Starbucks, 1961 1st Ave. S, Seattle
As the Starbucks located at Sbux headquarters was described as being in the belly of the beast in last week's column, perhaps this week's Starbucks could be considered to be in the armpit of the beast.
After all, it sits about a quarter mile due north of HQ, right about where the long arm of Starbucks begins to extend out away from the body. It's no more than a hop, skip and a jump up 1st Avenue South and has a special charm all its own; that being it sits right next to a set of Starbucks regional offices. So the workers there seemingly get a double dose of stomach churning tension -- not only is there the distinct possibility Uncle Howie will get tired of the store in the lobby of his building and take a quick stroll up the road but all the folks in the regional office are likely to pop on over for cuppa joe any time of the day.
Again, if there was tension amongst the partners behind the counter, it wasn't evident. I got my drink in a fast and friendly manner. I'm sure the fact there were eight partners on the floor (this is a drive thru store) probably helped. There were actually nine as there was some unseen person in the back room that didn't make an appearance but seemed to attract the attention of several of the partners who were on the floor. They'd stick their head through the swinging door, make some comment, laugh and then get back to business.
This store has a larger than normal lobby with a combination of comfy chairs (I like comfy chairs -- can you tell?) and tables. From time to time, a partner would come out and walk through, straightening chairs and picking up cups; however, there was no discernible pattern and it definitely didn't occur every ten minutes. At one point, a partner went outside with a broom and did some piecemeal sweeping of random debris.
Too bad he didn't go near the bathrooms. The men's room was dirty -- and it wasn't just the built up dirt in the corners either of which there was plenty. There was paper on the floor and a great big stain on the urinal which looked a lot like someone hawked a big ole loogie and missed. The bathroom was like that when I arrived and it was in that condition when I left. Mr. I'm Sure Gonna Make Sure The Exterior Is Clean never went near it while I was there.
It's always amazed me that Starbucks is so darned cavalier about its bathrooms. Studies show time and time again a clean bathroom is a huge priority for customers and can definitely color their perception of the business, yet I swear 8 out of 10 Starbucks I go into have dirty bathrooms. This one was no different.
There was zero product sampling taking place while I was there and zero connecting to boot. Well, let me rephrase that. A partner stood and talked to a couple of people on her way out the door, however it was clear they were friends. Beyond that, I didn't see any examples of partners getting to know their customers and it wasn't because they were overly busy as they weren't.
I didn't hear any discussion about coffee. I didn't hear a word about the new teas. Frankly, there appeared to be no excuse for the lack of sampling and connecting -- there were plenty of partners on the floor, the line never reached more than four people and I didn't get the sense anyone was rushed at any time.
In the two stores I've "officially" visited so far, there's been no evidence that the VTI crackdown has affected staffing levels...both have been fully staffed (or more) on non weekend days. The suspicion is this is due to the close proximity to headquarters and that could very well be true. In future columns I'll compare what I find to these two stores and we'll see what the difference, if any, might be. If what partners say in the comment section of Starbucks Gossip is true, then I'll most assuredly see quite a difference once I head out into the hinterlands.
Which is where I will pop up next. Once I find my burro who got away from me while we were stuck at a train crossing, waiting for one of those graffiti stained freight trains to pass by.
Stats:
Time of visit -- morning
# of partners on the floor -- 8 + 1
# of management candidates being interviewed in the store lobby -- 1
# of Starbucks within 50 miles of Sbux HQ -- 478
# of Tullys (a local coffee shop chain) within 50 miles of Sbux HQ -- 10
# of people who don't like my writing style -- 2
# of partners who appeared to be so fed up with things that they could toss aside their apron at any moment and quit -- 0
# of stores where a partner has tried to connect with me -- 0 out of 2
# of stores where I've been offered a sample of anything -- 1 out of 2
Service time -- 2.5 minutes
Busy level -- steady
Staffing level -- full if not overstaffed
10 minute lobby sweeps? -- no
Would I recommend to a friend -- yes
Did I get a legendary experience? -- no
Juan Valdez is the nome de cyber of a former Starbucks store manager who became disenchanted with the increasingly bitter taste of the Starbucks experience and fled to the mountains of Colombia where he now rides his burro and ponders the glittering sunsets.
Just wanted to say these so called snaps are classic, keep them coming!!! I remember when I worked for the bux, Dub Hay and the new COO (can't remember the guy's name) came by and u would have thought Jesus Christ was going to walk on water right in front of our eyes, right in our cafe. They seemed like great guys, if most partners just saw them as "regular" people, the stress factor would be thrown out the window. Anyway, I can't wait till the next review.
Posted by: Former shift (the kool-aid FINALLY wore off) | January 21, 2009 at 04:31 PM
i wasn't aware that all on-the-floor conversation was restricted to only starbucks related items; the fact that you didn't witness any discussion about the tea lattes or coffee in general simply illustrates that every partner is actually a person first and a coffee slave second.
i have a fairly small store in a large metropolitan area, and i can't tell you how many customers (from my customer voice) love how we let them mind their own business while hanging out in our lobby and often appreciate not being bothered. if you take offense to people not trying to connect with you, maybe you should open yourself up to it. and if you did, then i apologize, but that was not detailed here. communication and 'connection' takes two, not one.
Posted by: Ristretto SM | January 21, 2009 at 04:42 PM
That should be "nom de cyber" -- not "nome de cyber".
Posted by: Torontodude | January 21, 2009 at 04:56 PM
Could somebody please translate "lobby" from Starbcuks-speak to plain English?
Posted by: Torontodude | January 21, 2009 at 04:59 PM
Could someone please translate VTI from Starbucks-speak to plain English?
Posted by: Torontodude | January 21, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Could someone please explain if these reports are intended for general audiences? Or are they Soup-Nazi type insider reports?
Posted by: Torontodude | January 21, 2009 at 05:06 PM
still loving it... that Starbucks sits atop the old site of Seattle Chocolates... after it collapsed during the earthquake...
Posted by: Pat Nerr | January 21, 2009 at 05:37 PM
I love LOVE this!! Cannot wait for you to go to stores outside of Washington state...will that happen?? GREAT IDEA!!!Of course, I thought of it first, but didn't know how to 'git it dun!' LOL
xo
K.
PS- If you need an ex-starbuxer to help...let me know!!
Posted by: k | January 21, 2009 at 05:38 PM
A lobby is the area infront of the counter.
Juanito The writting was a little better this time. Im sure the store you where a SM at had the cleanest bathrooms and had its lobby cleaned and stocked every ten minutes
Posted by: Barista | January 21, 2009 at 05:52 PM
Keeping bathrooms clean, in any area with a plethora of homeless people, is just not possible. I ran the cleanest store in my district, and I still went next door to a burger place to use their bathrooms. If I took the time to observe long enough, I would guess that my percentage of homeless people using my bathroom in a day would be around 65%. The percentage of those homeless people that leave my bathroom in shambles: around 80%. The percentage of homeless people that I can stop from using the bathroom due to the Just Say Yes policy: 0%. I assume Seattle is similar.
Posted by: hmm | January 21, 2009 at 06:15 PM
Yet another seemingly mediocre review from an ex-manager with a hard-eye for the facts. I am pleased to hear of the positive interactions of customer comes first - your friendly and quick service....but I guess that is meaningless when there is 8 partners on, right? Do you really think that in 6500 stores in the US that all the stores are actively sampling and constantly talking about new items or coffee? Let's keep it real. Most normal customers prefer to have a personalized conversation that doesn't revolve around a crumpet of food or a BS drink sample that is being handed out. I'm glad I don't live or work there. Personality is created by those fun, energetic, non-robotic perople that love to be around others. The rest is really just a cup of Joe.
But, I do agree about the bathrooms. But try to offer a discription that is above the urinal rather than in the gutter!
Posted by: Half-Full | January 21, 2009 at 06:21 PM
Quick question for current partners - how long were stores supposed to have to phase out the red cups after Christmas?
TorontoDude - Lobby refers to the area where customers sit. VTI refers to Variance To Ideal and is the source of great angst amongst the partners as it's been cut back which means less people on the floor to get things done.
Ristretto - my understanding is that a crucial component of "The Starbucks Experience" revolves around partners connecting with customers and it's not predicated on the customer initiating the conversation at all...it's supposed to be the other way around. Ditto for talking about coffee and, especially new products such as the new tea infusions. These are the things which supposedly (and according to Uncle Howie) set Starbucks apart from other coffee shops. The fact I didn't see this happening in the two stores closest to SBUX headquarters (despite the excuses of some of the commenters) speaks volumes about how far these two standards have fallen.
K - thanks for the offer. I won't be going outside Washington state except and unless I go on vacation...then you can bet another state's store will be profiled. I will, however, go outside Seattle on a regular basis. In fact, next week's column features a non-Seattle store.
Thanks for the great feedback so far, folks!
Posted by: Juan Valdez | January 21, 2009 at 06:39 PM
Love this idea, hope you visit some licensed stores too
Posted by: Kathy | January 21, 2009 at 06:47 PM
We were told to keep using the red cups until they were gone...
Posted by: curious | January 21, 2009 at 07:35 PM
i generally like torontodude...but man...someone call him a whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaambulance...
3 posts?
i will give you VTI, but if you cant figure out lobby from context...well i fear for your reasoning ability.
Posted by: | January 21, 2009 at 09:42 PM
i'm pretty sure several homeless people in my area use our bathroom to do their daily personal cleaning.
Posted by: NorthernShift | January 21, 2009 at 09:44 PM
thank you, thank you, thank you. i love your website! i find out all kinds of relevant information that pertains to my job.
Posted by: socal espresso junkie | January 21, 2009 at 09:53 PM
sorry but i have to ask... is anyone else SO bothered by this? it's like a place where ex-partners can complain about how bad current baristas are. NO THANK YOU
Posted by: | January 21, 2009 at 10:03 PM
I'm loving this weekly edition.
Please ignore all those that complain about you or are sarcastic. They come to this site to be nasty. If you had typed that oranges are orange, some would gripe that some oranges have yellow or argue that immature oranges are green. And sure enough, another person would argue that it's not fair to blind people that you are discussing colors.
Posted by: spence | January 21, 2009 at 10:11 PM
Duty Roster! Duty Roster! Duty Roster!
Far to many Store Managers/Shift Supervisors do NOT impose the importance of the DUTY ROSTER!
Duty Roster: A book of cleaning task provided by corporate that should be filled out during EACH shift to assure nothing is missed.
Dust Shelves, clean and stock bathrooms..ect
Posted by: siren | January 21, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Duty Roster! Duty Roster! Duty Roster!
Far to many Store Managers/Shift Supervisors do NOT impose the importance of the DUTY ROSTER!
Duty Roster: A book of cleaning task provided by corporate that should be filled out during EACH shift to assure nothing is missed.
Dust Shelves, clean and stock bathrooms..ect
Posted by: siren | January 21, 2009 at 08:15 PM
I give it about an hour (2 max) until someone says "we don't have time to take care of the customers -AND- do the duty chore list"
just wait!
Posted by: green_cup | January 21, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Duty Roster? What's that? Wanna take a stab as to how many times in the past month and a half we've managed to fill out even one day part of the god forsaken DCR?...
No?...
Ok, I'll tell you. times. Yes I've been keeping track. It's pretty hilarious. Starbucks' bureaucracy is a hideous joke. Just GSD, that's all.
Posted by: Choclatrocity | January 21, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Ah, that'd be 3 times. Sorry, just got off a lovely 8 hour shift of closing madness.
Posted by: Choclatrocity | January 21, 2009 at 11:07 PM
I think im in the minority who disagree with having this type of thread or series of threads to go on here. I'm not quite sure what the thought process is behind this...Wouldn't you be better served by contacting 1-800-STARBUC and letting the CSR know how your experience was? That way it gets to the SM and the rest of the store partners.
Or better yet, why not pull aside the manager on duty and share your observations? If the idea behind this is to call out areas of opportunities and celebrate success in the stores you visit, then share them with THOSE partners. I'm sure they would appreciate the feedback, as oppose to just posting it on here. At the very least, then post your former partner # and/or name rather than hide behind some handle. Maybe then some of your former partners and customers can add their 2 cents on how their visits in your store(s) went for them.
Posted by: former sm in ca | January 21, 2009 at 11:57 PM
Oops..didn't get to finish the above there. I just think it's pretty classless and a bit cowardly to post as a former partner when you know if the shoe were on the other foot, that you would rather have this information given to you in person, and not over some blog.
Posted by: former sm in ca | January 22, 2009 at 12:02 AM
"I didn't hear a word about the new teas."
I don't push the tea lattes on my regulars (unless they're tea people to begin with) because I don't want to annoy them. I know exactly what kinds of drinks they like at this point, and I'd much rather just chat than be like HEY GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE NEW TEA LATTES. It's alienating and obnoxious. If they want it, they'll tell me. The sign is right there.
Posted by: Alicia | January 22, 2009 at 12:06 AM
I've always thought of the stores in Seattle to be above the corporate craziness that is passed on to all of us. I don't want to sound negative but 8 people on the floor maybe proves that point?
I'd love to see Juan pair up with other current or former sms in other states to get a broader view on how our stores as a whole are doing. Location and market make HUGE differences in customer reaction and I've always been curious to what exactly those differences were.
Posted by: Millstone | January 22, 2009 at 05:40 AM
I haven't seen our duty roster in weeks. That is WEEKS. I have no idea where they keep it these days or if anyone is ever filling it out at all. Maybe my SM does it the night before he has to file it away?
Someone told me they changed the layout, but when I wanted to check it out no one could find it...
About cleaning: Since we are so badly staffed these days (its more due to low sales than the labor cut, I guess) we have someone clean the washrooms once a day at about 3pm. That's about it. Little touch ups here and there help, but not enough. Why is it customers can't keep public washrooms clean? We don't have homeless people using our washrooms but they are still disgusting after two people used it. People in suits, driving BMWs, Porsches, Lexus etc. More often than not these people can't even throw their paper towel in the garbage bin. They just throw it under the sink (the garbage is ONE step away due to the layout of the washroom).
To hmm: If you had trouble with homeless people why didn't the burger joint next door have the same troubles?
Posted by: Me | January 22, 2009 at 09:01 AM
And yet another example of how our stores are indeed NOT created equal. NINE PARTNERS? NINE??? I've been in high-volume stores and we've never had more than five partners on the floor, MAYBE six during morning peak, and that was under the OLD labor standards.
Posted by: Mike | January 22, 2009 at 09:12 AM
Not to be a naysayer, but what good does this do, unless you're spanning the country sampling the Starbucks across it? It's just the Seattle stores... The duty roster notebook is just another thing for the DM to get on you about. And furthermore, thanks to the jerk who spit on the urinal, causing a stain, and expected a Starbucks employee to clean it up. "Wait, let me scrub the urinal and clean out the women's feminine hygiene trash can before I snap on the lid to your cup. Enjoy!"
Posted by: | January 22, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Kirkland Parkplace Starbucks
Time: 7:15 a.m.
Employees: 2
Customers in line: 13
Customers who walked out because of extremely slow service: Me
Posted by: Bean Demon | January 22, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Former SM In CA-
I think you might have misinterpreted the point of my column. It's not to call out opportunities and praise success - that will take place during the course of the column. The actual point of the column is to examine the state of Starbucks as measured against what Uncle Howie says, what partners on SG say and the publicly stated company initiatives. The only way for an outsider to measure any of this is to sit in the physical plant and observe. In my introduction, I was very careful to note that I don't guarantee my experience will match yours or be reflective of the millions which take place every day however, over time, a picture will likely emerge of the state of Starbucks today and that picture may very well be instructive.
The comment section of SG is filled with finger pointing and nearly all of it is aimed at upper management, Uncle Howie included. I'm wondering, however, if some of the defensive comments my column has received so far is due to the fact that maybe, just maybe it's not all upper management's fault. Perhaps, and I'm just spitballing here, the partners at the store level could share some of the blame.
After all, I just profiled a store that, as one commenter so succinctly put it, had EIGHT PARTNERS ON THE FLOOR. Yet there was absolutely no random connecting with customers taking place, no passionate discussion of the core product evident and no attempt on the part of anyone to engage customers on the subject of the new teas. And the bathroom was dirty and no one bothered to clean it up. That's not Uncle Howie's fault.
I dont know if you read a lot of the other comments on SG however there are a number of partners who are very self righteous about not following "the rules". In fact, one, Alicia, left a comment above where she appears to think she's doing everyone a service by not doing some of this stuff. Yet, as far as I know, providing legendary service, connecting with customers about coffee and sampling are CORE behaviors, not random fringe activity that can be done away with just because someone doesn't feel like doing them, no matter what their excuse might be.
There is a hugely passionate SBUX customer (Melody) who posts on SG quite often and is a very active member of My Starbucks Idea. I would love to sit down with Melody over a cup of coffee and listen to her talk about coffee. I may not share her passion on the subject as deeply however it would be a wonderful opportunity to tap into such passion and, perhaps, some of it might rub off. Yet she is routinely excoriated on SG for expecting partners to knock out a french press of something bold because it's no longer being offered after a certain time. Those doing the excoriating are the very same people who should GLADLY honor such a request.
I think Starbucks has lost its way and what emanates from the ranks of upper management is less evident in the stores than at any other time in their history. The reasons for this are complex and, frankly, fascinating. Therefore my column is an attempt to get at the truth of the matter at hand. And, in the process, we might learn something about business and ourselves.
By the way, if it makes you feel better to call me names, by all means, knock yourself out. In fact, I'll be adding this to my column signature however it's worth mentioning here - on a crisp clear day, when atmospheric conditions are just right and the moon is in the seventh star, I can be reached at [email protected].
Posted by: Juan Valdez | January 22, 2009 at 12:22 PM
I like this column, and hope you continue with it!
Posted by: | January 22, 2009 at 12:45 PM
We have locked bathrooms to make sure homeless people can't use them without buying something.
This only happened because one day, while my DM was in our store having a meeting, a homeless man spit on the window and then we proceeded to find poop all over the men's bathroom floor.
It took like, 2 days for us to have locks.
Maybe you should pay a dude 10 bucks to crap on the floor while your DM is in the store.
We also have a "vanilla chugger" who is getting wasted on bottles of stolen vanilla extract. Every evening we find the empty bottles and vanilla everywhere...the floors, the walls, the toilet. At least that smells good.
I swear, only in Starbucks people, only in Starbucks.
Posted by: vanilla | January 22, 2009 at 03:20 PM
Love the column, it's enlightening. I have to say I am jealous of 8 partners in a drive thru, we are lucky to have 4 which means 3 if you want to get the deposit done and breaks taken. However, even with the less hours everyone is stepping up and getting into a new flow. I am very grateful for the wonderful partners I work with and hope that SBUX steps up before anyone else gets driven out.
Posted by: MNBarista | January 22, 2009 at 04:27 PM
JUAN you mean to tell me that with eight+1 on the floor and no does what they should and connect, slide, sample? i must survive with doing 150 hour and halfs and because it is seatle that they get by wuth that? a fine example of why in one week the company standing have gone south to #24. still no word from one high but since this is gossip, then i think that all asm positions will be eliminated and/or the possibilty of a corporate buyout sounds like a definite possibility for the coffee company in the next two months. it would not suprize me at all if howrd doesn't just sell it off and go hide in italy where hopefull no one knows him and he can get the beverages that started him off. when you forget from where you came then how can you know where you are heading in the future. big ben, parliment
Posted by: scootes | January 22, 2009 at 04:31 PM
Sure there are exceptions, but as a general rule, I'll take a SBUX John over any other public restroom any time, any day...
Posted by: Good Grief | January 22, 2009 at 05:19 PM
i am not sure where to post this but~
i have been with starbucks for more than 5 years and i have loved my job and loved my ability to parent my children while providing medical insurance. i know that there are a lot of changes going on but it breaks my heart, really, to see what is happening here. my store has the lowest turn over rate in our whole district and we've all been so happy with our company but lately the moral has PLUMMETED!!!!! we are running well below the 3 percent that it is stressing us out so bad that work is just not what it used be, my store is not what it used to be and the pressure on us is stupid. on some of our shifts people can't even take breaks because there are only two people there OR equally as bad, i've taken my lunch break an hour after i got there because there isn't coverage! is this temporary?
Posted by: baristame | January 22, 2009 at 05:56 PM
There is a store here in downtown Toronto where they used to have 12 partners on the floor during the morning rush.
To actually see so many partners on the floor working together was quite impressive. I haven't been in there for a while, so I don't know if they are still that busy and well staffed.
Posted by: Me | January 22, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Interesting info; excellent piece. Much better than last week's!
Posted by: | January 22, 2009 at 06:27 PM
JUANITO Call starbucks im sure they care what you think a lot more than we do..
Posted by: Barista | January 22, 2009 at 07:03 PM
LoL, if its Canada, I don't think they cut labor yet. Atleast not our store.
Posted by: Mysticboi | January 22, 2009 at 07:22 PM
Wait...how do we know when the moon is in the seventh star?
Posted by: Mike | January 22, 2009 at 08:59 PM
When Jupiter aligns with Mars...
(and yes, I know I got the line wrong, it shoulda said "when the moon is in the seventh house" and I realized it as soon as I hit send but I can't go back and edit my comments)
Posted by: Juan Valdez | January 22, 2009 at 09:31 PM
BARISTA -
In that case, you're gonna LOVE next week's column.
Posted by: Juan Valdez | January 22, 2009 at 09:31 PM
Juan,
regarding the red cups, they told us we could use them til the 15th and then continued sending red instead of white after the 15th had passed. If you were the SM in this case what would you do? Throw whole cases of grande cups out when you had no others? me thinks not. I suppose another example of a) bad planning on corporate's part b) the meaninglessness of most of what they tell us these days. I'm curious when it was you promoted to customer? That may explain a lot about your expectations. Not sure if you believe anything you read here at SG, but trust me as a 9 year partner, i know a change when i see one.
by the way, this store is in my district and i know a few details about it. It does 36,000 a week last i checked. so 8 partners on the floor is not a stretch if it was peak. it used to have three ASMs, now it just earns 1. not sure what that says about the ASM position. Not naming names, but the current SM is the same guy demonstrating grinder maintenance from the Daily Brew training DVD. anyone remember when we had time to train promo launches?
Juan you're presuming the baristas may be slacking by not talking about the bevs with customers. don't forget they took away all noncoverage time to train these partners on new offerings. If partners know little about the new drinks that's exactly how much they'll share with customers.
Posted by: bucked | January 23, 2009 at 01:36 AM
I would love to, in a few months, see a small spreadsheet of the basic data metrics with perhaps a region metric.
I'm really getting a kick out of this series, btw. Thanks, though, I'm in the Madison in WI.
Posted by: sam | January 23, 2009 at 10:12 AM
Bucked,
I wasnt criticizing the use of red cups...I simply asked how long they had to phase them out as I wasnt sure.
As for my "expectations", are you suggesting that making an effort to connect with customers beyond a simple hello, smile and thank you is no longer a Starbucks expectation? How about 10 minute lobbies? Or sampling? Or talking about new products enthusiastically? Or even making eye contact at the handoff plane and saying thank you? Are all or any of these no longer Starbucks expectations?
Posted by: Juan Valdez | January 23, 2009 at 02:15 PM
use the red x-mas cups for partners
Posted by: red cups | January 23, 2009 at 04:44 PM
While I see most people for some reason love this column, I thought I'd throw my two cents in for the opposite opinion. Not to be negative or whiny or anything- just in case anyone, webmaster or meester Valdez himself, cares:
I honestly don't understand the point of having this column on the site. It seems awfully redundant- The site is already filled with many posters who are ex-starbuckians. For some reason, the idea that this Juan Valdez dude has anything any more important to say than the rest of them leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also, why should I care about the stores you are visiting in Seattle? Just because you claim you had one experience does not mean that what the rest of us are claiming goes on in our own stores is not valid. Finally, these posts are very, very long and unnecessarily wordy. I see them pop up and immediately lose the energy to try to slog through the whole thing. And, sad but true: I am currently with the company and to see someone who is outside of it claim special knowledge although they no longer work there irks me a bit. If the observations were posted normally along with other comments, that would be fine, that's where those things belong. But things change drastically in short times, and just because you once worked for the 'Bucks doesn't mean you have authority to comment on the current goings-on as if you are an insider when you are not. Post as a regular forum guest, lose the pretense, and I'll be happy to read what you have to say. But somehow when your observations are given this special status for no good reason I can see, I suddenly lose all interest in what you have to say.
Posted by: buckaroo | January 23, 2009 at 05:49 PM