A barista tells Starbucks corporate that she refuses to use the "Skinny" lingo

A Starbucks barista sent this objection to the "skinny platform" to the corporate bosses. She tells them: "At the risk of being reprimanded for insubordination, I will not be following this new method for calling and marking." The "skinny" drinks debut this week.

My name is xxxxxxx and I currently work at store number xxxx in NY. I am a barista. At the beginning of January, I know that we are to begin using a "Skinny platform" for calling drinks, as well as marking cups. I would like to say that I think this decision is a poor one, and, at the risk of being reprimanded for insubordination, I will not be following this new method for calling and marking. I feel as though there are several flaws that will cause confusion, frustration and, potentially, a waste of product and time for partners, and far worse, alienate both partners and Starbucks customers. I've composed a detailed list of problems that can and, more than likely will, arise from the "Skinny platform.

1) We have been trained since day one to follow a specific method of drink calling/marking. Changing it up now will cause FAR too much confusion. For all stores, high volume stores in particular, this can severely impact speed-of-service, drink quality, customer satisfaction, labor, and product usage. Miscommunication between customers and partners, partners calling drinks and partners making drinks, and partners making drinks calling the drinks to the customers waiting to receive their drinks will inevitably lead to drinks having to be discarded after being made, customers becoming angry and impatient, assuming it is employee incompetence that is behind errors, and partners become frustrated and angry at one another after having customers criticize and yell at them. Customers will not want to come to stores where they have had such negative experiences, and coming into work will become something that partners dread as opposed to look forward to. Furthermore, from a financial perspective, the amount of product wasted could impact profits to the company, and time wasted making and then remaking drinks will affect labor hours at all stores.

2) Customers already find it difficult and confusing to order drinks at Starbucks. After spending the time to remember exactly how to order their favorite drink to make things easier for baristas, and maybe even impress us, to have things changed in such a drastic way can upset customers and make things even more confusing. People have spent so much time trying to figure out just how to order a drink at Starbucks, why change things so dramatically. It also allows for a HUGE margin of error. A "Skinny" drink is a drink made with sugar-free syrup, non-fat milk, and no whipped cream. Unless this is CLEARLY spelled out for customers, people will ask for a "Skinny" drink without really knowing what they're asking for. People may want sugar-free syrup but 2% milk, or non-fat milk but still have the whipped cream, or any number of other combinations that are NOT "Skinny" according to the recipe, but are still modified in a "Skinny" fashion. Moreover, partners who have been with the company for an extended period of time have grown used to the current procedure. We have gone through the process of learning how to call the drinks, and how to listen to customers struggle to ask us for everything they want in their drink, and translate the order into correct format. This change will throw partners off and, once again, lead to frustration and mistakes. Why complicate a system that, for the most part, works?

3) It is politically incorrect. Should we start calling drinks with 2% or whole milk and regular syrups "Fat" or "Obese?" Consider what customers on line waiting for their turn to order their drink will think if they hear the drink before them being called out as "Skinny." It leaves the door open for the next person on line to be offended. Additionally, the word "skinny" itself can have many different interpretations, not all of which are positive. In today's society, the term "skinny" often refers to a person who is considered TOO thin or unhealthy looking. People will not want to order a drink with a name that they associate with an unhealthy appearance.

4) The fact cannot be disputed that in society today, people are just waiting for an opportunity to sue major corporations. Without question, people will be leaping at the opportunity file a lawsuit against the Starbucks Corporation for discrimination. In this country, statistics show that more than two thirds of the population is overweight or obese. Calling a drink "Skinny" could easily be considered a form of size discrimination. This is not exclusive to people who are overweight as a result of their lifestyle or eating habits. There are a number of medical maladies that result in people becoming overweight regardless of eating habits or how they live their lives. Whether the corporation cares to recognize the fact or not, Starbucks is a target by society and there are a lot of people who would love to bring it down. This is just giving them the means to do so. Regardless of whether these people are justified in their claims, it is foolish to believe that people will not use this for their own gains.

5) Aside from customers who do not fit societies standards of "skinny," there are partners that are employed by Starbucks who are "overweight," and it is ridiculous to think otherwise. Imagine going to work for several hours at a time, and hearing the term "skinny" being called out countless times. It will undoubtedly have a negative affect on a person's self-esteem that may already be low from living in a society that is generally not accepting of people who do not fit the mold of a "beautiful" person. It creates an environment that people will not want to be in. It will exacerbate self-image issues that partners of ANY size may have. Why would ANYONE want to go into a store where they will hear potentially hurtful terms called out repeatedly with no regard as to how they may affect people?

I have no doubt that there is no malicious intent with "Skinny" platform. I'm sure that it is intended to make our jobs easier, and maybe show the public that Starbucks has options that can eliminate many of the calories and fat in the drinks we serve. Maybe it is even an attempt to use a different kind of lingo that could be considered hip or exciting. But the problems I have brought up cannot be ignored. They are real, and they will affect every single Starbucks that implements this system. As a company that is a part of the service industry, you are alienating customers and employees, and there will be repercussions. On a deeper level, this in essence goes against every one of our six guiding principles in one way or another.

I am not the only employee of this company who holds this opinion. I have yet to come across a single partner in any store who thinks that this is a good idea. There are several policies Starbucks enforces that I do not necessarily agree with, but this is one that I refuse to adhere to, and I will not let this be something that I complain about to coworkers and do nothing about. I am speaking on behalf of myself, and any partner who shares my beliefs but has decided not to voice their opinion. I love my job. It is a part of my life that brings me joy and makes me feel as though I am making people happy. It is for that reason that I believe this "Skinny" platform is a policy that, if nothing else, should be reconsidered by the company, if not completely eliminated. I will accept any consequences that I may face for not following this policy, but I would hope that it does not come to that.

The "Skinny" platform is not legendary.

I thank you for your time and hope that you will consider all that I have said.

Sincerely,
XXXXX

Comments

[B Hoppe]

please visit my new blog at http://ihatestarbucks.blogspot.com/ to read my rebuttal on this issue....

[Ruby Doomsday]

Adrienne, unfortunately the barista you got stuck with must have been suffering sme "growing pains". The "skinny" thing is brand new, after all. Another problem s that as recently as 2005 customers were encouraged to call non-fat drinks (even the 7 pump pumpkin spice with extra whip, so long as they had non-fat milk in 'em somewhere) skinny. I have an irritating little booklet from 2005 instructing customers on how to talk the talk... "with legs", for example, meant "to go". dumb. But there's still customers from way back who order "skinny" to mean non-fat, so it would have been nice if they had chosen a different word to mean non-fat, sugar free, no whip to avoid confusion. That being said, the New Skinny caught on really quickly at my store. Sorry your barista wasn't so bright. :)

[Nick Popageorgio]

The fact that one of your arguments is "It will undoubtedly have a negative affect on a person's self-esteem" just solidifies the fact that you are a moron...Try reaching just a little more for some filler in your article...

If ordering a drink and using the word "skinny" to place your order offends you, perhaps you should not order the drink in the first place and go to a gym, fatty.

[Jennifer]

I do not agree with the Starbucks barista’s comments on the new “skinny” drinks. They are grounded in speculation and her own personal feelings, not based on facts or evidence.

She assumes that the new policy will confuse the employees and customers, but it is not her place to speak for those people. I am a Starbucks customer, and she does not speak for me. Change is always confusing at first, but the Starbucks employees who are well-trained and adaptive will catch on quickly. Those who aren’t adaptive or willing to learn won’t catch on, and they will be the ones to cause problems.

If the new “skinny” terminology confuses customers, then It is up to the employees to guide the customers on the new policy. It is also up to customers to be specific about exactly what they want, especially if they know their drink is complicated. I have not encountered a Starbucks barista yet who resents my spelling out exactly what I want.

This barista also presumes to know what customers will think about the new terminology. She cannot know what’s inside other people’s heads. Customers will decide for themselves if they are offended by the word “skinny” or not.

I can dispute her fact on point 4, that people are just waiting to sue major corporations. I, for one, am not. I have better things to do with my time. Again, her assumption is not grounded in fact. Until someone actually files a lawsuit against Starbucks for the “skinny” drinks, her argument has no grounds.

Finally, this barista has no standing to presume what her fellow company partners are and are not offended by, whether they are overweight or not.

As a long-time Starbucks customer, I have been ordering a (take a deep breath) “venti, non-fat, sugar-free, no whip cinnamon dulce latte” for years. Now, all I have to do is say the size I want and say “skinny.” Starbucks has made my life easier.

[Betsy]

Wow...now drinks are politically incorrect? I didn't realize the words "skinny" or "obese" were politically incorrect. People need to grow up and not be offended and hurt by everything they hear. The way people talk now is so convoluted that the words they say don't even really mean anything anymore. It's a drink. Relax already.

Today I had a customer come in:

Cust: "I want a skinny hazelnut latte with whip."

Me: "So you want the sugar free hazelnut syrup?"

Cust: "Oh, no...I want the regular kind."

Therein lies the problem of this entire promotion. And, yes, it's clearly explained in our store what the Starbucks definition of Skinny is.

[Roseamongthebeans]

As a partner- I can't believe how ridiculous this all is! So sometimes corporate throws us some things we don't think will fly in the store, it happens. You applied for the job and you do it! And you do it to the best of all you green apron skills! One of them being Genuine. So if customers don't want to say skinny- don't correct them, they're still saying their drink right. And to the high and mighty baristas who correct everyone- they can get a life! If thats how you get your satisfaction, find a new job. We're here for our customers. If someone wants a skinny vanilla chai, make it as skinny as possible and let them know we don't have sugar-free chai. This isn't supposed to be hard. Everyone knows that tons of people have been ordering skinny as nonfat milk for forever.

And so far at my store, people have absolutely loved it. One customer actually said that she "loved" it. And she was not exactly in the best shape. The DRINK is skinny. Why can't people understand that. I've asked people what they thought about it at my store and they were amazed that others were offended by it. If you are the type to find something to get offended by- I'd rather not have to deal with you. I spend my day trying my best to actively create the 3rd place for everyone. When will people stop taking out what they deem "mistakes" from corporate out on the baristas? I obviously did not make this change! Don't get mad at me! I'm not in charge, but we get the most guff about it. If you don't like it, you shouldn't be writing about it here, and you shouldn't be yelling at your baristas. You should be writing to corporate.

[da playa]

lol.. sorry serving coffee is not my career

[christin]

this is the biggest crock of bullshit i've ever read!!!!

Hey goodbye kitty,
why should it be starbucks fault if a company like altria is investing in their stock? This just means they believe sbux is a stock you can earn money with. I'm sure not everyone is happy about this shareholder, but you can't keep certain companies from investing in you if you are going public. So please don't try to create a stupid, useless, hypocritic outcry.

[Andrea]

This just goes to show that there are so many people in this country that just can't WAIT to find something to be offended by. Offended by someone calling a *drink* skinny? Get real!

[Michael]

michael, do you know WTF you'r eordering? chais are not called skinny. there is no non-fat vanilla. there is no sugar-free chai. if you are embaressed or confused to order your own drink, is that not a sign that perhaps you shouldn't be ordering it in the first place. it's coffee, not rocket science, not that hard.

-x-

sugar-free, not non-fat vanilla. I stand correct.

And, obviously there is no non-fat chai. It's the milk in the chai.

-x-

Anyway. I went into starbucks, asked a few questions and ordered it.

It's sugar-free vanilla and non-fat milk.
Perfect. It tastes better than the regular. And, I get to walk away knowing that I'm not consuming tons of sugar. :]

[EZ E]

RE: ROSEAMONGTHEBEANS

I agree with what you said Rose.

On another note.. If someone wants a Skinny Vanilla Chai, try offering a Sugar Free, Non-Fat, Chai Tea Misto.

However, it is also to keep in mind that not many customers know that our Sugar free syrups are made with Splenda. There are some people who are allergic to splenda who can suffer severe side-effects from it.

[EZ E]

SUGAR FREE VANILLA* There we go..

[Barista 101]

LISTEN-

OUR DRINK MARKING/CALLING IS WHAT HAS MADE US UNIQUE.

WE'VE UTILIZED A SYSTEM THAT WORKS! WE'VE EVEN EXPLAINED THE PROCESS TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND THEY'VE ADAPTED!

CLUMPING: NON-FAT, SF, NO WHIP COMPLETLY RUINS THE WHOLE PROCESS!

SKINNY IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN- GOD FORBID A BARISTA OR OUR CUSTOMERS NOT ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION...WHO KNOWS WHAT DRINK THEY'LL END UP WITH?

[Howie's Advocate]

To all the Partners that Whine and Complain -

Partners should embrace the company that gives them AND the community so much.

Starbucks pays you to do a specific job that YOU agreed to do, if you don't like it leave. There are pleanty of people out there that would gladly work inplace of you. They would probably even be GREATFUL for the opportunities they are given.

I'll tell you one thing, if it weren't for National/State Labor Laws, about 75% of you guys/gals would be unemployed. And that's the honest truth.

Sincerely,
Howie's Advocate

[jlo12132003]

Just my two cents...

I am an "pverweight" partner, and I could honestly care less about calling drinks "skinny". If it offends someone, maybe they should sit down and figure out why something so insignificant is bugging them. It all comes down to loving yourself and not caring what others think. Also, all of the customers I have spoken to since this new promotion LOVE it. They say it's easier for them to call, and remember, and it's even gotten some to start ordering sugar free, simply because they weren't aware so many of our syrups are sugar free now. They are all so excited about the sugar free mocha, and I am excited to offer it to them. Maybe if more partners actually liked their jobs, and did what was simply asked of them, Starbucks wouldnt be in the funk that it is now...

[m. dechesser]

As a former Starbucks employee I am only saddened that yet again it's employees are being subjected to some bizzare idea most likely thought of by a group of micro managers who don't understand the first thing about working in a Starbucks store. It's too easy to make the comment "Don't like it, get a new job" because having worked for Starbucks for 10 years-yes people 10 years! I saw a company go from being an industry leader to a pop-culture clichè full of moronic high level managers. Partners do like their jobs and Starbucks was and can be a great job. The suggestion that the "funk" as one person commented is the fault of it's employees is nonsense. I see this person's complaint merely as someone who actually cares about their job, their customers and the company they work for. I hated my job in the end, not because I was lazy or hated serving people but because I saw a once great establishment crumbling under the idiocy of incompetent and ignorant managment.

[shameem]

...Perhaps if people stopped thinking of "skinny" as "unhealthy" we wouldn't have a country of 2/3 overweight and obese people.

[Brittany]

i disagree with you. i believe that starbucks has indeed gone this far with being as successful as it is by the decisions and choices that it has made. so in this change yes it will be different but there will always be changes in starbucks drinks and in life. customers should know by now if they are on a diet then going to buy a skinny latte is not best idea of a "lose weight" drink even if it does say "skinny". starbucks doesn't promote good healthy slimfast drinks it promotes the atmosphere and experience, good customer service and the baristas knowing how to make there drinks, and many more more important things. this is just something else to learn even it we have been doing this for 5 years a certain way. it helps keep us on our toes and i think it's a great idea. so now learning this new way of calling out and writing drinks i am ready for the next change.

Anyone remember the steamer/syrup creme name change? another case of renaming a drink that already existed. AND it was only months after the introduction of the frappuccino blended creme-

customer: "can I get a tall vanilla steamer?"

register partner: "tall vanilla creme!"

customer: "NO! WAIT! Not the cold drink- what are you telling them? I just want a vanilla steamer!"

customer 2: "I'll have a grande raspberry syrup creme"

barista: "I have one grande raspberry syrup creme!"

customer 2: "what is this? is this my drink? I wanted a frappuccino!"

Point is, just like back then, customers now need to be retrained on what the language means. It means every customer who orders a skinny drink needs to be asked if they want sugar free or just nonfat. Just like they STILL need to be asked when ordering the cremes if they want the hot drink or the frappuccino.

Annoying, but partners have survived this type of thing before.

what concerns me is what happens when the promo ends or when the "skinny" lingo is defunct. then we go through it all again and look like (bigger?) asses to boot.

[nybarista]

Hey Michael, a grande skim chai has 42 grams of sugar. Try again.

And to the moron who told everyone to get an education and then get a real job:
WHO WILL MAKE YOUR COFFEE?
Will you work at Starbucks when an ex-barista takes your job?
Oh, and since you're so concerned, would you like to be a little altruistic and pay my tuition? That's why I work at Starbucks, you know. To pay my obscenely large tuition bills for the overpriced university I go to so your company will hire a younger, underqualified me for less money when they lay more people off.

Watch your karma. Everyone is a human being trying to make a living. Being rude to people "without real jobs" (whatever a "real job" actually is) is disgusting.

[Missy]

i didnt realize SKINNY was such a hard word to say. if anything the customers love it.

[Megan F]

I think it is ignorant and stupid to tell the baristas to get an education and a real job. I worked at a grocery store for four years to work my way through college, and no, it wasn't the ideal job, but it was flexible and provided a pay check.

I can understand the frustrations Starbucks employees have with customers, especially when they have a different understanding of what a word means. The only problem I see with using "Skinny" is that some people use it to mean only skim or low-fat milk, and may not get what they actually wanted. It would just be due to misunderstandings, not stupidity.

[skinny]

Just because you are fat doesn't mean we should stop using the word skinny, fatty.

obviously this is becoming a major respect and dignity issue. If partners feel bad, why are we as a company supporting it. Not everyone is going to like a flavor or promotion, but how many actually provoke insecurities?

Lets listen to our partners, and not just ask them to tell us what we want to hear. Lets ask for the truth on this one. Im a manager and I want to hear my baristas opinion. I care about them and believe they are not just being "bitter" about this.

Get your partners to write letters, their words do count. Lets show that this is true.

[nicole]

I would bet my right arm that this women is a fatty. Get over it and stop being so hypersensitive, it is about a drink, not a person, geez.... !!!!!!

[Xan]

I've been saying this since I started working for the company. I hate the "skinny" thing. It's been "nonfat" and/or "sugarfree" for 30-something years, why change it now? Especially to something as stupid as "skinny"?

I've always said it reminds me of aging soccer moms who still think they're hip, the only customers at my store who ever called anything "skinny".

Also, it's pissed off A LOT of customers at my store. They're all getting pretty confused.

[DEFECATOR]

the arguments in this letter are ridiculous.

to the argument (#3) that we should not call the drink skinny since we dont call regular lattes fat :

by that argument, shouldnt the nonfat modifier also be considered offensive, since it implies that the other person not ordering nonfat is fat? actually by that reasoning nonfat is more offensive than skinny, because skinny is more ambigious. like a euphemism. kinda like saying "using the bathroom" instead of saying defecating. or "taking a leak," instead of saying urinating. nonfat on the other hand is more direct. if your argument is that by calling a drink skinny, the customer is implying that he/she is more inclined to be conscious of their apparent weight than the person behind them that does NOT order their drink skinny, than calling a drink nonfat is even worse.
by your argument, we should eliminate all terms that imply either directly or indirectly the fat content of the milk, including nonfat, 2% and whole because it says something about the person who orders and the person who does not. that's ridiculous.

to the argument that it is too confusing:

i think the issue of "confusion" on the part of customers and baristas kinda went out the window as soon as starbucks began the whole system of drink modification. one little addition to the vast library of confusing drink names wont really hurt that much methinks. this is a slippery slope argument that raises the question of where to draw the line in terms of confusing drink ordering which will inevitably lead to the conclusion that starbucks should not sell anything that requires more than one word to order it. By your argument, there should be no sizes, no syrup, no iced option, no extra espresso shots, no decaf, no room, no sweetener, and no whip. we should only sell one kind of drip coffee, one shot of espresso per customer, one kind of latte, and one kind of tea. or perhaps we should take it even further and not sell anything. then there will be no confusion whatsoever and everyone will be very happy.

to the argument that it raises the possibility of lawsuits:

anything that anyone does raises the possibility of a lawsuit. even not doing anything raises the possibility of a lawsuit. so it's a lose-lose situation. the question is whether or not the risk of a lawsuit outweights the benefits of doing whatever it is that would raise the possibilty of a lawsuit. you havent given any sensibly compelling reasons to fear the possibility of a lawsuit. other than some nonsense about people being offended because of the implication that they are fat because someone else is skinny.

if starbucks is making it easier for people to not get fat by giving the option of ordering a drink skinny, that should be a good thing. it might be confusing at first, but people will learn and adjust. give it time.

[imdavette]

so what's the truth in the new email i just received from my mom back in the midwest complaining that starbucks won't send coffee to the troops because starbucks doesn't support the war or anyone in it?

[Debbie]

I absolutely HATE the Skinny platform. For years, I've ordered and loved my Tall Sugar-free Vanilla Skim Latte. I've never thought if it as a diet drink--and I've never reflected on my weight at 7am, while waiting on line at Starbucks.

[nicole]

You know I am feeling kind of offended by an issue as well... Why are the cups white? I think this insinuates white is better than black... Starbucks is being insensitive in using only white cups and hence promoting white power...

UPDATE: HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!

[imabarista]

PC strikes again.

It is a great system which speeds up service and cuts down on waste.

It reminds me of the man who was fired for using the word' niggardly'.

Sheesh

[Barista]

i recently had a customer who ordered a 'skinny caramel macchiato', i had to spend 5 min try to explain to her what the skinny platform is and that sbux doesn't have 'sugar-free caramel drizzle'. this whole skinny platform's affecting the speed of service because customers are just ordering everything skinny thinking that all tall/iced tall/frappuccino drinks have only 90 calories, it's rather time consuming to explain to half of the ppl in a huge line up in the morning.

[Scout's Honor]

I just ordered the skinny mocha out of curiousity because of the hype.

Nasty.

It seems that Starbucks has an agenda to lower their dairy costs and spin it as concern for the customers. My husband works in the super-premium/premium ice cream field and damn that milk fat is expensive. BUT, this is not the way to do it.

His company ended up reducing the half-gallon size to 56 ounces. They also do the "chocolatey" thing in some of their premium ice creams. They are also using vegetable oils instead of cream. So very wrong. Now ice "cream" is frozen dessert.

Does anyone think that instead of worrying about fat, we should worry about portion control? Perhaps, reduce the fluid ounces by an ounce or two. My husband's company found people didn't care they got a little less ice cream. I think they would care about the vegetable oil if they ever read the label.

Also, this skinny thing reminds me of the light option that Taco Bell offered in the 90's. Super confusing. No I wanted no sour cream--not fake cheese. No wonder it's now defunct.

It's also the same with all the sugar free or fat free products in supermarkets. Studies show people gain weight with them because they think they can eat more. Oh, wait? Maybe that's Starfucks evil plan. Who cares about health-consciousness. Let's just get them to buy more crap.

People should get the real thing. Perhaps you can offer half-sizes or splitting an order.

I wish Starbucks would go back to worrying about the quality and less about gimmicks.

[Sooz]

Personally, I love the new "platform." Sooo much easier than Grande, non-fat, sugar-free, no foam vanilla latte! And, yes, I'm fat.

[customer]

I like the Cinnamon Dolce Latte, but like it nonfat, no whip. It would be easier to call it skinny, except I don't want the sugar-free syrup!

And... if you don't want whip on a cinnamon dolce latte, can you order the drink as a latte and add cinnamon dolce syrup? Quite a bit cheaper to order it that way!!
If you can, how do you order a nonfat, no foam, extra hot latte with cinnamon dolce syrup... just like that? (Will they try to charge you for the regular priced cinnamon dolce latte?)

Honestly, I bought a bottle of cinnamon dolce syrup & just add it myself to my latte. I was fed-up with the inflated
cinnamon dolce latte price.

[Kathleen]

I'd like a "Fatty" no no make that a "Barbie"

[JT]

Okay, so if you want a skim milk, sugar-free syrup, and no cool whip, say SKINNY. It's stupid to be offended by that word (and this is coming from a girl who has struggled through an eating disorder). It's seriously not a big deal, and it's actually more convenient for customers who DON'T want to specify "I want a latte with skim milk, sugar-free vanilla syrup, and no cool whip" yada yada.

As for those who don't want a FULL-on skinny drink, THEY can take the seconds themselves and say, "I want sugar-free syrup, no cool whip, but 2% milk." They're the ones who are being more complicated (not that that's a bad thing, I do that sometimes with my drinks!). There's no reason why there shouldn't be two extremes of ordering: plainly ordering a cinnamon dolce latte or ordering the other end, a skinny cinnamon dolce latte. For those who want to have a mix, they can be specific.

How stupid do you think the customers are? And how stupid are the baristas if they don't know how to incorporate new training as they work? Hon, get used to the real world, because IN the real world, your job changes ALL the time. No one sticks to the original training. And if you get confused by it, you're probably too dumb to have the job anyway.

Your letter's "facts" are based on your personal opinion and are not backed by any research. Your claims are presented as true, but they are only your OPINION!

Try writing logically and professionally in the future

[Bananas :)]

Im sorry, Im a shift in a store and brooklyn where many of the customers order sf skim no whip drinks and this is the greatest platform they have put out not so much for the flavor ( im not a fan of that splenda taste) but it shows them that they have a option. They dont have to comsume 1,000 calories on every visit. Skinny is not offensive in a drink! Im overweight and i totally agree we need products that have fewer calories and fewer grams of, wait dont get offended, FAT. Customers that come in and are like uuuh give me a " Iced Decaf Quad Venti Sugar-Free Vanilla Skim ( Sorry my part of bklyn says skim not NF) no whip Latte are thrilled to stop being tounge tied and hurting their brains (lol) also that 3 seconds it saves on almost every cup adds up and helps out service time. Which helps us get even MORE 100 percent 5 stars, well at least when the stupid voice is over.

[Michele]

As a customer, I really do not see a problem with the new Skinny platform. Basically, it is trying to appeal to those who are trying to be more healthy in their drink choices and provide an easier way to make a decision of ordering a healthy drink over a not so healthy drink. I think the description is clear and easy to understand. I have yet to order the drink, but I certainly had no problem understanding what the drink is, who the target audience is, how to order it if I want it, and that the options were already available to me before. I actually think it is a good idea. I don't know if I would like the taste (I tend not to like sugar free stuff anyways). It hits the nail on the head so to speak in regards to showcasing their more healthy drinks and making it easier for people who find it hard to choose the more healthy option. (it is so much easier to just say a tall mocha, than say a non-fat, no whip, tall, sugar-free mocha). So, now all one would have to say is "skinny mocha", and they get all of the above options. Is that really hard to comprehend? Is it really a hard thing to ask a customer if they meant the Skinny Latte or just non-fat milk? Besides, those that probably use the lingo Skinny for non-fat milk will be probably quick to adjust as they are obviously very familiar with Starbucks, and probably take the few seconds it requires to read an ad.

It certainly does not offend me if the word skinny is used. If it offends you, get over it.

[Lisa]

I love the new "Skinny" lattes. So much easier than ordering "non-fat, no whip, skim, sugar free latte. The name term "skinny" clearly applies to the drink...not the person ordering it. Good Grief.

[You people need to get a life]

I get so sick and tired of this Political Correctness stuff. I.E. you can't call it skinny because you may hurt someone feelings, or you can't do that because it may hurt someone feelings. If you get your feelings hurt because you hear somebody say SKINNY, you need to see a SHRINK, or stop eating so much (unless it's a medical condition of your size), Oh I can't sat that either.

What I find to be offensive is when I go in to a Burger King and some body orders 2 double meat whoppers with cheese Big order of French fries and then order a diet Drink. Drinking a diet drink help them with their weight?

This political correctness stuff is very out of hand. If it hurt your feelings so what- Life is hard sometimes, maybe you need to go back and ask your parents why they didn't do a better job in raising you by getting along in this world instead of oh you hurt my feelings by saying that, I always thought that was Grade school stuff.

[sbux customer]

The Skinny platform very well make many of your slender customers feel like self-righteous bitches for rubbing in how slim they are, and your fat customers feel like ridiculous pigs for trying to manage their weight with coffee. There are alternatives to loaded terminology like "skinny", and Starbucks would do well to investigate them.

[You people need to get a life]

One more thing if you are going to accept a job, and most places have rules if you are not going to go by them, then don't work there.

They don't owe you a thing accept your wages for the hours you work. No matter how good you think you are you can be replace by someone that wants to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Katie]

I am SO sick of politcally correct. Skinny is not a bad word. Obesity is a problem! Considering the numbers of obese people in this country, any plan to make people drink/eat less calories should be a welcome thing. GEEZ...get a life! This girl should go work at Mcdonalds...where nothing is really skinny. That may make her happy. If baristas are getting mad at each other for mistakes...they should get another job. The whole letter is RIDICULOUS. And most people who go to Starbucks...are smart enough to figure out how to order a drink and those who aren't, should drink water.

Sorry to say it, but this really isn't about the employee. The customer is the one who you are suppossed to be striving to please, not the employee. Yes, I agree that the terms are a bit difficult at first to remember, but don't they pay you to remember that? If you don't like it, get a new job, or adapt to the fact that Starbucks is going to constantly try new things. New ideas=More business and money. Get over yourself and do your job without complaining.

[Sniles]

So, I am sitting here reading this and chatting with my coworkers about it, and we are all laughing! I have worked as a barista since 1995 and a nonfat (or skim) drink has ALWAYS been ordered as "skinny!" It is nothing new, it's just that Starbuck's is using the term to set themselves apart and get people interested in it! Guess what! Your whining is working for them! Starbucks is getting all of your attention! I am a heavy girl and am not offended by having to order a "skinny" drink, and if someone is then they probably don't need the drink anyways!

[Jim]

Amazing how much time some people have to find things to get upset about isn't it ?