucks, btw. Starbucks makes very good coffee, so I'm assuming most Starbucks customers are coffee-snobs like me. I'm just passing along some info on how to make really good coffee in a very short amount of time, right at home. No standing in lines, no attitude... just pure coffee enjoyment.

[Tony]

This is not in direct response to the original post, but to one of the responses (I bet he doesn't even tip).I am sure this will get the ire of some baristas... but if all I get is a cup of coffee... nothing special... JUST a cup of coffee, how dare you expect a tip for that. I drop in a buck every few times (or the small bit of leftover change) when ALL I GET is a coffee ($1.80) because the people at my Starbuck's are very nice. But pouring a cup of coffee is the minimum that your job requires you to do. Starbuck's employees are not making 2 dollars an hour with a reliance on tips to make minimum wage. The world of "service" has gone insane with tip jars. What has the paycheck become? Insurance to get you to show up?

i don't think anyone expects anyone to tip if one is merely doing their job. but when we get to know you by name and remember your drink and start it as soon as we see you walking towards the door... on top of providing you with "ledgendary service," then a few cents here and there would be nice.

[Tony]

When I get a cup of coffee, my name is NEVER asked, and that is fine with me. When I get an occasional iced green tea is the only time my name is asked, and then I usually hear "iced green tea", not my name, which is fine with me. I doubt most of the baristas know my name, which is fine with me. I have nothing but nice things to say about them, but for the most part they don't do anything above and beyond for me. I get a coffee and a pastry (usually not even asked "here or to go"... and I really don't care... If I am staying, I can handle eating out of a bag.)

And, I don't care if this sounds bad, but I don't want you starting my drink; knowing it and saying "grande mild?" is nice, but that's really it. I had someone start my drink at another place and that particular day I didn't want that drink and I felt bad and was stuck with it. Should I have said something, sure, but then you look ungrateful (even if you aren't). It is all about perception. And for the record, I usually do drop some coins in when I pay cash. If I use my credit card for coffee and a pastry (much easier to track expenses) then no, I don't dig a quarter out of my pocket.

I don't get the 4 dollar drinks. I can't imagine paying 4 dollars for a glass of milk when a gallon costs less than 3. If you like those drinks fine, but realize it is a cup of milk in most instances.

[catherine]

So.... you asked for a tall and refused the grande (what else were they supposed to do with the extra coffee...drink it?). Then, you ask for a refil. So, in other words, you're just pissed off that you didn't get the grande for a tall price. Here's a thought: maybe they gave you a grande at first because you are a regular and the baristas are intelligent enough to remember that you ask for a refil every day and know how much coffee you drink. Here's a TIP for you: pay the extra 20 cents next time, cheapskate, and stop complaining about people trying to do their jobs.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

CATHERINE -- Here's a TIP for you: Read the post accurately. I never *refused* a grande.

[Marina sailor]

Excuse me Jim. You refused it by saying, "I asked for a tall."

Who are you trying to kid here? You are obviously STILL stewing over a mere 2 ounces of coffee that you felt should have been given to you. Gratis.

Give it up and order a grande next time and cut the crap already. Most of us have you pegged for the "type" of person your are. "Want's the world but does not want to pay extra for it."

[formerly "anon"]

Marina Sailor, if the Webmaster wants a tall then a refill 20 mins later, that's his business! Some people drink 12 oz of hot coffee then get another one, so what? Perhaps if he had gotten the grande initially, the extra coffee in there would've been luke warm by the time he has time to "enjoy" it. When I use to work for 'bucky, I would get people who would order a short then get 3 or 4 refills over the course of 2 to 3 hours. That's because they want to chill in the store while constantly having fresh, hot coffee. I have no problems with that.

[gunnlino]

A tempest in a tea pot.
Geez get a grip everyone, it's a cup of coffee, not the end of the world. If it's that important make your own coffee at home or go to another coffee shop. I'm sure there's an independent nearby that could use the business.

tall coffee vs. grande coffee = four oz. difference! yes, late and obnoxious in responding but hell if it hasn't been killing me for the last 200 responses.

sorry, delivering 5 star legendary service all day tends to make one snarky.

5-star legendary service, eh?

Corporate-speak for what exactly?

Do they actually give you coffee-slingers a rating? Pay-scale based on rating? This kinda fascinates me. Please enlighten.

[Becca]

Considering that tall to grande is an increase in 4 oz, and she only dumped out 2 oz, you still got free coffee, so it was a pretty fair compromise.

[Shuni]

Yah- but its just the rude attitude- I used to work in an ice cream place. If I made a large cone when a customer asked for a small one, I wouldn't scrape off the top with a spoon- I'd hand it over with a smile...

Service industries depend on repeat business, and the servers on tips- so giving a customers something that you would have to chuck anyhow is a win-win situation for both...they're happy, you look good.

QUOTE:

5-star legendary service, eh?

Corporate-speak for what exactly?

Do they actually give you coffee-slingers a rating? Pay-scale based on rating? This kinda fascinates me. Please enlighten.

Yes, they do. "Snapshots" rate the service, quality, drink specifics and most importantly, "niceness" of the baristas the secret shopper contacted while in the store.

A "hello, what can I get you today", a repeat of their order, "thanks, have a great day" and again when the beverage is handed out, usually gets a 3 out of 5 star rating.

No one really faces disciplinary action for a 3/5 rating, but because descriptions of who the baristas were allows every partner to know who it was, and so does the SM....

We basically have to talk like someone whose known you your whole life to get 5 stars (asking how your day is going, if you got any plans, how your weekend was.... even asking about your family, work if your a regular)

[Darleen]

Webmaster -

You're treading on thin ice. The person you are SLANDERING... that's right... SLANDERING... can go ahead and file civil charges against you, if she feels that you have disrupted her work abilities.

By putting someone's name and place of work on the web, and having people slander them, you're making a huge liability for yourself.

How hard do you think it would be for her to file a court order to get not just your information but that of others who are slinging shit.

All of this can be downloaded to a printer. Um, I think that's called EVIDENCE.

I wish she would... I really do.

Now, off to NYC I go...

[Gene Mosher]

There are millions of restaurants, including thousands of Starbucks, that have received something free from me. They are using copies and various knockoffs of the touchscreen software interface that I created in 1986 to operate their touchscreen computers to record their transactions. None of them have paid me for the benefits they enjoy from taking advantage of my work.

[TonyFacade]

I have to laugh at all this coffee BS. Go to a diner and order a coffee, and you get a cup of coffee that may or may not be full. You don't have to answer 50 questions. And the term "barista" is as overworked as "diva" is. An 18-yr-old student at my school said she's a barista at SB's. I asked her how long she had worked there, and she said "a week!" Wowie. If you look at a recipe to make a common drink (for example), you ain't no barista.

[sbuxnewbie]

Gene Mosher:

You should then sue IBM, rather than bash Starbucks, or the other companies that paid a fee to a company to provide them with the software and hardware they required to do the job.

The Starbucks Point of Sale system is a purchased system, not an in-house design. The terminals are made by IBM. The software to run them is proprietary, and includes a copyright statement.

If this copyright is in violation of YOUR copyright, then you have a case. Otherwise, you present a specious argument.

[Javahead]

Darleen:

Here are some helpful corrections:

1. Spoken words can be slander. Written words can be libel.
2. A citizen cannot file "charges." Only in cases where a crime is alleged can charges be filed. And those are filed by prosecutors, not private attorneys.
3. What you're looking to say here is that the barista should hire an attorney to file a libel case against Jim.

Of course, no attorney would take on such a case. It does not meet the simplest qualification for proof of libel, which is that the actions of the employee as described by Jim did not happen. Also, placing sombody's name on the Web and having others make comments about them has not been deemed a crime. If it was, MySpace might consider unplugging its servers.

One last item: You cannot download anything to a printer. Most do not have hard drives for storing information.

I hope you are enjoying NYC.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

Darleen -- Truth is a defense against slander; everything I posted was true

Also, as a Starbucks loyalist, I'm surprised you're defending bad service. It seems like you'd want to rid Starbucks of employees who lie -- claim that that Gold Coast is just like French Press Coffee -- and insult customers by pouring small amounts of coffee into a sink AFTER handing the cup to the customer.

I could go on about how she's behaved since I posted the item, but I won't. Let's just say, she's as bad as before.

[Matthew]

I apologize for double posting. the original was in the wrong thread

After being pointed to the story about 2 oz of coffee down the drain, I just had to post.

I first went to starbucks when there was only one store in Pike Place Market in Seattle. I bought my coffee beans at their roasting plant in Fremont. They delivered ground coffee to the place where I worked (anyone remember Speakerlab?)

Now, if there is somewhere other than Starbucks, I will go there. The reasons are legion. I see from postings that they are totally consumed by corporate culture at the expense of customers. Partners are not really partners (look up the word), people at the counter have fancy titles etc.

Remember, when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Typical of todays Starbucks counter person is when I ordered an iced mocha, I got some sort of super sweet crappy frappuchino. When I told the person that it was not what I ordered, I got an argument. I had to explain that all that they needed to do was make a regular mocha coffee drink, and pour it over ice. Not really complicated, but it shows how far Starbucks is from what a coffee house/bar is. ANY other espresso bar will know exactly what I want.

Remember, a service industry is about service. When you forget that regular customers have a right to feel special (entitled) because they spend a lot of money at your store, you turn into used car salesmen that just want the immediate sale, and don't care a bit about you after the sale.

Starbucks deserves to suffer sales losses. Why should I wait 20 minutes in line for a cup of coffee, when the little place down the street has serve yourself coffee, and trusts me to pay? Which environment would I rather be in? Which people would I rather support, free WiFi not withstanding?

The formula works. Radiohead proves it. You can choose what you pay for downloading their album at their website. You can choose to pay zero, yet the average payment is over $9.

I am old enough to remember what a coffee house originally was, (Jazz music anyone) and I am sorry to say, Starbucks has become another McDonalds with more coffee choices. A long way from their beginnings in Seattle.

[Darleen]

Okay, so first of all that post was NOT posted by me, again someone with absolutely no balls of their own using my name. Webmaster, you can always check the ISP couldn't you? Second of all, why would I say "now off I go to NYC? Just another stupid ploy to have people fall for this person's lame attempt at immitating me. Is there no way to stop posters from using other people's names and spreading this BS? I can tell you honestly that was not my words, just so we are clear on this. And to the anonymous person who is using my name to say things on here, grow some balls and just a hint of an imagination, okay?

[SBUXStockholder]

Shame on every single "partner" who defended the likes of Natalie and her ilk. YOU PEOPLE are driving the stock into the toilet with your poor attitudes. We, the stockholders, will ultimately determine how wonderful or miserable your life as an employee of a publicly-traded company is. If we continue to sell and tank the stock you will LOSE YOUR JOBS. Get it?
Meanwhile, you are destroying the customer service reputation of your company with your petty, myopic, immature approach to dealing with patrons. If you don't like customer service, FIND ANOTHER OCCUPATION.
DM who cares--you cannot possibly be sharing your views on customer management with your RM. They would fire you. No one gives a damn if your per cup profits rose in a given store by 1/2 cent if you are driving regular customers out of Starbucks and over to another coffee shop with poor service. THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE SERVICE INDUSTRY--your primary function is serving THE CUSTOMER. It is people like YOU that Schultz is worried about; and he's right.

[Darleen]

One last item: You cannot download anything to a printer. Most do not have hard drives for storing information.

I hope you are enjoying NYC

I'm gonna let that one slide, since you thought you were answering a post I wrote and that not being the case.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

Darleen, I just noticed that the post in question was MONTHS old. Let me know if you spot other impostors and I"ll ban the IP address.

[Darleen]

Thank you webmaster, this is not the first time it has happened. I still shudder at the whole "Darleen's dirty bird" and all the others. I appreciate the support. You know I am loyal to this company and still believe in what we do. I'm glad to hear you were treated better, is Natalie still around?

[Jimmy]

I don't know where most of you buy your coffee but i've been going to starbucks since they hit florida I've never had poor service. I've always been treated great and have always got my order just like I wanted. But I'm also a nice person and try to always treat people like I want to be treated. That could have something to do with it. On a side note I do like the tast of Barnies better

[wow]

All of this bitching back and forth makes me not want to go to Starbucks.

Its not Starbucks thats bitching....its some of the complainers you would rather have them purchase coffe at a diff. shop. As they say----if you dont like it you can leave.

[Riley]

It's ALL about customer service these days. Whether it's banking, oil changes, groceries -- as consumers, we've never had more choices. Pricing is usually competitive and quality is usually competitive. So it's about the smile behind the counter, the experience. I've been with major corporations that had no clue how to manage their growth and Starbuck's is no different. Most corporations today hire management teams that know how to raise the bottom line, and quickly -- but almost none of them understands how to manage they growth. So they leave, going off to other opportunities to raise bottom lines. It's a vicious cycle, good for short-term shareholders but not good for overall growth. I'm no economics expert by any means, so please bear with the simplicity of this opinion. I work on gut-feel -- gut-feel that is formed by an open mind and a rich life experience -- and my gut-feel is that Starbuck's jumped the shark the moment I smelled the breakfast sandwiches. I'm in the midwest, and for the most part, customer service is still king in the Starbuck's out this way. But the more they bring in $19 CDs and breakfast sandwiches, the further they step away from their mission.

[Riley]

And one more thing: there are angry, unhappy people no matter where you go. Starbuck's is no exception. Yes, the more you play up your "unique experience," the more you expose yourself to abuse should you fail in that mission. I would say 99 percent of my barista encounters are very positive. Sure, you run into the occasional barista who is hungover and hating life, but it doesn't ruin my cup of coffee. What does suck is the lack of free Wi-Fi. I have a feeling Starbuck's entered into a long-term deal with T-Mobile and now can't get out of it and must deal with this black eye while others beat them to the free Wi-Fi party. That's just a guess -- I just can't fathom what sort of business model they have in mind for continuing to charge for Wi-Fi that is free most everyplace else.