Post away on the first OPEN THREAD of 2008

Here's a chance for customers to ask questions of baristas -- and an opportunity for Starbucks employees wipe off their forced smiles (if it's indeed that's what they are) and be honest about how they're feeling about their jobs and the company.

Comments

[tall is small]

Referring to Orange syrup:
About 2 weeks ago I noticed that our orange syrup and sauce expires on Jan 8 08(they even had an extension date sticker on them), I tried to order it and both times we got zeroed out. So maybe we are discontuning them or the RP is simply out.

[Tim]

If they're getting rid of orange, they better have the sense to bring back VALENCIA.

Sad about almond, but if it really was going away wouldn't they have put an action item up on the portal?

[seventysix [76]]

Oh PLEASE bring Valencia back. I miss it in my Passion Tea.

Jordanatlas,

Welcome new partner! Best advice I have for you is to keep an open mind during your training. Be honest and ask questions. Best of luck!

Regards,
seventysix [76]

We still have orange at our store. I should check the expiration date. I just made a Orange Passion Tea Lemonade today. There's a discount food store in my city that has about 3 flats full of Starbucks Orange Syrup for 99 cents. I was amused. They also had about 50 cannisters of Toffee Nut sprinkles and a lot of Chocolate Cinnamon bread. It was insane.

[nicolemarie]

At our store, our customers are enjoying the idea of having to say "skinny" instead of "sugar free / nonfat / no whip". It is easier for them. Also, we have sold quite a few SFMs this week -- it seems that if the customers use splenda at home they tend to be "OK" with the taste. I suppose we will if they come back for more of them :)

For those of you who do not have a good team of partners at your store, I am sorry! I have an amazing team of partners to work with and we have a heck of a great time while we working -- even when lines are crazy in the lobby and at the drive-thru.

be well!

[Mandee]

Jordanatlas-
Welcome! The best advice I can give you is to double check what other partners tell you, even what your SM tells you is "policy." There's a lot of "rumors" and controversy over ways we do things, recipies, etc. at our store. Check the recource manuals if you are being told two different things! It makes things less confusing. ;-) Also, policy does change from time to time, so stay updated!

[Stacy]

My store got some orange in about a month ago. All of ours expires in Feb. The sauce expired in December though.

It appears orange is hit or miss. Heather, I hope your able to find a store in your area that still carries it.

To the anonymous partner that said drinking milk was positively effecting her bones:
Milk leeches calcium from your bones. I'd switch to soy if you really want a positive effect.

[kelly]

"Before that I was drinking the strawberries and cream until I realized it was a blended cream, and not a blended coffee so I switched."

how did you not know the strawberries and cream was coffeeless?

[anna p]

almond is going away?? great, now that almond and coconut are gone, starbucks has officially done away with all of my favourite syrups and I will have to go elsewhere.

[Heather]

"how did you not know the strawberries and cream was coffeeless?"

lol I didn't pay attention to the menu. Someone suggested it to me because I like strawberries and I assumed because it's a frappuccino, it had coffee. Once I actually looked at the menu, I saw the difference.

yeah, yeah I'm slow. :)

[Heather]

I've noticed, thanks Stacy. I am going to try in the morning and see if I can find it. ^^

[Kittymoose]

I really wish we could be straight with customers. Like when you call a frappuchino and you get the impatient woman that shouts at you "I ORDERED AN EGGNOG LATTE, NOT THIS". Of course, she just skipped ahead of all the people waiting at the bar and grabbed the first thing that came out. Ugh. I wish I could just say something along the lines of "well obviously that's not your drink then, you're taking somebody else's. The drinks are all made in order, you just skipped everyone in front of you. And can I recommend decaf? You seem a little uppity."

[Javaccino]

KittyMoose

Of course she cut ahead of everyone else in line. She's more important than all the other customers, can't you tell?

[Kittymoose]

*eye roll* yeah, they're all like that where I work.

Anybody else find it odd that the "skinny" lattes on the menu are pictured with what appears to be whip on them?

[Tim]

I did MBs during rollout. It's definitely "creamy" nonf-- er, skinny foam.

[James UK]

Is it just me, or are there any other customers who wish Starbucks would silence the background music?

Yesterday morning, at 7:45am, the stereo was blasting! Really loud... to the point where it was actually difficult to have a conversation.

I've asked a few times if they'd mind turning the music down, but invaribly it's back "up" again on the next visit.

With everyone listening to IPods now anyway, where's the point in having it? No one likes everyone else's choice of music...

[EXTRAFOAMY]

I like the "skinny" platform..i like hitting one button (DT store) and not 3 different modifiers..not one customer has felt they were being called fat because they wanted 2% or sugar in their mocha..how long has starbucks been taking hits for such high fat and calorie containing drinks, why the heck not promote "healthier" options..i was getting asked 50 times a day for a SFM anyway..

about the music, it's controled through the store--you can ask to have it turned down but if the parteners are anything like at my store we have the music on loud-ish in the mornings because it keeps us awake and in a good mood..

[Peaches]

James, if you mean that you wish Starbucks would lower the volume of the music in the morning, thats a legitimate comment. The baristas should adjust the music to your request. I don't know how loud they set it at your store, so you could be completely correct.

However, I hope you are not saying that you think Starbucks should entirely do away with background music. Like xfoamy said, for those of us who have to wake up at 3am to open the store, we like to have some music to get us going.

In addition to that, a musicless Starbucks during a rush, morning or otherwise, is even more chaotic than usual. Its a psychological thing, I swear.

As for business reasons, we play music that we sell, and we have a station on XM radio that we promote. Plus, its hard for me to imagine a third place environment without music.

I am a little biased on this topic, as my store has a regular that comes in when the music is playing at a reasonable, coffee shop volume, and insists that is entirely too loud, and in order for him to conduct his business, it must be silent. He singlehandedly walks in the door and demands us to do all these ridiculous things. Being legendary to him means turning the store into his own deadpan corporate office building.

what, me, bitter?

Since the minimum wage went up in california, does anyone know if partner's pay rates are going up? I'm only asking because all of my close friends that i worked with made less then me by 75 cents or so and now their about even with what i'm getting. It seems really crappy that it seems like i'm starting from scatch with my pay rate if not.

[SoCAL STARBUCKS REBEL]

Yes partners pay in California will go up . How much i am not sure, depends on time in, position current rate of pay. SBUX has some formula. so when are we going to get black liquorish or anise flavored syrup? tall liquorish mocha any one? YUM

Just give me some Kahlua flavoring and I'll be happy.

[Jeffrey]

Socal Starbucks:

"Liquorish" and "licorice" syrup would be two entirely different things!!!

(I agree with the next comment, that we ought to just use Kahlua and be done with it.)

[fuwalda]

Peaches, you can feel free to tell that customer no. We are allowed to turn the volume down to a reasonable level, but we are actually not supposed to turn it off. It's part of our Hear Music deal with XM radio. Music always has to be playing in our stores.

[sclaire]

-For customers who grab the first drink that's called out at the bar, then complain that it's not what they ordered - baristas at the register should be asking for the customers' names to avoid this confusion.

-I am not minding this skinny platform and I am glad that it is spelled out for the customers on the signage - nonfat AND sugarfree. I believe most people assumed it was just nonfat.

-My biggest gripe about working at Sbux are the customers who feel they are ENTITLED to some fancy schmany drink and if they THINK it is missing 1 splenda, they will send it back. One lady comes in all the time, orders a double tall 4 pump vanilla latte at 180 degrees. I've seen her send her drink back 4 times in one visit because once she thought it had "too much espresso taste," then it had "too much vanilla," then it "wasn't at 180 degrees" (it was), then claim our thermometers were broken. She thinks she is so important and has to make the baristas feel like total crap because her taste buds are off, not to mention slow down the line.

[baristainmo]

Until our company can get back to the "customer relationship", no promotion, new product, or sale will ever suffice. Managers are now REQUIRED to spend time off the floor completing "scorecards", filling in blanks and squares with numerics, when all of this information is already compiled in the portal. More admin=less time with customers and partners. Until we can grasp the idea of regional food products that can be tailored to people, the reduced fat 300 calorie coffee cakes that all look the same won't matter-nor skinny drinks and light frapps. In the midwest, we are getting our butts kicked by Panera Bread Company and McDonalds....their coffee may not be as good, but the TOTAL product and value give customers a reason to stop there instead of our stores. Where is the common sense of customer driven purchasing? And dump the complete pastry line and start over....people are sick of it all.

[Javaccino]

Lots of customers are the nicest folks, but our "just say yes" policy just seems to bring out the worst in some folks. They think it gives them license to let their obsessive-compulsiveness and tendencies to micro-manage run amok.

In all seriousness, if the way you are acting would cause, lets say, a florist or a sou-chef to challenge you to a duel, why would you act that way in your favorite coffee shop?

[SS]

Our Orange syrup bottles have a date extension sticker on them that says they are good until February. We still have a regular ordering orange mochas, and some partners drink OPTLs, but we don't go through it very quickly at all.

The Skinny Platform-I personally like it. I find it so much easier to call the drink and make the drink knowing it's a "skinny". The only difficult thing our store is having problems with is our Partner stores (Target, Barnes & Noble, etc.) don't seem to get the concept and are confusing the customers. I really wish since Starbucks let's these companies use the name they should make sure they are trained correctly. Most customers don't understand that these stores are not corporatly owned and they don't get the same training. For Starbucks to be and have the ledgendary service it wantes to have it needs to consider making sure EVERYONE is on the same page and has the same training.

[Javaccino]

"I've seen her send her drink back 4 times in one visit because once she thought it had "too much espresso taste," then it had "too much vanilla," then it "wasn't at 180 degrees" (it was"

Now we come to a point that has me completely confused.
"Too much espresso taste?" Besides all of the "Third Place" and "People Business" stuff. The actual consumable that we sell is coffee. Starbucks got so omnipresent because people like coffee.
A vanilla latte better have a lingering espresso taste to it, if it doesn't, someone goofed.
Of course some people don't like the taste of coffee, that is why we have a small selection of teas and a nice chai concentrate. So why do people order coffee drinks if they don't like coffee, it just seems to defy logic to me.

[St Louie Partner]

There is a debate going on in my store concerning the skinny platform.

If a customer orders a skinny vanilla latte with whip. Should the drink be called as a tall with whip skinny latte or as a tall sugar free nonfat with whip latte. I say the second one because the whip is not part of the receipe on the skinny platform.

Please chime in.

[chitown's best/angriest barista]

we don't sell coffee anymore, we sell sugar.

"there's too much coffee in my latte."
"i want a short coffee in a grande cup filled with whip"
i could go on and on with examples, but it makes me want to cry.

[Borrowed Partner]

Actually, St Louie, I think that it should be a tall, sugar free vanilla non fat latte. No "with whip" is necessary. I suppose you could call it as a skinny "with whip", but I feel like that defeats the purpose of skinny trying to simplify things. It either meets all of the "skinny" criteria and gets called as such, or if it doesn't you just call it the old way. Everyone agree?

[chitown's best/angriest barista]

as for calling a latte with whip "skinny" it's not. it's only skinny if it's non-fat sugar-free no-whip and foam, if any of those change then it's called as it used to be -sugarfree vanilla non-fat with whip latte. which is why this whole skinny thing is unnecessarily complicated and stupid.

[St. Louie partner]

Borriwed Partner and Chitown Best I agree with you whole heartly. Just wish everyone else in my store would listen. Also we are also testing: not putting whip on any drink unless you ask for it. Is anyone else doing this.

[Just a Customer]

I agree with "baristainmo". I have tried the pastries, they taste day-old, dried out and are overpriced. I have read that some SBUX sell real food, but not in Central Illinois. Starbucks is very close to my house, so I do visit often. However, if I want any type of food with my drink, I'll skip the BUX and go on down the road to Panera or if I am in a hurry will run thru Mickey D's DTW instead.

[Kittymoose]

We were told to just keep marking and calling things the same. So while a customer would order a "skinny caramel latte" at the register, we call it off on the bar as a "tall sugarfree nonfat no whip caramel latte". this defeats the purpose, imo.

[Just a Customer]

On a another topic, maybe a barista can lend a clue since SBUX corporate has not responded to my email:
There is printing on the cups that boasts how environmentally friendly Starbucks is by stating the percentage of post-consumer material in cups/sleeves.
WHY then, (at least in Central Illinois) are there only trash cans at Starbucks and no recycling opportunities available?

[No Whip]

For you Starbucks partners, which drinks do NOT come with whip? I think whip just washes out the taste of my drink, so I end up saying "no whip" on anything I order. Is it just mochas and frapps that have whip or is whip a default on every drink?

GOSSIP WEBMASTER....
How much money do you personally receive for this website? Looking for a way out of Starbucks and exploring my opportunities.

[Juicy]

KittyMoose,

There was an action item stating that the information in the Winter Phase 1 workbook was false and that the drinks would be called out as Skinny and that the cup markings would include an "SK" in front. Make sure your manager is keeping up to date on action items and barista-need-to-knows

re: recycling. Ths topic, like tipping, has been bashed to death.

The short of it is that SB is beholden to the requirements of many of the locations where their stores are located. If they have recycling, they can (and may have to legally participate) Otherwise, there may be no recycling option available for the location store.

Many stores in malls, strip centers, etc, do not have the option to participate in recycling. It would require a partner to gather all the trash, and carry it somewhere. unfortunately, taking personal initiative and taking the stuff to a recycling location may violate local laws regarding "theft" as well as health and safety concerns, so it is just not an option.

No Whip,

Mochas, white mochas, hot chocolate, steamed milk, cinnamon dolce lattes, and frappuccinos other than coffee or espresso get whip. I think that's everything that should get whip by the recipe.

[curtis]

When I was working the drive thru, a lot of people came thru and ordered what is now a skinny vanilla latte, as soon as I explained that you could just order a skinny vanilla latte, 90% of the poeple said "great, another thing to remember, it took a long time to remember how to order it correctly, and now its changing." very true! I also decided, for a brief moment not to call it skinny latte's, rather, a slender latte. Not sure what I was thinking with that. but after calling it that once, got into a little bit of trouble with the manager for changing the lame starbucks gave it. my bad.

[Borrowed Partner]

On all drinks that include whip in the recipe, whip is standard regardless of the type of milk ordered. So a non-fat mocha would still get whip unless no whip is specified. "With whip" should only be specified if it is a drink that wouldn't normally get it, like a vanilla "with whip" latte. As a courtesy and to help educate my customers, I have trained my partners to ask customers if they still want the whip on their non-fat beverages, but when marking or calling, we don't "add whip" as it is still standard. Any feedback?

[ladygeek]

I have worked for Starbucks for over two and a half years. I've been through drink promos that worked--Cinnamon Dolce, Tangerine Frappucinos--and drinks that utterly failed--anyone miss Pomegranate?

But I truly feel that Starbucks has forever lost what they once had. It used to be a fun, funky place to hang out, where you could get an excellent, high-quality cup of coffee or espresso drink by people training and knowledgable in coffee, who cared about what they were making. Now, they don't even train Coffee Masters anymore--the program has been discontinued until further notice. We create stupid promos for no apparent reason--the current Skinny promo being an excellent example. And we clearly do not care about coffee--the whole-bean coffee menu was recently removed and replaced with the FOOD menu.

Starbucks and McDonalds are now mentioned in the same breath. And for good reason, we are the same kind of company. It's not about quality any longer...now we are told to make as many drinks as we can--Quantity rules. All the new Starbucks stores in our area are Drive-thrus, and this is happening in other areas too. And I think our current stock price, hovering just above $18 per share--reflects what people think about our company. When I was hired at Starbucks, the stock price was over $45 per share.

If Starbucks has any hope of surviving and thriving again, I think they need to DOWNSIZE. Get rid of 90% of the food you sell. The food we have should support the coffee, not the other way around. Our stores should smell like espresso, not gross warming sandwiches. Reduce the number of syrups we sell from the current 15, to a decent 6 or 8. Instead of creating the next foofoo sugar-filled beverage, refocus on QUALITY coffee drinks. The art of creating good foam, quality pulled espresso shots. With a simpler menu, the speed will be there. With higher quality, the customers will be there.

Decide now. Do you want to be the "purveyor of high quality coffee", as you say in the Mission Statement? Or do you want to be a McDonalds franchise?

And BTW, you are losing a lot of great baristas and partners along the way....

To LadyGeek:

Frankly, I have to agree. SBUX has made SO many horrible mistakes. As an investor, I am mortified that my once "golden" investment sits in the toilet.

You're also right about the SBUX/ McDonalds comparison. I've thought it many times. The only thing that keeps me as an investor is that it's not quite McDonalds... yet.

You're right to mention the crossroads SBUX sits at. It could go either direction, but unfortunately, with its most recent reputation and how difficult it would be for it to move backwards toward what it once was, I doubt it will go in the "correct" direction.

I remember being in middle school and seeing "Clueless" and seeing Cher with her SBUX cup on her desk. It seemed so cool, so chic, so "in." Yeah, I know that that's such a stupid follower thing to do, but that's how middle school age kids are. Anyhow, I think lots of people once pictured SBUX like that. Not so much anymore.

It's almost McDonalds, and, sadly, I think the food supporting the coffee, the subpar quality standards and really bad, ignorant and almost offensive promotions will continue to roll out of Seattle.

At about $18 a share, I still think that's overvalued for where SBUX sits and the pressures it has on its business. I see it going to about $10 before it heads back up in any meaningful way.

[barista]

downward spiral...i hope the way that things are with starbucks now isn't a precursor to how the rest of the year will be like.

[barista2]

mhm, the bigger a company grows, the worse it gets..

the more power, the more corrupt (just like Frodo and his ring from Lord of the Rings ;) )

How do you guy see Coffee Bean now compared to Starbucks' current status?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

*FLASH* There is an action item stating that almond is going to be discontinued. It is hard to find so use the search function on the Portal. Sadness, I know. I've talked with other baristas here in the city and in the Alliance. We are simply going to ring any syrup drinks as "almond," hopefully it will all work out in the end.
Vicki, you'll be happy to know that creme light is also going to be discontinued as well, so don't worry. *FLASH*

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