Starbucks tells customers: "Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we'll make it right."

That's now posted in stores. Get ready to "Just Say Yes" -- many times over. (Associated Press story | Starbucks press release)

> "We're from Ethiopia. We need our coffee," and other stories about  Tuesday's  store closings from: Seattle Times || Seattle Post-Intelligencer || New York Times || Oregonian || Houston Chronicle

Comments

[molly]

I think it's a great policy...I know as a partner, I am incredibly picky with my drinks, and I get frustrated in my own store, as well as when I'm on the road, when people make my drink incorrectly.

I completely agree that people should get what they want--and this is not an argument "just because it's a 5 dollar drink"...I'm that way with my free partner beverages.

Sometimes, there is a confusion on what goes in a drink, and I feel it's our jobs to educate these people---before you were a partner did you realize that CM's got vanilla syrup, and not caramel? Sure, some of you probably did, but the majority does not...so how can you expect your customers to know, if you haven't told them?

I'm ready to just say YES. And I'm ready to educate people. But, of course I've been doing this since I was hired long ago...so nothing's new for me.

[Charles]

How is this really different than normal, unless it is just to enable fussy customers.

Anytime I've had a legitimate problem (wrong syrup, iced coffee instead of iced tea, etc.), it was made right quickly, cheerfully, and with a sincere apology. I hope most people will only bring forth legitimate complaints, and not just being fussy.

Unfortunately, I fear for the abuse that will ensue.

How is this differant? You mean, before this, if they made my drink wrong, they wouldn't correct it? What has changed?

[Sarah in WA state]

Just Say Yes has not changed, we are just reinforcing this policy with our customers because we want you to be 100% satisfied with your beverage. A lot of customers sometimes feel guilty or hesitant to tell us that it's not what they wanted, so we are just letting everyone know that we will happily remake your beverage to your specifications.

[Christin]

no, this isn't a change in policy, we always would remake drinks. but you'd be suprised how many customers would just be complacent with their incorrect drink...too timid or intimidated or just put off by the mistake to even let us know something was wrong. we want to empower ALL of our customers to let us know when we aren't living up to standards.

[Hirayuki]

Just the other day a barista remade my husband's raspberry hot chocolate twice--first because it was white chocolate, no raspberry, and then because it was white chocolate with raspberry...neither of which are what he ordered. Done promptly and with a smile. (Of course, it would have been nice if it had been made properly in the first place, but that's okay.)

So, yeah, I don't know how this "new" policy is any different, except perhaps that by posting it, more customers are going to realize they have the right to complain--and will exercise it with abandon.

[Barrister Barista]

I've had customers genuinely surprised that I was so willing to remake their drink. They always apologized and I told them no need to apologize, that they should get the drink they ordered.

It's a simple concept. If you buy something, and you specifically ask for something, then you should get it and not be made to feel guilty, or like you inconvenienced anybody.

However,
I have encouraged certain customers that it's okay to tell the register partner they don't want whip and that it will be marked on their cup, instead of the customer yelling at me "NO WHIP, NO WHIP" when they didn't order it that way.

[Macidog]

As a retired Starbucks employee with close ties to current store managers I can say confidently that Starbucks is a strong company that puts people first; partners and customers. The philosopy is simple...take care of the partners and they will take care of the customers and that will take care of business. It is a proven way of doing business, the company has enjoyed phenomenal growth and earned the respect of employees and shareholders alike.
The "training session" was more of a team building tool than a training tool. Most baristas make excellent beverages and most store managers have expectations that all partners are trained to exacting standards. As the company has grown by leaps and bounds, Starbucks has had to hire from a shallower hiring pool(this is inevitable with any growing company) and as a result, there are deficiencies in some stores and in some areas of the country. Rather than criticize Starbucks, smart people will look at the business model and emulate it in their own business. When an entrepreneur opens their door to do business, Starbuck's success is an enormous dream any business owner would hope to acheive...it is capitalism at it's best. The commodity is not a necessity, like groceries, fuel, etc and yet people go out of their way to get it and brag about "my Starbucks"...it is very personal.
In the Seattle area, beverage quality and customer service are taken very seriously, mainly because anyone from the corporate offices could be in any given store at any given time and there is more one-on-one contact with those who grew the company from it's beginnings. This contact grows an understanding of why Starbucks is a great company and that it isn't just the coffee...it is the experience that comes with every cup of Starbucks Coffee. This is a good reason to bring back the annual Leadership Conference. The passion the company leaders demonstrated, motivated and inspired me to uphold standards of quality and customer service and helped me to grow teams who have become leaders in their own stores.
The "automatic" machines actually produce more consistently better shots than the old and beloved La Marzocco machines, and were brought in to reduce repetitive injuries to baristas. With the old machines, it took over 150 motions to make a tall latte, with the Verismos it takes less than 30...the difference being the shots that are automated, not the steaming. The old machines were prone to breakdown, barista error, inconsistent tamping and temperature changes (open the door to the outside and the shots would change)...we missed them, but embraced the new machines once we tried the coffee and were confident we were only losing our aching wrists.
As far as Starbucks being a "heartless giant"...Howard has stepped up and taken back the reins...he knows the path the company followed and has great vision of where the company is going; he is the best person to do the course correction and mentor his successor (hopefully internally promoted)...if any of you are sailors or pilots, you understand that no journey with a safe landing goes without small course corrections along the way...that is all this is and my money is on Starbucks to continue to excell as the "finest purveyor of coffee in the world"...the mission statement doesn't say the biggest, customers who love their coffee and their baristas have made Starbucks the giant it is today.

It is wonderful that SBUXS tried to create this " all is good" in our world environment but wake up and smell the coffee folks. More lay-offs are coming,store closings and whatever else they dream up day by day.

[ledog3]

Maybe SBX should have a "customer training night". Customers can attend and be taught how to properly order a drink useing the correct slangs, symbols and phonetics.

[EX-BARISTA]

MACIDOG: Good job, buddy - I think we've all gotten our shot of corporate propaganda for the day.

God, at least try not to be so obvious next time, Howard!

[Jmistake]

i think it is just reaffirming what most starbucks stores have already been doing. consistency HAS been an issue...i think the training and refocus is reminding baristas why they should be great and reminding the consumer that starbucks cares about their experience. i laugh at all the negativity directed at starbucks...i mean people seriously sit around and micro-analyze (with suspicion) every move they make. things are getting better. focus is back on what makes starbucks great and what makes starbucks NOT D.D. or Mcdonalds. Consumers have options on where they can spend their money and hopefully their local starbucks is doing a good job. I think my store does a great job for the most part...but then again we are human and we mess up sometimes. I have been to starbucks stores that have dissapointed me and I have been to local "mom and pop cool" coffee shops that have been horrid. Again, humans make mistakes. A renewed attention to the consumer is a positive, regardless on the errors of the past with speed and USD being main focus. Today is a new day and I love working for starbucks and making my customers feel welcomed and happy...and I will glady remake or rectify whatever dislikes they might be having on whatever day.

[Ledog3]

By the way, you're "employees", not partners. Don't believe me? Go ask anyone in the company who has been layed off recently or is certain they will be.
The term large companys used to coin for Partners was "Team Members". That died off in the 90's. It wasn't unique anymore. Disney Company uses "Cast Members". One of my favorites. All are often perceived by the less corporatly educated as a way to back-stab or crawl their way into the corner office and enjoy cocktails with #1. Sorry, but if you buy into all that, then you're nothing more than a decently compensated sucker that, for the time being, is enjoying a nice benefits package and flexible hours. Sorry, but its not just hard work and dedication that assure a career anymore. Bottom line economics is always the trigger-man.

Ledog3: Actually, we all are given stock options in the company, thus we all own a part of the company. Ownership in the company does make you a partner.

[A]

So you mean starbucks had to close all their stores to do what the indpeendent cafe I own does already?
Hilarious!

it was a publicity stunt. Nothing more.
Go Howard!

If they really cared about the real espresso beverage they would put the real espresso machines back in. But they care about how fast you move down the line. Well, one thing is called "fast food" and another "fine dining".
so anyone who gets upset when starbucks is compared to mcdonalds....

This just means that people in starbuccks will be more "i want half skim half soy half decaf latter. but on the foamy side. with half a shot of sugar free vanilla." and the complain that it's not half skim enough. and vanilla tastes like it has sugar in it.
hee hee hee hee
Have fun starbucks!

Just curious...how much does your "indeendent cafe" make in a year? how many employees do you have? What's your yearly salary? Do your employees get full benefits? Stock Options? More paid time off than some government workers?

[Jmistake]

Demonize starbucks and romanticize whatever local place you think is perfect...so original. I was in Minnesota visiting relatives and stopped by a smaller local place since it was the only one in the mall. I ordered a "large" coffee and made small talk with the barista. I then asked "now this may seem a strange request but I work for starbucks and I was wondering where the store is located in St. Cloud" since i had never been there before. He responded with a snort and rolled his eyes. "I hate starbucks" he said. First, I didn't ask for his opinion on my place of employment. Second, I just wanted to know where it was located. He proceeded to dive into a long diatribe on why he hates starbucks and corporations. Funny, isn't where you work a smaller chain "corporation"? After having to listen to his rant i asked him "do you have health or stock benefits through your job?" he said "no"...i said "how noble of you to work for minimum wage with no benifits to speak of"...
For a large company starbucks does a good job of taking care of its employees with great benefits and stock options. Do people lose their jobs or get fired or get cut due to downsizing? Yes, but on the whole the company is pretty far ahead of everyone else with benifits.

Hey Macidog,
If Starbucks is so fantastic why don't you work there anymore?

JMISTAKE and others: I think SBUXS insurance policies are going to change for partners. It is great they offer it but so does MCD's and DD,domestic partners and all. I do feel for the poor soul that was fired last week with a cancer sickened child that will be hard to find coverage. This recent lay-off may sound like it did not affect many but people forget it is not just the partner who was left behind while SBUX moves onward it was a large amount of families included in the random firings of qualified people who in some cases would have taken a pay cut or relocated. Just a shame...

I freakin love my job. I don't care about all the cynics on here. I don't care that people think it was a PR stunt. I got a lot out of out meeting last night and there was a real synergy with my team. We're all on the same page now and have the tools to genuinely satisfy our customers beverage and store experiences. YAY STARBUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay in Howard's defense he had the right idea at one time about taking care of his partners.It just got lost in the growth. How would any business liked to be picked apart for all the world to see.It is just a shame...

Please show me a link that show's McDonald's benefits for ALL part time employees, nationwide. All I can seem to find is a promise for free uniforms, free meals, and flexible schedules. Yay!

[Aaron]

Charles, as others have said, it's not different in principle. It's always been the policy to remake drinks any time it's not up to customer's expectations. The differences are that now we're reinforcing that with customers and partners, and specifically pointing out that we'll not only remake any drink that's not right, but any drink that's not perfect. Of course before plenty of people brought back drinks that were flat out wrong, like the rasp. hot chocolate example above. And it was somewhat common to remake drinks where somewhat less important mistakes, but still flat out wrong ones, were made, like putting foam on if a customer asks for no foam. The boards in all stores specify that your drink should be "perfect". So, for instance, the training yesterday included making really great beautiful foam. I'm really glad it did. I like my foam thick and creamy. If I really am just looking forward to that, I'll often make my own partner bev, because sometimes it's just not what I'm going to get. Before the training we certainly would have remade a drink with a "minor" problem like that if a customer had asked. But few would ask. Some because they may not have cared, and some probably because they didn't want to be the picky a-hole all the baristas hate. And frankly, while the drink would have been remade, a lot of baristas would have just thought that person was a picky a-hole. The expectation now is that if a customers drink is not perfect, even if it's "just" because the foam isn't good enough, or the customer really REALLY meant they wanted EXTRA foam/whip/what have you, or the two pumps instead of four we recommended to make it less sweet still turns out to be too much, etc etc etc.

Dunkin Donuts offers insurance to those working 30 hours a week or more http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/38810.php

But I can say that the Aetna coverage we get through Starbucks is good insurance, not something that just meets bare minimums to get by.

[embean]

If they are going to put up these signs perhaps they should have mandatory 3 hour training for customers. people have crazy ideas about what drinks are going to be. I can just imagine people complaining about how there's too much foam in their cappucino, or why they didn't get a frap when they ordered a cappuccino, etc etc etc......
training is nice and all. but if howard wants his company to turn around he has to be really NICE to all of us. only happy workers will make perfect drinks. this makes me feel like after 3 hours of training he's still not confident that we don't suck.

I think it is so funny to see how people are being so critical of TRAINING. Are you kidding me? You think WE are drinking the koolaid? It sounds like the cynics will be critical of ANYTHING sbux, and this is so transparent. Don't hate the player, hate the game peeps.

[Devil's Advocate]

EMBEAN,

I understand your general sentiment, but when you agreed to take on a job at Starbucks, you agreed to make drinks to standard, every drink, every time. To standard means perfect.

Howard doesn't have to be "nice" to you; he has to pay you the salary and benefits that you agreed to at your time of hire.

Your job, and the job of every Starbucks partner, is to make standard drinks. If you need someone to be "nice" to you to get you to do the basic description of your job, perhaps you need to get out of the service industry.

[SoCAL STARBUCKS REBEL]

I personally like the whole idea. We could of done the same training in sections Like we do every "holiday season" It is a great Marketing tool to close All Starbucks for three hours. Today more customers will come in just to try the creamier lattes. Pure Genius. we need to have this sort of training with the baristas when they are first hired, a week of this intense training would be great. like a BARISTA BOOTCAMP

[Coco]

Let's clarify on the insurance for part-timers....yes you get insurance as long as you make your quarterly hours of 250!! Sounds easy, but not necessarily so with how labor is managed at the stores I've been affliated with. It seems that partners are hired under the pretense that they will get 20 hours a week or more. The reality is that you may or may not. I've been at 3 stores and they are all the same. Hire way more people than you really need and don't give them enough hours to meet the required 250 to keep your insurance. You then have to try to pimp yourself out to other stores or scramble to pick up shifts to get enough hours not only to keep your insurance but to pay your bills. Fortunately I have another full-time job where I get insurance. But I see so many partners struggling to make ends meet and wonder if they will lose their insurance. Store managers also seem to play the labor early in the week and try to minimize coverage then see at the end they have extra labor they need to fill to make their numbers look good and they call partners at the last minute trying to get them to take the extra hours and then get mad because they can't find people because partners have lives and have already made plans. Running business like that does little to promote good morale within a company. People need to feel secure and appreciated in their jobs.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Thats right. If you need your hours you need to pimp yourself like Chelsea Clinton.

[TORONTOWYLD]

Frank Lane, a twice-a-day regular, wondered if Starbucks was brewing up a way to renew customer loyalty.

"Maybe they want everyone to feel a loss," he said. "Maybe they think we take them for granted."

^^^
The last quote in the second article really brings up a point that hasn't quite been hit on in the comments here -- do you think customers will have missed their Starbucks just enough during that 3-hr closing that they'll cling to us more when stores are reopened? And what is with New York Times and Washington Post only publishing interviews with whiny high school students instead of the generally higher % customer base of businesspeople and such?

[dManagerLA]

Coco,
you have a point, but the overhiring doesn't happen because managers DON't want to give benefits, it is because we have been around long enough to know what it is like to run an understaffed store.
It really is a delicate balance.

I try to keep a nice balance of people on my staff who want benefits and those that are just looking for 15-20 hours, something fun to fill the time.
But it is tough, and like you, I feel for those partners!

[Peppermint Barista]

Reading this, I feel very lucky to work at the Starbucks I do. We tend to get the amount of hours we request. I usually do 25-30 hours a week, and have only gone below 20 when I requested off for multiple days that week. We have a few employees that only work the bare minimum to get insurance (such as one that has a second job that is self-run)

Coco, GOOD partners need to feel secure and appreciated for the job that they do. But in all honesty, those that exceed my customers daily expectations will be the ones that I schedule on "stage" and that should be the expectation. I have never, ever seen a great barista hurting for hours, it's usually the one that no neighboring store wants, because they won't uplift the daily experiences of our customers. I don't think it's unfair, as they have the ability to output what is expected. It's up to them, and they have to deal with the consequences if they want to treat this job as a social scene.

[Adam]

This conversation shouldn't even BE about incorrectly made drinks. That is a no-brainer in terms of getting it re-made. This conversation should be about foamless lattes, lukewarm drinks, and heavy cappuccinos. Just yesterday, less than an hour before the training, the barista handed off my cappuccino and asked me "if that was light enough for me" (knowing that -- if it was spec it was just BARELY...and NOT knowing if I even knew what 'is that light enough' means). That is what yesterday's training should have been about. When I worked for SBUX more than five years ago, I made drinks as many times as I needed to to get it right BEFORE handing it off. If it took 5 tries to get a decaf shot to pull 18-23, then that's just what it took.

[Barrister Barista]

I feel the same way, Peppermint. In fact I was lured to work for Starbucks with the promise of eventually amassing the hours needed for benefits. My current manager is very dedicated to making sure those who need benefits get them.

Reading these comments, I'm beginning to think my store is an anomaly. We have a great manager, there's very little partner drama, for the most part we were making quality beverages BEFORE this mass training, and I think all the partners are there because they genuinely enjoy the work. We may have drank the kool-aid, but I see nothing wrong with enjoying your job.

It's a part time job for me that serves two very important functions. A) It supplements my income while I look for my actual job (as a lawyer), and B) It is my "fun" job. It's something that engages a different part of my brain. I love the people and the chance to make a person smile. Sure I get the occasional ridiculous customer that makes me roll my eyes, but, eh, I meet people like that in the world out side of Starbucks all the time.

[Coco]

Barrister Barista, I agree with you....I do love my job at Starbucks and it is also my "fun" job that brings out a different side in me than my regular job. I'm there because I WANT to be there and realize that all jobs have their ups and downs. I'm just hoping it is not an anomoly to work at a Starbucks with a good manager. I wish there was more push from management for Barista development (Black Apron, etc.) I think everyone just gets caught up in the day to day operation of opening and closing and development gets put on the back burner. Most partners are not even aware of certifications and development classes that are available to partners. Maybe an idea to help with the current big push with the perfect drink and customer satisfaction. Encourage and promote partner development within the organization.

[Tea4Me!]

I've had so many less-than-satisfying Starbucks experiences I just don't go there anymore. Here in West Seattle, there is little enforcement of the smoking ban, so getting from car or sidewalk to store means having to hold my breath. If going in with the toddler, the distraction of all the cigarette butts around the shop as well as Starbucks trash strewn about the sidewalks and up the neighborhood makes the place exceptionally unappealing.

The coffee is okay, but usually tastes burnt to me. Add to that poor customer service interactions (too busy trading barbs with co-workers to notice customers in line), and it's just so much more pleasant to go spend my Realbucks elsewhere. The ONLY Starbucks I've ever been impressed with is in a stripmall in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Bright staff, clean shop (and bathroom!).

[sfbuxmgr]

None of you naysayers can pop my bubble. I love my job, I love my store, I love my partners, and I love my customers. We had so many customers who asked about the training session yesterday and took the time to compliment us and tell us that their drink was made "perfectly."
I don't "drink the koolaid" like some of you would like to suggest. I just get paid well and have fun at work. I know a lot of people who can't say that and I consider myself very lucky.
Anyway, I'd like to just encourage partners to keep up the enthusiasm, and the pride you take in making your beverages!

[encinitas]

I went this morning and I could see a change already (haven't been in awhile). Making foam and steaming milk constantly, pouring shots from shot glasses, although the guy made my drink wrong I took it anyway because I was in too much of a hurry (wanted a dry cap, got a regular cap instead...just more calories...it was too wet). He didn't look very happy he had to make so much steamed milk.

[embean]

I never said I wasn't making standard drinks. The problem is people who don't understand that cappuccinos have foam and this is "standard." Creating things like this is going to make employees disgruntled even if they are following policy. Disgruntled workers will lead to perhaps not following policy if some customer has some weird idea in their heads of what they're drink is supposed to be. Why follow policy if customers are going to complain anyway?

[Camille Claudel]

I have been ordering the same drink for 10 years and have never had a problem with a remake. Even in Athens, Greece.

The thinly veiled marketing/pr lie of "Training" made the company look worse than before (talk about finger-pointing language). And I certainly could have done without the condescending customer "Spring Cleaning" suggestions memo.

Macidog: "smart people will look at the business model and emulate it in their own business"

If "Smart People" looked at the Bux business model of late, they would go out of business immedately. Starbucks product/brand is completely diluted because the company got greedy and tried to do too much. Business 101 teaches us deep and narrow, not all over the map on a wing and a prayer.

Finally, to continue to excell as the "finest purveyor of coffee in the world" is total BS. Illy far exceeds Sbux. Always has, always will.

[To Embean]

Because engaging and even educating customers is part of your job. Taking a few moments to tell a customer what a cappucino is--and then helping them tell you what drink they want would be--is part of your job. That opportunity for interaction is something to take pride in (or at least take in stride), not to get "disgruntled" about.

[Double shots?]

why pull double shots everytime?!

i can see the abuse:
customer orders a tall. then as we are making his drink, he asks if we can give him the other shot since it's going to be wasted anyway?

Why pull double shots everytime?

[Oakapple]

Sigh.
On a percentage basis, WAL MART (yes, the great evil) insures more of it's employees (sorry, partners) than SBUX does. Don't believe me? Look it up.

SBUX has had great PR, but in my almost five years there, I can assure that treating each other with respect and dignity was not really a goal, but a PR stunt. Want specifics, I have many. But not now, not here.

Double Sigh

I am dating myself here but I remember a time when coffee was just for grown-ups.

I wince when I see parents buying coffee for their kids.

I wince even more when I see the parents and the kids and the family dog and 10 aunts and little cousins all standing in a pile, screaming and talking amongst themselves, while ordering fraps...their fat belly rolls are hanging off the tops of their jeans.

[new SBUXgossip.com fan]

I stumbled on this website one day after a shitty day at work... I googled "starbucks sucks" and ended up here. love it.

as for the first day with the new standards, this is what i think:

my customers seemed more irritated with the slower service and didn't care so much about their "perfect" drink ... this could just be my store tho

its a good idea in theory, BUT i we might loose some customers who are looking for speed of service...the average customer probably wont taste a drastic differance in the "quality" of their drink (i can kind of notice one... but i'm also looking for it).

if i didn't work at SBUX, I would go to Dunkin Donuts where its cheaper, faster (now that we are practicing our new standards, we are going to be slower until we get the hang of it), and similar in quality... plus DD has better doughnuts & bagels

personally, my biggest concern in the mornings is trying to get to work on time... i don't care so much about the quality of my drink as i do about about getting my daily dose of caffine, FAST.

i hope this training turns our to be a good thing... but right now, i'm not sure.

For all the "level setting" this meeting seemed to be aimed at last night, I'm seeing inconsistencies on what partners were told just by reading the posts on here. I was never told not to use the auto-steam button. Are we really all on the same page?

[flaubert]

Oakapple,

I think you actually need to look into the plans. Wal-mart has a slightly larger group of people enrolled in one of their plans but none of the plans cover preventative care and the most affordable and popular ones carry enormous deductibles and out of pocket maximums that would bankrupt most walmart employees who might need them!

You also need to consider what percentage of the Starbucks workplace might be covered by spousal, parental, or school plans.

You also need to remember that 70% of Walmart's work-base is considered full-time while Starbuck's full-time workbase is much much lower. Even with the newly touted 2008 walmart healthcare plans, full-time walmart employees still have a six month waiting period while Starbucks Partners just need to get 240 hours over three months to enroll.

Don't forget that there is still no same-sex domestic partner benefits.

All of that said, I think Starbucks needs to do a better job of enrolling new partners into the health plan. I know dozens of people who, for whatever reason, just missed the cut-off date. I think we should auto-enroll people who are eligible and make them opt-out on their own. I think the same show go for 401k...I also think store managers should be more responsible and more upfront that partners with any sort of limited availability will have a difficult, if not impossible time, attaining and retaining benefits.

[Lilith]

No, that's the issue. The south central region has decided to not to allow the auto-steam function anymore.

It's such a bad idea. I thought we were all supposed to be on the same page, too. What a dissappointment. Help us Howard!!