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

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

Java Jane -- There's an entire thread devoted to tipping. Your question is better posed there.

No, DT, I would _not_ like the cook at McDonald's to open my burger, remove a patty, throw that patty in the trash right in front of me, and hand me the adjusted (newly-single) Quarter Pounder. If I am served the wrong item due to an employee's mistake, I expect the retailer to replace my item with the correct one, not make a sloppy correction to the mistake. I consider what Natalie did to be a sloppy correction to her employee's mistake. And in my experience, Starbucks employees either ask if you want room for cream, or you tell them you want room for cream. They don't just pour your coffee out because they've _guessed_ you want room for cream. The customer in this case did not ask that there be room for cream in his cup.

And EXBARISTA, it's true that "it is not always easy to infer what a customer wants/means by only their words." That's why, when you are serving the very confusing and frustrating public, it's best to _ask_. It would not have been difficult for this barista to say, "Oops, it looks like we accidentally poured you a grande. Would you like me to dump the extra out?" By asking questions, you not only get to what the customer actually wants, but you are able to tell the nice customers (like our delightful webmaster) from the jerks (who just want something for free, etc.). For all we know, our delightful webmaster would have said, "Oh, what the hell, I'll go with the grande," in which case the kindly manager would have earned Starbucks an additional $5 (or whatever that upgrade goes for). She'd get a gold star!

[barista c]

Why don't you send a comment card instead of whining about it?

[stickler]

That "gold star" post was me, by the way, and I want to clarify one thing. When I say I expect a retailer to replace an order that was screwed up (rather than make a sloppy correction in front of me), I mean, in this case, that the Starbucks manager should have "replaced" the tall coffee with the grande. The error was made by the barista, and the manager should have made sure the customer didn't want that "bonus" before she dumped it. The way this scene appears to have played out, the manager either had her head in the clouds (and wasn't really thinking about what she was doing and/or assumed the customer didn't want the extra), or she dislikes this particular customer (hard to believe, really), and didn't want him to have one sip more than he paid for.

[connie]

IF that had been mine I'd have said never mind, and give me my money back.

If you want my money you can at least be polite. And by the way, since you don't make waitress wage I don't feel obligated to tip you unless you do something special for me.

As soon as I perfect a homemade version of frappucinos I will stay totally away from Starbucks.

[coffeeguy :)]

seriously who knew this topic would be such a wild fire.

Let me say it again The company just published this exact sceneario in the partner communications logs.

The result was that we are supposed to ask the customer nicely if they wish the extra coffee for free or if it's too much to drink.

If we make an honest error and the customer can drink the extra drink then just let them have it and save labour and money by not having to remake a new drink. This also shows the customer that you value their business and have no troubles communicating with them.

Of course if someone is deliberaty giving out free product it's a bad thing. Of course if someone does this mistake 20 times a day the shift or manager on duty should talk to them.

This is common sense. The company EXPECTS you to use common sense in delivering exceptional service. They promote people who do so. That's what the just say yes policy is partly about.

Please just next time use your heads out there. Talk to your customers. If you see obvious theft going on talk to your manager about it.

That's the bottom line here. Stop being snotty about every little detail of something so small that's not using your head.

Webmaster should have been asked if he wanted the extra coffee. That simple.
Thank you.

It was the girl who made the error. She rung up a grande. The customer ordered a tall.

Throwing the extra coffee in the sink is probably some reflective response that arose from the confusion surrounding this company. You can't teach genuine friendliness from the top of a corporate ladder. Attempts to micro-manage customer service are always complete failures. Leave it up to the day-to-day managers and put a leash on your bean counters.

Hire friendly people. It's really that simple.

[Amy Alkon]

This was a power grab by Natalie and the antithesis of the friendly, welcoming treatment I'm used to at Starbucks. The pastries are crappy at Starbucks, and a big part of what makes me like the place is the people who work there. At one of the Starbucks I go to, they always give a homeless guy I know a bag of sandwiches and pastry at the end of the night. I love them for it. You lose more business than you save by acting like Natalie did. Dumb.

[Heh interesting.]

I'm a REAL DM in the California area and honestly, the number one goal is to always please the customer. Even if this means going above and beyond our normal duties. Even if it means giving away a little free product, as long as it isn't just being givin away for the sake of being givin. Starbucks has the "just say yes" policy for a reason, and we never want to lose a customer. It's better to lose that 4 dollars then the entire customer forever.

[Don]

I've seen numerous comments about the customers on this thread including one that said as much that nasty customers deserve to be put in their place.
I find that if you go out of your way to be nice to these people it puts things back into perspective for them. They are used to being treated shabbily by other money grubbing companys. Lets get back to it being about the customer and the profits WILL come.

[FredTheCat]

For the record, I'm not a Starbucks customer. I've been to one once or twice when a friend I was with wished to stop but have never been to one of my own choosing. My remarks are not particular to Starbucks but to ANY business that deals with the public.

The relationship with the customer is everything. This is Marketing 101 stuff here. The act of pouring something out or throwing something out (ESPECIALLY in sight of the customer) rather than giving it to the customer is quite simply petty and an insult to the customer.

The proper line of action here would have been, as was previously pointed out, to ASK the customer. If there was a problem with the amount of coffee that was in the cup it should have been taken up at a later time with the person who filled the cup, out of earshot of the customer.

The customer really doesn't care what sort of day you've been having, or your construction issues. It's not their problem. The job of a frontline representative is to happily and courteously provide excellent service to each and every customer as if he or she were the only customer on the planet. It's not difficult to understand.

Kudos to the barristas and managers who have popped up to apologize for this unfortunate incident despite it having nothing to do with them whatsoever. They get it. "DM Who Cares" doesn't get it.

The part I find especially interesting is the undercurrent expectation of a tip that flows through a number of these posts. When Starbucks barristas go to a fast food place (say McDonalds) do they tip the counter staff? When they go to the grocery store do they tip the checkout clerk? Tips are REWARDS for special treatment, not an obligation because you performed the job for which you were hired.

Perhaps those extra 2 ounces would have generated a tip instead of creating a "bad taste" in the mouth of a customer. Just think of all the negative impressions generated by readers of this posting on the net. Over 2 stupid ounces of coffee.

[Brooklyn Kitchen]

Ugh. Why do you even go to Starbucks?

[Coffeefreak]

This is simple. Was the manager right/ Was the Webmaster correct? A good manager would simply have said this: "We accidently poured a grande. Would you like the extra coffee or would you like me to cut it to a tall. If you can handle the extra, it's on the house. Enjoy and thanks."

The friggin end. Kindness to customers and satisfaction. NOT attitude. And it WAS attitude.

[fred]

The starmaid was doing you a favor by pouring out that sumtra swill. Get over it you paid for a tall and got a tall.

I think they were simply provided you what you asked for, I have customers who request a "tall in a grande cup" and will ASK ME to dump out a little more if there's too much in it.

[416barista]

To the above poster.....

Asking for a tall in a grande is one thing because the customer is very specific, but asking for a for-here tall and getting a grande is not the same.

The customer should have been given the cup and asked if it was ok and if he said no, then the extra should have been dumped but it should have been the customers decision, not the partners.

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

I bet Natalie is the type of manager who sits on her FAT ass her entire shift drinks banana coconut frappuccinos (r) blended coffees. I would hate to have her as an ASM, I bet she had to get down on her knees to get promoted there. Anyway, I say we should all prank call the store like I did and ask stupid questions.
1) Are frappuccinos cold? Simply a classic prank call.
2) What does Verona taste like? Also one of my favorite questions to ask.
3) What temperature does milk burn at? This is a good knowledge question.
4) What Starbucks cofffees are fair traded certified? Corporate social responsibility anyone?
5) Is Natalie there? Just to be mean and get her off her FAT butt.

[Former Bucker]

Good Lord in Heaven! There are something ridiculous like 120 replies to this posting!

I have worked a few different areas of retail/customer service (Starbucks, GAP, bar, etc.) in the past and, yes, we'd all like to think the philosophy "the customer is always right" holds true...but quite frankly, all of us service industry people (and customers too for that matter) know darn well that there are times when store patrons can be demanding, unreasonable, condescending, catty, and/or confrontational. We all, including this particular store manager, do the best we can in those situations. I'm not a shrink...I can't talk a person down when they are screaming that I must accept their return of baby clothes (visibly used, no tags, no receipt) because they were a gift that "didn't fit". That is just one of many examples of what customer service industry people deal with every day.

What not one single person on this blog knows is what really happened in the over-blown situation. Am I supposed to assume that Jim has correctly and impartially recounted the situation? That is highly unlikely since Jim decided to take the gutless route and post the manager's name and store location and himself stay under the shadow of anonymity. Where do you work Jim? Is there a blog where I can post critiques of your work, Jim?

Yes, I understand that it is possible that this manager may have done something to upset your delicate sensibilities, but think about this Jim - you say yourself you go to a Buck everyday (let's assume that you take Sundays off), that is 312 Starbucks experiences a year! And out of 312 times, this is THE WORST thing that's ever happened to you? Quibbling over something you didn't pay for, that caused you no physical or mental harm, that won't affect your life or daily trips to Starbucks in any real way...

My goodness...someone needs a hobby...

[cornfrost]

Jessica, if you think Jim is hiding under the shadow of anonymity, you are dead wrong.
He is one of the most widely known people in the media world.

[Former Bucker]

"He is one of the most widely known people in the media world. "

Well, then, who the heck is he?

Here you go Former Bucker, he even has his own wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Romenesko

amazing ain't it... seems like a smart dude, but there he is every morning standing in frickin' line for a cup of joe.

Maybe it's different out there, but here in So. Cal, I swear to god you're waiting at least 20 minutes for a coffee in these places. Jim, get a Senseo and some Kona pods. You can thank me later.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

>> there he is every morning standing in frickin' line for a cup of joe.

At 5:30 a.m., there is no line at Starbucks. I have the store to myself most mornings.

[Amy Alkon]

I live in So Cal, and I don't wait 20 minutes. And just a guess, but it's probably occurred to the Webmaster that he can make coffee at home.

P.S. Regarding the snarly post about the Webmaster's "anonymity," I doubt there's a journalist in America who doesn't know his name and read his blog...daily...or more. See below:

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45

[an Iowa City Starbucks patron]

I am both a Starbucks customer and have also worked on the service end of the food and beverage industry, and what I read from both customers of Starbucks and from the employees on this page is really rather disturbing. The only person that was there for the "incident" was the person who left the complaint. It's interesting to see how many people immediately place blame on the manager, "yes, what she did WAS spiteful..." Oh, yeah? How the hell would you know, not BEING there and all? And what reason, given the information, would she, could she, possibly have for being spiteful? Did he leave out the part when he called her the first generation of her family to walk upright? The customer seems like he thinks he was disrespected because he was initially overcharged, then disrespected when someone tried to make it right by giving him what he ordered, then disrespected when, again, he was given a refill within the confines of his request. What I can't believe is that he took the time to register a written complaint for...getting what he ordered. Both times. Did he get overcharged? No. Did they spill it all over him? No. Did they leave him waiting? No.
Curses! A Grande slipped right through his fingers! He asked for a refill, but "half to 3/4" full, and was given closer to a half.
He chose to interpret the manager's actions not as an effort to get him what he wanted, but as an effort to disrespect him by making sure that his cup NOT runneth over.
He has a card. He is a regular. What he is is emotionally needy.
The only noticeable spite is oozing from this guy, and from disgruntled baristas who, expert as they may be making coffee, have whole-heartedly jumped on the hearsay bandwagon and condemned this manager. Especially the "District Manager Who Cares", taking the hearsay as substantiated fact. I hope you don't deal with your own district's employees as irresponsibly as you have by attributing malice to "Natalie"'s actions.

Why didn't this guy come out and ask for what he really wanted, a HUG?

p.s. Biscotti is plural. Biscotta is singular. you can't write Biscotti on a single-serving package, people. Panini is plural. Panino is singular. If you want to use Italian in your marketing, make sure when you do you don't look like eejits. There's no such thing as one loaves of bread. There's no such thing as "a biscotti". Fix it.

[Barista sUz]

Oh wow. A mere 2 ounces. I work at Sbux, but we don't have mugs "for here" cos I work at the mall. And it's simply a grab and go drink. If you accidently give them a couple ounces, but they didn't want it, why not ask them if they wanted those extra ounces, otherwise you can dump some out for them [cos maybe they wanted room for milk/sugar]. Either way, charge them for a tall. Cos that's what they requested. It makes no sense to make a fuss over it. If it makes you feel better as a barista, pour a 6 oz coffee and drink it so you can partner bev an 8 oz.
If we dump a 1/4 of decaf every hr that no one seems to get, and partner bev. massive amounts of drinks we [partially] consume while working, then what's the deal with 2 ounces?!
At my store, I know my fellow partners would've done the same thing. There is no reason to make a spectacle over it, when it was a "mistake" on their part. When we make a drink wrong for someone, we'll generally ask if they want the "wrong" drink for free/know anyone that wants it and make the correct drink. Dumping something that we made on accident, is a waste when someone who has never had Sbux, could be enjoying it&could possibly make their day for such kind act.
I guess they never got the little "kindness" coupons we handed out last year when they introduced Pumpkin Spice.
If they can afford free drinks and samples, then lets not be a snob about it. I don't think that's part of Legendary service Sbux was striving for.

Natalie doesn't sound like she has legendary service and maybe she should just find a job elsewhere. She doesn't seem too interested in making her store a third home for you. I'm very surprised that she got that far as an ASM.
I mean, I admit I'm a bitch sometimes, &I hate people [cos I've been working in customer service jobs all my life], some customers are off-the-wall rude. But I can be nice MOST of the time, like when I got my store a legendary 5 star during one of our snapshots. But She is simply RUUUUUDE and should be sent an anonymous comment on the official Sbux site about her snootiness [is that a word?].

[Barista sUz]

IA City Patron, I think the person that really needs a hug, is YOU.
I work at an Sbux in Des Moines and have worked several service jobs that include a local restaurant, Hot Topic, Gap, Express, Borders Cafe, Wet Seal, etc. Some have been far worse than the other&my attitude is occassionally poor from it. But I still don't think that our webmaster was the wrong-doer.
It's nice of you to think of Natalie. But her reaction to it was not the Starbucks way. I mean, in the past she wouldn't even do a French Press cos "It tastes the same anyway." Geez, when we're swamped on a Saturday, my manager will have me make a French Press. Not that hard friends.

If you feel so strongly about "biscotti" send them a comment. I often do when I see obnoxious things that Sbux does.

[cornfrost]

Jim's original post reminds me of the daily sheet that shows a complaint/compliment from a customer. I always find them fascinating to read, partly because they are always extreme. Like the one about the couple who always came to Sbux and then the husband was killed in a car crash and the widow, who once thought Sbux was too expensive, now viewed it as her lifeline. (A true heartbreaker, that.) Or the ones about jerky partners who make customers wait and serve them crappy drinks. The point being that the kind of service given, and the perception by the customer, matters more than anything.

[Former Bucker]

Amy - In the one sentence of your PS, you made many assumptions. As a first time poster at starbucksgossip.com, until the anonymous poster filled me in, how in the world should I know the identity of the webmaster? All journalists know him? Does that mean that all posters on this site are journalists and everyone is in on it but me? I guess I should apologize for not being well versed in your industry.

Back to the subject at hand. To the Webmaster I say "Well done" (and actually mean it)! Your venting of a simple bad morning has stirred up an absolute frenzy. Wow.

[Jimmy Chang in NYC]

Oh dear. Jim seems to be just another egghead media type teaching to other eggheads. Or so it seems after reading about him. Honestly, what we have here is an elitist and everyone else be damned. Natalie included. And all over just a small amount of coffee he never wanted or paid for. Christ almighty! His perception and attitude nullifies anything Natalie did. Completely nullifies it. Natalie 1 Webmaster 0.

[Bill Stevens]

Why didn't she just dump it all down the toilet and eliminate the middleman?

[NeverEver]

I am amazed by the number of Starbucks customers and employees who think it's ok to be spiteful and rude, which this employee clearly was. What amazes me more is the lack of ability to reason or write exhibited by those same customers and omployees who love Starbucks.
Another confirmation that my decision to never set foot in Starbucks was the correct one, and one I'll continue to adhere to in the future.

[JinSanFran]

At my local *$ (which I frequent 4x a week) I see customers, every morning, pour out some of their coffee into to garbage cans at the condiments counter. I've notice none of them asked, "leave room for cream" or leave "jiggle" room (which I've asked for when I've got a long walk ahead of me during sidewalk rush hour). Not the same as Jim's situation but it seems just as wasteful.

On Another note, I'm disappointed that Natalie's name was posted & the African American woman's name wasn't. Did you ask? Did no one know it? Were there no other distinguishing physical characteristics (like the assistant mgr who's desribed as young & alt rockerish) to identify her other than African American? Natalie wasn't list as "the Caucasian." Why am I only the second poster to mention this? In case anyone is wondering, yes, I am a minority.

[Jimmy Chang in NYC]

Jinsanfran, You noticed it because you ARE a minority and are hypersensitive about it. But you have raised a valid point. But then again we are talking about an elitist here after all. Two ounces of his own bitch fest that is still going.

Tool

[Java Jane]

You know, I've visited this blog for a long time now, and the tone here is a lot different than it used to be...like bitter espresso compared to soothing dark roast. Whatever, I'm sorry if I mentioned tipping in this thread, thanks for re-directing me Webmaster of Gossip that is Starbucks. And to answer, I always tip a bartender, but they don't have a jar on the bar most of the time. I'll continue my questions at this other thread for barista clarification on this subject.

As far as asking and getting, I bring in my *$-brand refillable thermos and distinctly ask for a "tall", but they insist on filling it up all the way and then want to charge me for a grande or venti! I can't drink that much coffee--I'm not *trying* to get more for less.

Should I make a placard with arrows indicating how much I want?

I have just noticed a lack of friendly service from a lot of the baristas lately...not ALL of them...the perky cuteness at my neighborhood 'Bucks is still very caffeinated in her approach, but the rest look so scowl-y most of the time.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

Follow-up: The gregarious, always-chipper, promotion-deserving barista at the Chicago/Main Starbucks in Evanston is SHEILA.

[JinSanFran]

Jimmy Chang in NYC, I'm not hypersensitive just aware. Was Martin Luther King, Jr. hypersensative? Be careful apathy is contagious.

[passerby]

Is this thread for real? I can't believe you all are squabbling over how much coffee someone puts in a cup. This kind of crap is why americans are hated around the world. All the problems in the world and you losers are at eachothers throats over a cup of coffee. Drink up, move on and get a life.

[JustABarista]

Passerby,

There is a good point in your post, it's like one of our "The way I see it quotes". Guy talking about death squads and religous oppression in other countries, but he complains about traffic. Good quote.

[Coffee Talk]

Overheard: "I hate Americans because of their trivial coffee-related arguments."

"And just a guess, but it's probably occurred to the Webmaster that he can make coffee at home. "

yeah, but has he tried a Kona pod in a Senseo?

I'm tellin' ya it's the best cup of coffee I've ever had anywhere.

Sorry for bein' an arrogant twat, though. I'm a huge fan of obscurestore.com... it's been entertaining me for many years now.

Starbucks seems like such a non-friendly environment to me. I prefer those quaint places with a nice smoking patio. All the Starbucks I've ever been to around here have little room to kick it and relax, and they're always very crowded. Too much success can really mess up the vibe.

As for being out and about at 5:30am... you should sleep in. It's much better on your consitution.

[new barista]

the barista was wrong to have an attitude, if that was indeed the case (i had a drive-thru customer the other day who berated me for not handing her drink out before paying, but i just smiled and bit my tongue- there's not much else you can do) however the customer is also wrong in assuming that he was the victim of a personal attack. in the end, as has been said many times, he asked for a tall, and thats what he ended up getting. when he asked for a refill, he said, "half to three quarters full" and she filled it up half way.

true, the barista could have handled things a little differently, but at the same time, since when has the act of getting exactly what you asked for such a big deal?

oh, and as for the comment made about sleeping in: i concur :) no matter now many times one wakes up at 4am for an opening shift, it never gets much easier. lol.

[jabanga]

wow. i can't believe how many comments this thread has gotten in just a couple of days.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

JABANGA -- Starbucks Gossip has thousands of visitors daily, so it's not surprising that a hot topic would bring in many comments.

[Drinker]

Jin, slow down and re-read Jimmy's post, again and again until you understand it. He agreed with you.

Way to disprove the hypersensitive point!

[um why?]

So why exactly are all you people who are trashing Starbucks reading (and commenting on) a Starbucks blog?
I'm glad you like your Senso, Folgers (?), Peet's etc, but this is a Starbucks blog.
What negativity!
Go do something positive and read about something you like for a change or start a Folgers blog instead.

[nick]

but it's not a pro starbucks site, it's just a starbucks site...

welcoming both types of comments, especially if they're well thought out and articulate...

i'm just surprised there hasn't been a post about cancelling leadership yet.

[Jeff]

I can't believe the number of comments this page has, but I also can't believe I just read them all...

Folgers??? Nonono... Kona pod in a Senseo.

Folgers is swill.

http://www.alohaislandcoffee.com/konacoffeepods.htm