Is it time to say no to "Just Say Yes"?

One of the big Starbucks customer-service mantras is "Just Say Yes," which means the customer can pretty much get whatever he or she asks for. Judging by comments posted on various Starbucks Gossip threads, this policy is causing more and more problems as customers try to exploit it. Should "Just Say Yes" be dropped? Altered? (How?) Or kept in place to keep Starbucks a customer-service leader?

Comments

[zevgoldman]

Come on LuvAlmond, do you have any idea what racism is?
If the people in fact were Japanese, mentioning it is the fact is proper.
Your ill conceived notion of what racism is, is just too damned P.C. to accept.
The use of a fact is acceptable in the re-telling of an event but your hyper-senstivity is never acceptable. You are trying to deny another person freedom of speech.

[LSManager]

To sbuxnewbie:

Heh, I guess your screens might be a bit different than mine - does your register charge for the modifiers such as Splenda, though? In terms of modifiers, our screen is limited to soy, breve, add shot, add syrup (I do know that particular modifier button is different at company owned stores). We also have a few random ones throughout our different 'sections', including add banana, add pumpkin spice (apparently our programmers haven't felt the need to remove it yet), and affogato caramel/mocha.

[bucksguy]

Hello fellow partners-

The beauty of just say yes is that it actually benefits partners more than customers! It FREES us from customer conflicts that can arise in any service job; it is so much easier and pleasant to give people what they want than it is to explain the why behind not doing so. Customers don't hear the whys, anyway, all they can hear you saying is NO. Yes, there are some cheap, unscrupulous folks out there who will take advantage of any opportunity to get something for nothing or for less than the person in front of them is paying, but I have found over the years that 99%+ of our customers are more than happy to pay for the product and excellent service that they are recieving. Our jobs are not us (partners) vs. them (customers). What would our stores be without all of the loyal and wonderful people who enhance OUR self-esteem every morning? As partners do you have an adversarial relationship with your customers? Does it make you happy? Try enjoying the people that are coming to you for a lift in their day! If you are unable to do so, you are in the wrong job!

[jabanga]

IMHO i do not believe you are correct about taxes being withheld on partner beverages and mark-outs. i have never seen a spot on a pay-stub or a w-2 where that was accounted for. there is no way they could withhold taxes on it without showing it as some form of income like they do with tips. the reason they all go through the pos using your partner number is to track inventory and cogs as well as benefits per store (if you get your markout at another store it gets charged back to your store.)

[C]

Some benefits can be given to employees without tax issues. There is some statutory ceiling on these gifts/benefits, once that is reached then taxes are taken out of the wages, you would see it on the pay stub.

[equal among equals]

"Ha ha. If you're a jerk you'll get decaf (or regular, if you asked for decaf). The small joys of being a vindictive barista, and I love it!"

I think a lot of us have given decaf occasionally, but i had a somewhat interesting encounter with a customer a while back.
A women came into my store and ordered a decaf drink (latte of some sort, i don't remember the details.) As she's placing the order, before i even mark the cup she says "And i have a serious problem with caffeine do NOT give me caffeine. If i get caffeine I WILL SUE YOU! I got caffeine the other day from a store, and if it happens again I WILL SUE!"
Now I was tempted to kick her out of the store simply for the fact that if a customer is threatening to sue before they even get a drink that has to be a liability. Instead, I explained to her that we will make her drink properly, but if caffeine is that big of a problem mistakes DO happen. Decaf is not the norm, and sometimes you just forget or don't realize you accidentally made the drink regular. I also indicated that if caffeine is that big of a problem, to the point that she's threatening a lawsuit, then Starbucks probably is not the best place for her, as these mistakes will (unfortunately) happen.
Somewhat to my surprise, her attitude completely changed, she wasn't mad at all but more sorry that she made a big deal out of it (instead of trusting us), and almost appreciated a rationale explanation instead of someone that just kissed her ass and said "OMG I WILL BE SURE YOUR DRINK IS RIGHT!!!!"
So my question is how would you handle a customer that threatens to sue for a potentially incorrectly caffeinated drink? In retrospect I almost feel like I should have asked her to leave, but I also feel like I handled the situation quite appropriately.

[Leslie Latimer]

IMHO: I worked in retail for 13 years with, at the time, the #1 Customer Service retailer. I have a lot of respect for anyone working in retail, especially very busy Baristas.

My point is this: in retail, you have to put up with a lot of customer bull. You either just deal with it, make 'em happy, and move on, or just sit and stew about it.

There will always be people who take advantage of a situation. Then, there are others with legitimate concerns. We had custies that would try and return merch that clearly wasn't from our store, but we took it back anyway.

"Just say yes" just seems a ridiculous slogan/mantra to me. If I personally have had a problem with a drink at Starbucks, which rarely has happened b/c I'm not the fussy type, the Baristas have always cheerfully apologized, and/or corrected whatever was the problem.

I'm the kind of customer that won't leave an empty half and half decanter on the condiment block--I'll bring it over to the bar, and I'll wait for them to bring the new decanters, and I'll take them back over to the block.

I know what it was like dealing with the public, and I just feel resentful that corporate has to tell its' employees to "Just Say Yes", when they already know they CAN do that, and do it well every day.

Thank you :-)

[Leslie Latimer]

LOL = I "Just Say Yes" when customers want my number or ask what I'm doing later.

Posted by: BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL | Apr 27, 2007 4:59:54 PM

[Barista to the Stars]

Equal --

That has to be the BEST response I've heard in a loooong time. What I like about it is that it's not robotic -- you behaved in the way we all want to be treated: intelligent, respectful and caring. You probably did more to develop that person's opinion of baristas in general than you realize.

I have a problem with Just Say Yes because I think it encourages a conditioned response. Uh Oh -- we made a mistake!!!! Throw a coupon at them and make them go away!!!

When I encounter someone who says their drink is wrong, I ask why. Sometimes their mocha just needs to be stirred, or they want an extra pump of vanilla in their caramel macchiato. I look at it as an opportunity -- help them develop their drink into what it is they want, instead of just throwing another drink at them. What if it's still wrong?

I had someone pull into the drive thru on a busy Sunday and tell me that her drinks were made wrong on Friday and that "some guy" told her to come by and he'd give her some "coupons." When she pulled up, I asked for the guy's name (of course she had none) and I asked about the situation. Of course, it was an unlikely story -- they were prepared hot and she wanted them iced (follow up question: why didn't you tell us at the time and allow us to remake them?).

So, I gave her a free drink. But no "coupons". Then I explained that mistakes happen, particularly in the drive thru where we don't always hear everything and customers don't always check the order verification board.

If she was legitimate, she learned to always check the order verification board and to tell us right away when there's a problem. If she was faking, she got a single drink for free and learned that not every shift just throws service recovery coupons at problems to make them go away.

Barista to the Stars

[jabanga]

anyone who completely freaks out about caffeine should avoid decaf coffee period because there is still caffeine in the decaf coffee, just a lot less. just like an alcoholic should not drink non-alcohol beer because there is still some alcohol in it. a comparison i read is that there is more caffeine in a decaf starbucks coffee than in a tazo chai.

[C]

drip/brew coffee has 23 mg of caffeine per ounce,
dedaf has .8 mg per ounce.
Espresso has 20 mg per ounce.
Tazo Teas (even chai) has 6 mg per ounce.

[jabanga]

c i believe since you group it in with the other tazo teas you are referring to the chai tea bags not the tazo chai concentrate the lattes are made with. regardless, what you have shown is that a venti black decaf has 16 mg of caffeine or almost as much as a shot of espresso. of course, i know these are all rough estimates...

[BaristaGirl]

Sorry C,

But Espresso has more caffeine per oz than drip. Roughly..

Drip 115-175 1 cup
Espresso 100 1 shot

The Espresso *beans* do have less, but the final product has more.

[nybaristar]

"Ha ha. If you're a jerk you'll get decaf (or regular, if you asked for decaf). The small joys of being a vindictive barista, and I love it!"

A regular customer at my store always gets a grande decaf coffee. Someone last week gave him regular caffeinated coffee. He hasn't had caffeine in over 20 years, he had to pull over and call an ambulance. My manager is giving him 2 lbs of his favorite coffee... personally I don't know how I feel about that part, but the point is, this is incredibly dangerous. If you want to give baristas a bad name, at least do it safely and stick to giving decaf to the caf people..

[equal among equals]

I kind of find it funny that the response to a fatal accident is to offer free coffee. Does this bring the discussion full circle? Starbucks theory that getting something for free remedies all.

[equal among equals]

correction, I meant to say near fatal.

[Darleen]

Now I was tempted to kick her out of the store simply for the fact that if a customer is threatening to sue before they even get a drink that has to be a liability. Instead, I explained to her that we will make her drink properly, but if caffeine is that big of a problem mistakes DO happen. Decaf is not the norm, and sometimes you just forget or don't realize you accidentally made the drink regular. I also indicated that if caffeine is that big of a problem, to the point that she's threatening a lawsuit, then Starbucks probably is not the best place for her, as these mistakes will (unfortunately) happen.

I think maybe you are missing the point here. Maybe this woman had such a bad reaction to the caffeine that she was paranoid to even give us a second chance, but she did. I think we should respect these customers who, even after we may or may not have put their health at risk still want to patronize us. Accidents do happen, but when someone's health is at risk over these "accidents" I think we should behave like the professionals we are and be aware to use decaf when someone orders it.We all have drinks that are not the "norm" as you put it, do we screw those up? No, we make them correctly. No different with decaf as opposed to caffeinated. To tell a customer that maybe starbucks is not for her is wrong, we're not idiots, starbucks baristas are educated, professionals. We know how to push either the decaf or the regular button. I know some stores are really really busy and mistakes happen, we're not machines, but I disagree with telling a customer these mistakes will always be happening and that she should go somewhere else if she can't deal with it. (wonders how much flack she's gonna get from this post :) )

anyone who completely freaks out about caffeine should avoid decaf coffee period because there is still caffeine

there isn't enough in it to cause a heart attack, please let's be realistic here. Your comparisons are lame at best.

[jabanga]

so please tell me doctor how much caffeine is required to cause a heart attack? 10 mg? 100 mg? my point is pretty simple: if someone is that sensitive to caffeine perhaps they should not consume any.

[Barista to the Stars]

If someone is deathly allergic to peanuts, should they be ordering our pastries? Even if they don't contain nuts, the chance for exposure is still there. Just saying.

Barista to the Stars

[BNBARISTA]

I'm deathly allergic to peanuts. They should absolutely not be ordering the pastries. The pastries are all kept in the same case, and peanut proteins are airborne. The chocolate peanut butter cake contaminates everything in that case, even if none of your pastries are marked (which they should be, if they're all made in the same place). If anyone asks me if there are nuts in our pastries I tell them they aren't an ingredient but if the allergy is severe enough they should avoid the pastries.

The same goes for soy. Some people are allergic to soy and some are allergic to milk proteins. One woman is anaphylactic regarding milk, and she comes in and orders a soy latte and always reminds the servers of her allergy. The first time she ordered it from me, I asked her how severe it was and she explained that while it was that severe the servers assured her that her drink would be made in a clean pitcher and on a clean steam wand. THAT IS NOT OKAY. The servers should have explained that they would do the best they could but there is always a risk involved as it is very difficult to get milk protein out of the steam wand. That's a liability if they guarantee someone who could potentially die by latte that their drink is safe. Never guarantee.

[equal among equals]

Darleen/BNBarista,
I think BNBarista hit it head on here with what I was trying to get at with my previous example.
I will try, I want you to patronize our business, I will even watch your drink being made to double check for you. BUT there is caffeine in decaf, the espresso for decaf is processed by the same machine on the same equipment, and mistakes DO happen.
In the situation I referenced earlier, I was kind, I was polite, and I was professional. But I was also threatened (i consider a lawsuit a threat) by a customer, and I was stern. Realize that not every customer may know that there will be some caffeine even in their decaf drink, or that it is processed using the same equipment. It is our job, more our responsibility to inform them. To me this seams like a delicate balance of our sixth guiding principle; "recognize that profitability is essential to our future success". You need to realize that a single lawsuit is far more expensive then the value of a single customer (or even all the customers they tell about their bad experience). So long as you reply appropriately, and with dignity and respect, I feel its necessary to inform a customer in this regard. I think your thoughts are normally spot on Darleen, but I'd have to disagree with you on this one.

[KanChan]

I have one question:-

Can I ask the barista to remake a drink if he pulled me a 14 seconds espresso?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

"Despite all of the efforts of the health department, INSIDE EDITION found rodents in a number of restaurants simply by standing on the sidewalk and shining a flashlight through the window. The Rat Patrol even found vermin in some of the nations most popular chains including coffee mecca Starbucks in the South End and upscale seafood restaurant McCormick & Schmicks in historic Quincy Market."

Yes, there are rats in Starbucks here in Boston and I'm not just talking about those store managers and district managers. Its a pretty bad situation because we have to throw pastries away nearly everyday.

[Darleen]

equal among equals,
Well said, I may have misinterpreted your previous post. Thank you for setting me straight. It's nice to see that you feel a sense of responsibility to our customers. :)

[equal among equals]

kanchan,

Standard on the new machines is 13-17 seconds. 14 seconds would be perfectly within standard.

[Darleen]

Yes, there are rats in Starbucks here in Boston and I'm not just talking about those store managers

Boston starbucks rebel,
As much as you dislike having people respond to you as BSR is as much as I dislike when partners lump all of us store managers together with rats or, stupid or incompetent. I work hard. I take care of my team and, I would go to the mat for any one of them. Don't stereotype, it's not your character

What is the correct action to take when someone is stealing merchandice from your store? I've been told that unless we can 100% prove that they are stealing, we must let them go. I think that is ridiculous and I stopped a man once for stealing stuff. I just confronted him at the door and took him outside. He gave me the stuff back and went on his way. I can't imagine letting some jacka*s steal our stuff and not doing anything!

[Hana]

I'm a local Barista for Seattle and honestly, I say NO to the Just Say Yes policy.

Honestly, despite all the chains and stores of Starbucks that is IN Seattle alone, there is a screening process to become an employee, and if you don't fit that requirement, they are more than happy than to chuck you out of their store.

The Just Say Yes policy takes away the fact that you have already gone through a screening process that tells your employers that you can handle what happens if a customer is dissatisfied.

Personally, I'll double and triple check your drink to make sure I've done it right. Trust me, I'm scatterbrained, I'm ditzy on my feet, and yes, sometimes I forget that you said Decaf, or forget that you said to forgo the sugar. But I know in my own common sense when you're just milking it, and I believe that it is in my own discretion when I should or shouldn't remake or give extra benefits to my customers.

*hops of the soap box*

[Just Say Whaaaaaa!]

Why not just accept the policy and comply with it. If you are convinced that your judgment surpasses that of your management, and if you are concerned about customers "scamming" the policy, why not communicate those concerns up the chain. Try suggesting some means of tracking the "scamming" so that the effects can be quantified and better understood by management.

There is really no good reason to feel as though you personally are being cheated by such customers. Large corporations understand that such policies will result in some abuses. They judge that the goodwill arising from the policy will more than pay for the abuse.
But if you insist on taking this kind of stuff personally, your work ethic and "legendary service" attitude will suffer. And that will cost more in the long run.

[Hokie Rob]

Frankly, I had no idea JSY existed until now although I probably have more than 10 cups per week. I think the JSY policy is aimed at keeping the good customers understanding there are some people who will take advantage. The only time I have sent a drink back was because a cup of drip was barely above room temperature. They ended up taking a while to make a new pot, but if in the absence of such a policy a stubborn Barista refused, I might think twice about my options.

[riebucks]

Get this my wonderful barista friends. Recently, we had an older couple come in asked for a "Tall decaf drip coffee split into 2 double cupped tall cups w/ sleeves filled to the top with hot h2o and with 2 cm of room." Special order huh, this man proceeded to whip out a ruler and measure the 2cm, lol. He also requires that you face the holes of the lids towards you so that if he picks it up wrong it spills on you and NOT HIM!!!! My store manager got really mad when he heard him say this to me. He took him on the side and asked him to not be so condisending to his baristas, the man replied "She is only a stupid filipino girl." This pushed him over the edge, my manager told him that he needs to go to another store. And we haven't seen him since. Talk about just say yes! So whenever I get the chance to say no, I take it, PEACE OUT

[STARBUCKS GEISHA BOY]

My old store manager said that we should work towards pleasing the customer in anyway necessary. If I have to do something that is against official policy but under "Just Say Yes" I will do it, however, informing the customer that we are not under ordinary circumstances allowed to do it. I'll do it this one time and one time only. And yes, if you want my number its written on the cup for you.

STARBUCKS GEISHA BOY
AMOR VINCIT OMNIA
STARBUCKS REBEL ALLIANCE

[Andre]

The just say yes attitude is what is wrong with Starbucks and why our customers are so awful. Us bending over and letting the customers walk all over us is what gives the sense that we are their slaves.

While we do exist to serve the customers, they do not have to be such assholes about it. Customers think they are entitled to a slave for 3 minutes of the day.

We need to draw the line somewhere. I have had customers ready to fight because we would not steam their milk hotter than 180, per local health ordinance and for the safety of my partners.

People should learn to accept no for an answer. They wouldn't talk to their friends the way they talk to us - so why is it ok?

Plain and simple - it's not.

Just say yes... until it's time to say no.

[emokins]

BNBBarista and EQUALamongEQUALS
I have a customer who orders a 200 degree latte DAILY. He is happy with his burnt latte and I am happy to make it for him. I have burnt myself on drinks that were super hot but honestly I am more likely to burn myself on the tea than his drink. I say yes because saying no would lose me customers that came to me from the two neighboring SBUX that can't REFUSE to make his latte and others.

[marliana]

its ILLEGAL per state health code in MANY states to do drinks hotter than 180. this is due to the potential for bacteria to grow after the product cools and for personal safety of employees. while your manager might not know this it is a law on the books. REFUSE TO MAKE IT. because if an undercover health inspector is in your store not only does your store face penalties but you can be fined PERSONALLY for negligence and code violations. how do i know? i am a store manager and it personally happened to a partner in my store. the company was fined $370 and the partner faced $250 in fines. i also was forced to retake my servsafe examination.

emokins, if you seriously do that that is not only disgusting its also illegal. just say yes unless they are being unreasonable. use your common sense. you say that you've burned yourself making drinks? thats why theres a law in place saying milk can not go higher than 180. fool.

[Darleen]

thats why theres a law in place saying milk can not go higher than 180. fool.

Nice way to use your star skills marliana, try to use some respect.

[Chris Wilson]

One word.....Nordies! Look at what this mindset has done for Nordstrom.

[Part Time Barista / Full Time Cop]

"Marliana" has a point. There are reasons that we have laws. True, it could have been phrased differently, but the fact still remains that laws are laws. It's also a Starbucks Standard. Probably because it's a liability issue as well as a safety one.

"Darleen" - instead of criticizing the way the other poster phrased her post, take in what she has to say. By being sarcastic and condescending, you are stooping to her immature level.

Neicey
Police Officer / Barista
San Francisco Bay Area, CA

[Andrew]

I can't believe people would scam for free drinks like this. If I were in a situation like, I wanted a shot of gingerbread syrup in my chai latte, but the barista forgot the shot, I don't think I could even bring myself to ask her for it, I just hate being a bother like that.

[Darleen]

"Darleen" - instead of criticizing the way the other poster phrased her post, take in what she has to say. By being sarcastic and condescending, you are stooping to her immature level.

Excuse me? Asking someone to be respectful is in no way condescending. I think you should "take in" what I said before you condescend to me.

[Jessica F.]

at times the JSY policy is fantastic. The customers are happy, and thats what matters. what I hate is when people 'forget' to mention they want it iced then assume its my responsibility to remake it. its courtesy, not obligation. If i ordered a hamburger from wendy's and 'forgot' to say no mayo, its my fault. ill happily remake it, but there are limits.

one woman recently ordered a white mocha, with caramel, hazelnut, peppermint, AND cinnamon dolce. THEN she complained that it tasted bad. NO SHIT!? my shift and I tried to talk her out of it.

I made a green tea lemonade, and black tea lemonade last night for a couple. I forgot the lemonade. i immediately started remaking them, but they kept telling me not to worry about it. I still made them, but people who actually seem appreciative, makes my job SO much better.

we also have one man that comes in every day, and EVERY DAY says 'i ordered an apple fritter last week, and it was hard'. so we hand him our managers card, and every time he hands it back. we only put out TWO apple fritters in the morning, so we kinda realize who gets them. and surprise surprise, it isnt him.

one more note: during first impressions, my manager specifically said 'no sharing of partner beverages'.

[jm]

Yeah, have you ever ordered a java chips and they forgot to put in the chips? Or ordered a pepermint mocha with no peppermint syrup? It kinda sucks.

[bythebook17-23]

FYI::: Just say yes was created to empower the partner to accommodate any request a customer makes. Most large chains require an employee to get manager approval just to give a discount let alone comp an item, but Starbucks lets any employee make that decision. I've always found that policy to reflect their employment practices as much as their customer service.

[Chris]

This reminds me of when i ordered a venti green tea frap and i guess they were low on the green tea powder and as a result i got a watered down frap that wasnt even filled to the top. where the hell is the just say yes policy there? i felt so ripped off but felt like i couldn't say anything as a result and it sucked :\ so what do you do in a situation like that? i didn't even know this policy existed!

where the hell is the just say yes policy there? i felt so ripped off but felt like i couldn't say anything as a result and it sucked :\ so what do you do in a situation like that? i didn't even know this policy existed!

Well, instead of crying about it on here, you could have just brought it to your baristas attention that you were not pleased with your drink and would appreciate a new one. I'm sure they would be happy to oblige.You sound like a big baby.

[Brooke]

Just Say Yes means Here's Your Decaf! I love it. Don't mess with your drug dealer.

[LAMB]

I have gone through the process of helping several customers try to find a replacement beverage for the old raspberry since they hate the "juicy Raspberry" so much and ended up at an impasse with them. They have very happily taken their voices to starbucks customer service and as a barista i also disagree with the flavor change in the new syrup.
I know that the change is all in the name of the new "juicy" raspberry drinks but at what cost to other beverages? I feel bad that things are CONSTANTLY changing for our customers and us. It can be a very frustrating process for them and for us as well who feel their pain. If its not broke.....Why try to "improve" it and break it in the process?
Does anyone else feel the pinch too?

[HopkinsBella]

And another argument to nail the coffin on "just say yes" from this weekend. I go into my usual Sunday Starbucks, and find four partners working. There are four people waiting at the drink counter, as well as two in front of me at the register. Two of the ladies at the drink counter change their orders (three drinks per lady in this case)THREE TIMES while I am standing there, and two of the others who are still waiting have ordered ridiculously broken up items--a venti orange frappuccino into three tall cups, a grande strawberry creme into two tall cups, a couple other regular frappuccinos, etc. Plus a few customers who demanded samples.

Meanwhile, the line at the drink counter just kept growing, despite having more than enough people deployed. And it wasn't the partners' faults, either. The only fault with the partners is that they did not tell the two ladies where they could go. It was unusually bad, but the problems still revolved around the insistence on giving the customers exactly what they requested--to the point of ridiculousness.

[Molly]

I work for Starbucks. You won't believe how many times customers have demanded "a free drink coupon." The fact that they know these exist automatically clue me into the fact that they're probably lying to me. So many customers will nitpick their visit apart and look for something to complain about or just make something up completely, just so they can demand a service recovery coupon. This is what happens when Just Say Yes gets abused. Customers know about, bitch and moan about every little thing, demand free drinks and coupons, and then they're off to the next Sbux to do it again.

When customers demand the coupons, I just tell them we're all out of them. Even though we have 50 million of them in the back office. No customer will bark orders at me and demand free stuff.