Let's get the always-entertaining weekend OPEN THREAD going!

It's your chance to ask about or comment on anything Starbucks-related -- in a civil manner, of course. || Jump to the third page of comments.

Comments

[spence]

Yesterday, I did a function outside the Starbucks store and sampled hundred of Via cups.
OMG. They really thought it was great coffee. Really. I'm telling the truth.
Via may not be a huge hit within the Starbuck stores but I'm thinking it's still going to be a huge hit.

[SBUX Customer]

Any information on whether the salted signature hot chocolate will be returning this year?

[SBUX Customer]

Anyone know how to find out when the gold card expires? Will Starbucks mail a reminder to renew?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

It expires in January I think.

[BusyBean]

I think the Starbucks Gossip webmaster should create a site onto which Baristas can upload their "How SBUX fits into their lives" videos which were refused by corporate. It'd be a hoot to watch.

[drive]

@Busy Bean, that is a great idea. But actually anyone could upload their declined videos to youtube. Someone should start a youtube channel for such videos.

Webmaster, how about setting up the Starbucks Gossip youtube channel? You're a web-savvy guy! You could do that in ten minutes!

[drive]

GRAND PRIZE
The winning video will be displayed on.....wait for it......youtube! Also on the Starbucks site and the Starbucks facebook page.

So for all the effort, time and equipment put into this, the valuable award is to get your video posted online!

[chloe]

i love the idea of a youtube page with dejected ideas. and can't wait to see pat nerr's.

[formerpartner]

Anyone care to comment on the recent news of Sbux suing Paul Twohig on the news that he accepted a position with Dunkin?

[Glendale Acacia Regular]

The winner gets a box of Via shipped to the troops in their name.

[drive]

Jim can you please post the Paul Twohig lawsuit as a separate item?

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ykrc8mm

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/coffeecity/2010019684_starbucks_sues_former_executiv.html

Looks like Starbucks is worried about the competition, despite always claiming that Dunkin and McDonald's are low-class and not worthy of being competition.

A noncompete agreement means the person is tethered to Starbucks even if he stops working there. You can never get Starbucks out of your life. Starbucks will haunt you to the grave and beyond.

[Brown Dot]

isn't the noncompete clause only for 6 months? That seems to stick out in my mind. No working for the competitor or opening your own coffee house for 6 months...

[drive]

Here is a copy of the Twohig lawsuit.

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/starbux-complaint.pdf?

If he received severance from Starbucks, does that mean he was fired? So was he fired and then prohibited from taking another job in his field? Starbucks is great at kicking you when you're already down.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Has Organic Serena Blend been discontinued and I just missed that?

[Coffeehouse Revolutionary]

@ Gold Card expiration:

I saw a memo today stating that all Gold Cards due to expire by the end of this year will be extended to January 5th. Guess it's official.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

If people indicate they have "rejected" videos to share, I can set up a STARBUCKS GOSSIP YouTube channel.

[Chicago Barista]

@ Drive

A noncompete clause is the norm once you get to that level. They have info the average partner does not. So its not SBUX "kicking you when you're already down" Its what any company would do.

@Boston Starbucks rebel

I was just thinking the same thing? I find it hard to belive that they told us. Seems like I would remember if they said they were getting rid of Organic Serena Blend. Hummm....

[Melissa]

I had to sign the noncompete clause as an SM. AS IF I'd go elsewhere to enjoy the same torture. After I left the bucks, it was sayonara coffee. I had lunch with Paul Twohig at a holiday meeting for the UMA region. Super nice, walked over and asked to join us!

[gmreat]

http://www.burbia.com/warning-the-hot-coffee-is-hot

check this out. i am jealous that this cafe owner has the ability to stand up for himself!!! I had a customer come in during our busiest rush of the week today and demand recovery coupons because the other night when she ordered to "medium bolds" we gave her two grande bolds (after explaining that we could brew bold but it would be a few minutes since we only had pike brewing). I should have climbed inside her mind to read that she really wanted to venti "medium-bold roast" coffee. Soooooo.... the pike we already had brewed LOL!

[gmreat]

I'm sorry here is the link:
http://www.burbia.com/warning-the-hot-coffee-is-hot

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Maybe Twohig has the secret formula for Starbucks VIA?

I guess this is tantamount of a Benedict Arnold move by Twohig. I met him a very years ago and thought he was pretty nice myself.

Starbucks is like a street gang where you can't ever leave. Or else they'll cut...

[barista]

@Boston Starbucks rebel

There was a memo/action item about Serena going to seasonal sometime last year, maybe the beginning of this one?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Does anybody know if there is a maximum amount of hours one can work at Starbucks each day. Lately, I have been doing 12-15 hour shifts due to labor shortages.

[foamy latte]

Bos rebel...I read a memo about there being a shortage of the Organic Serena Beans (back in Aug. I think) and to expect a shortage or inability to obtain the coffee for a while. They didn't say when it would become available again. I keep hoping it will be available soon, as I love that coffee. Hang in there with the long shifts--I've been doing my share of 11 hour shifts as well. Sheer hell. Bless.

[a]

Who has a laptop and what are they like??? they started rolling Oct. 6 - Nov. 16...

[JerseyGurl]

They replaced Organic Serena with Organic Yukon as a core coffee.

[the truth]

MANAGERS, HAVE YOU NOTICE STARTING THIS WEEK THAT ALS HAS GIVEN LESS LABOR FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRANSACTIONS??? NO ONE AT THE SSC WILL ANSWER THIS QUESTION!!! I HAVE VERIFIED WITH SEVERAL LOCAL STORES THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I AM 100% SURE THAT AT LEAST THE PNW REGION TOOK A LABOR CUT. THOUGHTS???

[yukonluvr]

has anyone else looked at the holiday stuff yet on the portal? so excited. i believe the setup is going to be so cute this yeat, compared to last year's gold bricks all over the place.

yay holiday!

[Grande Latte]

Yes, truth, labor has been cut by ALS. The only thing I was able to get out of anyone above store level is that we will be given the "reason" shortly. I have a feeling that weak Via sales have them running scared again. It's not just your region. It's happening in the Midwest as well.

[PictureThis]

I have been over in labor all week with the same schedule I have been running for weeks. And sales are about the same too. I am in hell at this job. I can't stand the absurd goals for Via or the absolutely STUPID ideas my DM has for us to think out the the box to sell Via. Everyone in my entire region is cheating to get the numbers. If you think the stores in your area are not cheating...wake up! I asked a lady today if she wanted to taste our new Via and she said no. She said she loved it and had already bought some...then this same thing happened a few more times. They already have it.UUUggg totaly hell.

[Melody]

@Grande latte - [quote]"Via sales have them running scared again"[/quote] - I thought we were hearing that Via is selling well. ??

@YukonLuvr - I'm sure the new holiday stuff will be lovely, but I really liked last year's too which seemed to be about re-using stuff. I liked the big fake balls of yarn, and knit sweater table dressings.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

They cut ALS again? This sucks and I'm sure they'll be cutting labor to -5% VTI for the Holiday Season. Don't they know that this means that nobody can take breaks anymore. I guess their Harvard MBA, says we don't need time to eat. They'll just hold me down and inject "nutrients" into my body. Little do they tell me its a mixture of VIA and meth so I won't have to eat or sleep for weeks on end.

[Coffee Soldier]

Labor has not been cut in fact we are expected to run 3.5% over our variance to ideal for all 3 weekend days as directed by our rergional director this weekend to push Via and perform the taste challenge again this weekend in my area.

Also it make seem that labor is decreasing with the same amount of sales but depending on your weather you've got to factor in what drinks you are making. 100 drip coffees is not going to gain you the same labor as 25 drip coffees, 25 iced carmel machiattos, 25 vivannos, and 25 frappacinnos.

[Jonathan]

I've been a customer of Starbucks for a long time and I just recently decided NEVER to give them my money again (unless there are some changes)

The Starbucks experience has been reduced to getting the customers in and out as fast as possible and take as much as their money as you can in the brief moments they are there. I don't want a VIA or a muffin or whatever garbage your boss wants you to sell me, I want a real human connection, a conversation, anything that real- jeez.

Also Starbucks wants to be good to communities but because of the new optimum scheduling, one of my favorite baristas had to choose between school and her job/healthcare- how in the world is that good for our community?

It seems to me that Starbucks cares more about it's shareholders rather than their customers or employees, I'm sick of it and I'm not buying it anymore.

[is it so hard to be civil]

Our store was over with normal labor after one of our biggest weeks all year. There is something going on with labor for sure!

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

If anybody wants to read the "Starbucks VIA" stories in the MSI/Partner section, its pretty pathetic. They have the RDO's from different areas adding in their two cents. And thats all its really worth. They are totally disconnected from the operational trouble that store managers are currently having. Instead of empowering the store managers into making the smart decisions necessary to reach the absurd goals, they instead keep on putting more roadblocks and wondering why VIA goals aren't as high.
Most of the RDO's are a bunch of blond bimbos anyway.

[Low-bee on the hive]

@boston rebel
in my area, my DM expects us to come out -.05 VTI in labor every week. If ALS has already cut labor and we are still expected to come out under labor, then we might as well not have any other baristas working. The store is expected to be 100% clean but we only get 4 hours of non coverage for cleaning...yeah like that's gonna happen in 4 hours-we might as well enclose the store in glass and call it a museum...look but don't touch! Further we are not allowed to have non coverage to do reviews...unless the barista says nothing, we need at leat 20 min each. Everyday I find myself working harder and longer to try to keep up with everything that my DM wants, yet I still get reprimanded for going over labor or having OT. As for the onees who asked about the hours you are allowed to work...it varies by state. In California, if you work more than 8 hours it's OT. If you work more than 12 hours it's double time but there is nothing that says you can not work all day

[.]

Wow...glad I'm not the only one. I've talked to 3 or 4 peer sm's in my district, and we are ALL over on labor. Yes, we had a weather shift this week, but I am doing 200-400 more than I forecasted each day and still coming out +2-5% VTI. If changes have been made without communication, that is completely disrespectful. SM's are running scared for their jobs because of threats coming from DM's re: labor, via targets, etc and the SSC changes the rules of the game without letting anybody know? Unbelievable.

[SSC Drone]

@Melody [quote] I thought we were hearing that Via is selling well. ??[/quote]

That's the deal. At the SSC, you only hear the "good" news. VIA could be tanking in some markets or cannibalizing whole bean sales - management will only share news of where sales are exceeding plan.

[VIVA VIA]

It took less than 3 days of poor VIA sales before we were instructed to start Partner Bev'ing brewed coffee and ring up VIAs instead (VIA is given to customers as a "free" bonus, so there is no inventory issue). Now we will likely win the district race to 200% for the initial promo period. I feel kinda bad about it since we are clearly going to outpace stores that are honestly trying to sell VIA. But hey, the orders came down from both the DM and the store manager. Any ideas as to what we should do with our ill-gotten winnings? Maybe spend the $500 party fund on legitimate VIA purchases, so as to offset the cost of all the free stuff we gave away? Has anybody ever won one of these things? Is it possible just to split the money between partners? Most of us would rather have 40 or 50 bucks than a party.

[bcshift]

I looked at the holiday stuff too!! It does look neat this year. Back to gingerbread latte...and hmm Caramel Bruleé Latte! I hope it's good...comes with it's own syrup!! Exciting.

Christian Siriano starbucks cards!!! I knew Christian Siriano was doing something for holiday, but starbucks cards? weird. I like how the words 'fierce' and 'ferosh' are part of the description, haha.

[bcshift]

oh and i have two of the gold bricks from last year's holiday in my living room! hahaha.

[Bartholomew]

I have the wheat bunch from last year's fall promo...lol

[Bartholomew]

Are any store's doing an incentive aside from the $500 store parties? My SM is giving out gift cards for gas and restaurants for the top sellers each week. All of the partners in my store are really motivated and we are hitting our goal!!!

[Low-bee on the hive]

I heard all the give aways for via and thought well if everyone is doing that, then why not me. I mentioned it to my DM and comparedit to a pound of while bean..we normally give a free tall with every pound, and he flat out said no...that was cheating and corporate was "cracking" down on it. Nice to know that all those DM's will be written up over it( yeah right!)

[Formerly1407923]

HELP!
I need to find the job description for Starbucks ASM and I need any information on weather this is still a position that Starbucks is offering.

Anybody?

[NJ_newbie]

ooh Caramel Brulee latte sounds sugary and fabu...but i bet it tastes like a burnt caramel macchiato. lol

[spence]

It's bad when your SM buys Via (without a discount) so our sales don't look awful and she doesn't get into trouble. We've been mostly honest in our sales so we aren't anywhere near quota.
Here's a thought. Suppose you went into a beautiful candy shoppe where they make their own mouth watering chocolates. They have more than a dozen beautiful types of chocolate bars stacked up around the store. A "short" chocolate bar costs $1.45. Yum. But the chocolate sales person said, "Hi. Would you like to try/buy some of our Via chocolate. It will only cost $1.00 a bar. Of course, it's not real chocolate. It's instant chocolate.

[yukonluvr]

i hope the caramel brulee latte is delicious. and not dulce de leche masked under a new name. and why not just do creme brulee. why's it gotta be caramel? oh well, i'm just glad we have a new latte, finally! i'm also excited about the window clings! :D

[spence]

No, we do not want creme brulee lattes.
3 pumps of vanilla, steamed breve, shots of espresso, crack an egg over the top, sprinkle with brown sugar and gently torch the top until it's a crispy light brown.