Keep an eye on your tip jar while posting to this weekend's OPEN THREAD

In Boise, Idaho police arrested a 56-year-old man who allegedly walked up to a Starbucks drive-thru window, took the tip jar and walked away. He didn't get far with it before cops made an arrest. For those new to the OPEN THREAD, here's your chance to discuss anything Starbucks-related.

Comments

[jabanga]

its now been two full years since i hung up my green apron and i wanted to just come by and gloat that since cashing in the last of my stock options two years ago in the low $40s that the stock is STILL mired down about 40% at a little over $25. are any of the people who like to refer to this a normal down cycle that happens all the time still trying to sell that lie?

[Henry Evil]

Guys, when does the Gingerbread Latte come out?

[Scorpio370]

Hey there everyone! Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I just wanted to thank you guys for the advice from last week. Does anyone have big plans for the weekend?

[Scorpio370]

Already out Henry! It got a soft launch on the first and will be official on the 8th.

we went through a period of having our tip jars (and various other merchandise) stolen a couple times a week until my ASM cracked down and started banning people and even calling the cops to get some of them arrested. needless to say, we've had a lot less stuff go missing recently and a few less bums harassigng us.

[RTD&Party]

Entirely stolen tip jars are just as annoying as the people who take money out of the tip jars right in front of you. It's not a take-a-penny, leave-a-penny jar. Though, it is entertaining to guilt people into giving the money back when you tell them that they're taking your money for the week!

[EmGee]

I cut the bottom out of our tip jars one night after they had both been pilfered at least 3 times. Now the bottom piece is velcro-ed to the counter and if anyone goes to snatch it the sides lift off and the change goes flying everywhere. The one time I've seen this happen the person was so startled they just turned around and headed for the door while our other customers helped pick up the tips and laughed.

[Emma]

I want to comment on the newly re-vamped partner training books/system. I was the first hire to go through it in my store and I think my bar skills (which are non-existent) reflect the changes in the program.

On one hand: during morning rush I can ring up 50 customers in 30 minutes, and I am very strong at all the set-up/cleaning duties.

On the other hand: I have had little bar experience, as that came at the END of the training manuals.

The new manuals expect you to "self-teach," which is a great way of saving labor. I definitely taught myself the register and many other things, but I COULD NOT teach myself how to make drinks just by reading and observing, as the workbooks suggested.

Any other newbies have similar frustrations? Now, when I finally do get put on bar....I have no idea what I am doing! So most of the time I am relegated to R1 during morning opening because I am so efficient and good with customers. I don't really mind that; however, I did get a job at SBUX in hopes of becoming a barista.

/rant.

[seventysix [76]]

I'm sorry to hear that, Emma. The only advice I can offer you is to read the Beverage Resource Manual thoroughly; it is your best resource for becoming good on bar, other than experience and other partners who may help you. Memorizing the drinks is the first step, and is an easily attainable goal. From there, all that's left is getting yourself into a system of making drinks, and making them fast (whether rushed or not).

Use your star skills:
Maintain and enhance self-esteem;
listen and acknowledge;
ask for help!

Best of luck to you on your learning journey.

seventysix [76]
Haud ignota loquor.
Starbucks Rebel Alliance
Bring on the holiday.

[dave]

How about getting a real job instead of panhandling while you pour some coffee?

[Darleen]

Dave-
How about not knocking people for what they do to earn a living? Weren't you taught respect when you were a child? Isn't there a dog somewhere you can kick?

[Neil O.]

Hi, I've been a barista for only a month or so, but I've observed some "questionable" behavior by my manager.

First, one of my jobs on AM shift is to make the bar mocha sauce each day. I know the recipe is for 1 bag mocha powder + 2 liters hot water, but my manager routinely uses 3 L water instead of 2. When I asked him why, he said that "it's easier to stir, and it tastes the same." I agree it's easier to stir 3 liters than 2, but doesn't it change the taste of the drink?

Also, this same manager frequently mixes the nonfat & whole steamed milk pitchers (instead of pouring unused milk down the sink). I asked him about this, too, and he said "it really doesn't make a difference."

If he's "cutting corners" with these things, couldn't he be cutting corners elsewhere, too?

What should I do? I'd like to keep my job (it's a busy but fun place, and he's a nice guy), but it seems like he's being dishonest.

[Steve]

Dave,

I'm 35 years old and a physician. I've worked in biomedical research, I've gone through med school and grad school, and I have 3 years "real-world" experience as a doctor. I'm working part-time as a barista while I contemplate a career change (long story).

I must say that being a barista is, in many ways, the most "real" job I've ever had. Yes, it's fun & relatively stress-free (compared to dealing with human lives in the ER), but demanding at the same time. There are expectations that must be met; if you meet them, people are satisfied (and you see their satisfaction), and if not, your job is literally on the line.

So many of my previous jobs depended on who I knew, where I went to school, how long my resume was (even though nobody ever read it), and other similar factors that had absolutely nothing to do with what I did on a day-to-day basis.

I imagine that your job is probably in that category, too. You might be making a lot more money than your neighborhood barista, but that doesn't mean your work is that much more "valid" or "meaningful." And you're probably no more "real" than someone who works hard to provide an enjoyable product, a good service, and friendly, comfortable environment for you.

[littypod]

I'm glad I never have to worry about tips being stolen, seeing as how I'm tragically employed at a licensed store. That is perhaps the only perk of being employed at one.

...

Yes, definitely the only perk.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I recommend that you just watch the other baristas at the store make drinks, even if this means you stay after your shift is over. If you observe the baristas and what they're doing and compare that to the Beverage Resource Manual, you should be able to pick up some good points. Like notice how they pour the drinks and whatnot. FINALLY, just remember to read the Beverage Resource Mnaual. Its no coincedence that both the Bible and Beverage Resource Manual start with the letter "B." Immerse yourself in the Starbucks culture.

BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL
PRIMUS INTER PARES
STARBUCKS REBEL ALLIANCE
AIM SN: BOSTONSTARREBEL

[Renaissance_Girl]

Once you have the drink recipes memorized you will find it a lot less stressful being on bar. Ask one or two partners to demonstrate to you how they steam milk and watch carefully, or have them watch you steam and ask for some pointers. Once you are comfortable steaming milk it is just a question of syrup + espresso shot + milk + whip depending on the drink. You will get into a rythm and find it is pretty fun being on bar.

And remember... even though Starbucks is demanding high standards, it is after all JUST A CUP OF COFFEE, not a life or death situation. Don't stress too much. If you make it wrong, simply make a new one. It may be annoying for a customer to receive the wrong drink, but keep in mind that you are still learning and perfecting your skill. There is more milk and espresso where that came from and you will find customers are a lot nicer when you explain you are new and trying to make their drink perfect for them.

Good luck, and have fun!

[Renaissance_Girl]

Sorry I meant to say *remind the customer that you are new and determined to perfect their drink for them. My mind works at a different speed them my typing abilities some days....

[Lindsay]

I went through the new Barista 100 course and I thought it was really good. The B1 and 2 came before POS the way I did it so I worked bar for at least two shifts before ever learning how to use the POS system. I agree that it's stressful to try to figure everything out at once (and the whole caramel machiatto phenomenon totally perplexes me, order a freaking vanilla latte with caramel syrup!) but I just made a little chart of sizes, pumps, etc and memorized it. Plus the beverage flash cards are great.

It helps that my managers and shifts are really helpful, made me make and try a ton of drinks during the very few times we're less busy and quiz me periodically.

Anyway, I love my sbux, the partners are great, the customers are friendly, and it's never boring. :)

[chi-town's best/angriest barista]

unfortunately training at starbucks is a little too self-directed. they throw you a pile of paperwork all at once and then expect you to be able to make everything perfectly in three days. not gonna happen. you have to comandeer the BRM and the other manuals if you can and memorize the hell out of them over your breaks and off time. once you've got that figured out, you have to forcably put youself in the poistion you want to learn (be it bar or register, or something else) and refuse to leave until you've got it down. at least this was my experience (high-volume store) and as much as it might suck, it does work, and it also helped me have more confidence in ymself and my skills as a barista. no more shy kid! now i'm more like a loose cannon (sorry, should have warned you about that).

[MD Barista]

Some once stole our tip jar and we got it back. Were not supposed to chase after them in the store or anything or approach them cuz it dangers the store environment.

[Chantal Marie Hernandez]

I'm not sure I quite understand MD BARISTA's comment, but I agree, don't be a hero. If someone steals your tip jar, try and get a description of them, and if you can do so without leaving the store or making it obvious, get the liscence number of the car they got into, if applicable. Then, call the NON-EMERGENCY number for your local law enforcment agency and relay that information to them so that they can let the Officers know.

Just wondering, how often does that kind of thing happen?

[Erinn]

When does the Eggnog latte and Gingerbread coffee come out?

[Soy Bean Girl]

When does the Eggnog latte and Gingerbread coffee come out?

They are out already! We put everything out as of November 1st, but all of the Holiday decor comes out next week!

Jeez people, read the thread before blindly posting. I dont want to see one more person asking about Holiday drinks. And I never EVER want to make a raspberry gingerbread eggnog latte EVER again (as I had to do this morning).

[burnt bean]

raspberry gingerbread eggnog latte

wow.

Oh yes. The smell was unbelievable.

[ben]

Question: A shift told me today that there was going to be (or already is?) a change to the recipe for caramel macchiatos- something that has to do with the vanilla pumps. Is this just crazy talk?

[Equal Among Equals]

"Its no coincedence that both the Bible and Beverage Resource Manual start with the letter 'B.'"

HAHA. It's comments like this that make me NOT hate you, Boston Starbucks Rebel.

As far as training goes, you'll be stressed and feel overwhelmed on bar and then all of the sudden one day you will realize "wait, I can do this!" and it will all fall into place. At least that's what happened to me, suddenly it all made sense. You will get behind, wait times will be high, you will need help from your partners, but all of that is ok. You'll get through it, everyone will get their drink, and things will work out just fine.

[FLASM]

Emma,

Was your Learning Coach on floor coverage during your training, or were they clocked in as training and dedicated to one-on-one time with you?

I think that's key with this new program. I didn't realize we were supposed to be doing this at first, and now that I'm scheduling the LC properly, the Barista is getting a better training.

[Soy Bean Girl]

I am new here to this site, so I wanted to say hello to everyone!

Anyways, I was looking to possibly seek some advice from you guys.

*Warning- long story ahead.*

I was involved in an unfortunate incident at my store earlier this year where my life was put in danger. The store manager at the time gave me the option of transferring to a different store, but I didn't feel like I needed to do that at the time, so I stayed at my store.

For a few months after the incident, I did not feel safe working at my store, regardless of the addition of security cameras. I refused to open due to the fear of it happening again. With some counseling, I was able to overcome my fear and slowly start opening again.
Now, 7 months after the incident, all the fears and insecurities I had have resurfaced and make me feel unsafe working at Starbucks.

There was a new store that opened about a half mile from my house that I really wanted to transfer to, also because I wanted to work for the lady who was becoming the store manager.

So I put in my transfer request form, inform my store manager that I would like to transfer THE DAY I hear about the plans to build it. Shortly after I give him my request form, he signs it in front of me, and says that he's enjoyed working with me and hopes I like the new store.

So the new store is scheduled to open on a saturday morning, I see the schedule for that week and my last day to work is that tuesday. So I figure all systems are a go.

That tuesday afternoon, he pulls me aside after I finish a grueling 9 hour shift and tells me "We need to talk about you transferring to the new store." So he sits me down and tells me this, "In order for a barista, or a shift supervisor in your case, to transfer, they need to be a master at their jobs. You currently are not a master at your job and need to be one in order to transfer. So I'm going to have to keep you here. I will put you back on the schedule for next week. Have a great night!" And walks away, leaving me sitting there about to burst into tears. I am extremely passionate about my job and want to be a store manager someday. I go into work every day and put out 150%, and he told me that basically my 150% isn't "mastering my job". I don't believe that is something a store manager should be saying to one of his shift supervisors. It really hurt me to hear that from someone who is supposed to be leading us and helping us grow.

A week or so later I find out that the actual reason I couldn't transfer is because I had a minor write up sitting on my file for forgetting to fill out my section of the duty roster on a day that I was severely understaffed. If my manager had told me that, I could have dealt with it. This write up will not clear off my record until january. Now I was offered a transfer at the drop of a hat back after the incident and I had 2 write ups sitting on my file.
Now that I was denied my transfer, I feel like I am stuck in hell. I want to feel safe working for a company that I love. The two other people that were involved in the incident with me were transferred out of my store. They were really the only others that I felt safe working with. After my transfer was denied, I sat down with my manager and told him, “I didn’t want to say anything about this before you made a decision about my transfer because I wanted your decision to be made on my good merits, but the core reason I wanted to transfer was because I no longer feel safe working here.” He really didn’t say anything besides a “Hey, thanks for sharing that with me.”

So after that long story, is there anything I can do? Granted, I know that the Holiday season is right around the corner and I don’t want to jump ship and abandon my co-workers, but come January, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I could go about pursuing a transfer?

[Pat Nerr]

Send this story to [email protected] or [email protected]... that's not right.

[Soy Bean Girl]

Who are they if you don't mind me asking?

[Scorchio321]

About how being a barista is or isn't a "real" job I will tell you that after 20 years sitting behind a desk I am now working full time at Sbux and am doing more "real" work in one day than I did in a month behind a desk. I am not saying I am changing lives but my life is so much more meaningful. Sbux is where my heart is and I am loving it. I don't make the same money but I do make a difference. I love it and am proud to be where I am.

Scorchio in TN after a week of being Shift Supervisor. :)

[Nick]

OT: Hey! We just opened a new drive-thru store in our area - we are all finding it hard to hear our customers with all of the organized chaos is going on (blenders, steaming eggnog!) --any advice?

[No Name]

JD is CEO, JA is President ( unless something has changed...).

Does anyone know of a safe way to give feed-back at Starbucks??? There's ALOT of bad stories about Partner Services out there, so maybe a different way, or somebody within Partner Services that is proven to be trustworthy...? If anyone has any success stories, I'd like to hear them, please. Is anonymous the only way to go???
Thanks!

Soy Bean Girl - You can also contact the business conduct hotline if you feel your manager is being unreasonable or violating company policies, procedures or values,(every call generates an investigation), but before you do that, I suggest you contact your DM and try to resolve the situation that way. Also, please be honest about your performance - as store managers we are committed to not transferring partner issues to other managers. Is your ONLY performance issue really that you didn't fill out one section of the duty roster on one day? Having said that, no one should be forced to work in an environment where they are afraid and feel unsafe - and I hope you are able to move store, and feel secure working for us again. Why did you wait so long!?

Bean Girl,
Also send a message to Bob Ravener and CC his assistant. He is the Partner Resources SVP for Starbucks, U.S.

[email protected]
[email protected]

Soybean Girl: yes, this is a time to go over the head of your store manager. Go up the chain -- district manager, regional manager, etc. -- until you get the transfer. Your manager is a jerk, and you should not be made to suffer for it. There are others who are not jerks.

Nick: can you be more specific about the noisy situation? In my store we also find it hard to hear. I worry that the noise is dangerous to people's hearing. Details, please.

PATNERR:
so what actually happens if you send an e-mail to jim d and jim a? do they reply? do they have someone else reply? do they phone or e-mail?

[charge4syrup]

Soy Bean Girl, I would call your DM, HR, and BC hotline. As long as you have a ME on your reviews you should beable to transfer. Unfortunately Corrective Actions never expire, they stay in your fill.

Its important to always e-mail a person's assistant too because the VIP is most likely really busy and you can more easily speak with his/her assistant.

[Soy Bean Girl]

Thank you everybody for your responses thus far.

I have talked to my DM about this situation. This is her response to me telling her I do not feel safe working at my store even after counseling: "Well, this situation can happen anywhere. I'm sure it's something that will pass over time. As of right now, I do not have any spots available for a shift supervisor transfer."

And anything I say about my store manager now as of how he treated me after the incident, I feel will be... almost invalid because he mysteriously quit telling us 3 days before he left and did not give us a reason why. So he no longer works for the company.

As for the current store manager who took over, she thinks that I just need more counseling and I will overcome this fear I have. I feel like everyone I talk to about this except my ASM thinks I am being ridiculous about this.

Emma,

Your training was not setup properly. You should have learned the espresso bar before learning register. And although much of the training is self directed, you should have had a reasonable amount of one on one time with your learning coaches.

Soy Bean Girl,

I would ask your manager for specifics regarding your performance. I highly doubt that the transfer was denied for a single corrective action for not filling out the duty roster. It can be hard to judge your own self critically so it is possible that you do have some performance issues. Ask your manager, as you deserve that feedback so you can improve in the areas that you need to.

Jeez people, read the thread before blindly posting. I dont want to see one more person asking about Holiday drinks

then don't read the posts!

[Pat Nerr]

Jim Donald WILL answer his e-mails... especially from a partner who is being given the shaft...

Not sure about Alling... he's a good guy, but I'm not sure he would answer it personally... His assistant Teresa might send you a message...

[TN Barista]

Ours used to get stolen on a REGULAR BASIS...finally my fellow baristas have learned to empty it after just a few dollars are in there.

[Nikki]

One of my semi-local Starbucks just got boarded up along with all the rest of the stores on a long, city block. Rumor has it that they're tearing all the stores down to make way for a mega Whole Foods. But what happens to the baristas in this kind of situation? Does Starbucks transfer them to another store, or do they lose their jobs? Hope not. Still blogging Starbucks at www.starbuckled.blogspot.com.

[atownsbuxrules]

I'm with ben, was there a change to the CM recipe?

Other things I wanna say.
1. WTF is with the decline in quality of our iced cups, iced lids and hot lids?? Iced cups are flimsier, iced lids stick together, hot lids crack. It makes things terribly ineffecient when you have to seperate lids or double cup cups, and is a lawsuit waiting to happen when the lid cracks on a customer's extra hot latte.

And on that note:

2. Not one of the pumpkin spice pumps in our store work, we are eyeballing it all day. Defective batch, or company-wide problem?

[decafdrinker]

Looks like my question got lost at the tail end of last week's thread, so I'll ask again: Weirdest/most unusual drink order?

[misscelestia]

"2. Not one of the pumpkin spice pumps in our store work, we are eyeballing it all day. Defective batch, or company-wide problem?"

Company wide.