Under this topic I intend to present qualified (I worked as a barista for 3 years) comments about the good and about the bad when it comes to the Starbucks barista family. People who work at Starbucks do it for 4 main reasons. 1. They want to work a flexibe-hour second job (good); 2. They need the relatively inexpensive benefits (particularly health) that can be gotten for part-time work(good although it may change dramatically as the fiscal situation in the company continues downward); 3. They see a potential for managerial positions in a company that is continually expanding (good but not so evident now); 4. They are floundering idiots who like to be drone-like cult-like individuals feeding off each other in relatively hard-working $7 an hour jobs (bad). Unfortunately, in some instances, the manager of the store is someone who has no business managing anything and if some of the baristas manage to have half a brain or a great deal of retail experience (say someone who is retired), they are criticized by bad managers for any form of initiative that translates into legendary service to the customer. You see these managers follow the Seattle Bible, a million page list of dogma and doctrine designed by white shirt graduates from college who sit in Seattle, looking at their marketing and health and safety college course books and dream up a litany of inane rules that, in many instances run totally contrary to any form of legendary service. These white shirts have never served a customer and haven't a clue about direct customer service, which is not a written self-serving Seattle bible but a direct face to face customer interraction that takes many forms at various times. To somehow feel that every barista should look and sound exactly like every other barista is ridiculously simplistic and just plain wrong. Their training, as good as it is, is a training book for a cult sales force, which is wholly unprepared for the real world of customer service. MORE TO FOLLOW
Take this job and shove it
(29 posts) (9 voices)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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Part 2:The Starbucks Bible: Apparently, somewhere in Seattleville, there is a million page Bible of do's and don'ts. This is followed up by thousands of newsletters, notices, and commentaries (even with recycled paper the volume of paper produced by Starbucks has to cost a lot of trees their life--so much for "green")that either exalt the Bible or add newly-printed thoughts from the white-shirted college graduated marketing and health and safety Seattlelites, who never worked for any length of time (I do not mean parttime during college or a year or so) either in a Starbucks or in any venue requiring customer service, but look at their college course curriculum as the guidebook for the Bible. If you have a decent manager with an ounce of sense and a positive relationship with the baristas, the manager strikes a balance between the Bible, the baristas, and the customers that lends itself to a happy and friendly environment and quality customer service. If you have a crazy, cult-like drone-like ineffective manager such as the final one I ended up with, you have a very negative vibe in the store that translates to unhappy baristas, a somewhat negative feeling that is evident to the customers (some of my customers indicated to me that they had felt that the atmosphere in the store "seemed to change" with the new manager), baristas who quit. This manager was controlling, was unable to delegate any authority, and followed the Bible to the nth degree. It seemed that every move you made in the store--even if it showed some initiative and was a positive step toward customer service--was criticized if it did not follow the Bible ad nauseum. This manager displayed a total lack of any consideration for baristas--everything was done to ensure a maximum bonus at the expense of the baristas and the customers. Severe shortages of inventory, severe shortage of baristas at busy times--all kept costs down and profits up. Unfortunately, unlike Howie's call for going back to the old days, as a large company, profit has become number one and Legendary Five Star Service has been relegated to a back burner. Managers, district managers, regional managers--all want to make it big and profit, not happy customers, is the way to that goal. If Howie is listening, one way to cut costs is to eliminate store managers and use your Shift Supervisors, at a higher pay scale, as your management team. They are as dedicated, they tend to be more customer oriented and can still be supervised adequately by the next rung of district managers. MORE TO FOLLOW IN PART #3
Posted 5 years ago # -
And then the shift supervisors will be acting just like the horrible store managers in a very short amount of time. Power corrupts. I was a manager at RadioShack. Over the years I had several employees that it wouldn't have mattered if I had treated them as my God, they still would've hated me. It's the "hate the boss" syndrome. He's gotten promoted and I haven't; that means he's blowing the DM or whatever. It never has anything to do with providing value to the company by giving them what they ask for or what they DEMAND from your job. I had a few minority and female customers and employees also imply to me that I only got promoted because I was a young white male. Right, I guess it had nothing to do with slaving as an associate for 2 years (meanwhile the person complaining has worked there for 3 months). I had one kid just barely starting college ask me, "Isn't there any sort of, like, part-time management position here? Because I'm really overqualified for this." Entitlement issues, maybe?
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At least with the elimination of the managers in favor of the shift supervisors you eliminate one whole level of unneeded, higher priced management. Sure some may turn out to be just as bad as the useless manager but some may not--at least the company will have "leaned out" a little without losing much of anything. Certainly the last manager I dealt with was not even worth $7 an hour.
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Part 3: Health and Safety--Once again the starched white shirt in Seattle, who has a degree in health and safety and has his college book sitting on his lap as he sits in his plush office making 6 figures, is completely unaware of what the real world at a Starbucks is all about. He is happy when he jots down the next H&S dictum and all is well in Seattle. Examples: In the store I worked in, the shopping center main garbage bin is located in a darkened area near the store. During closing, it has been commanded that for the sake of security, the bagged garbage (containing foodstuffs) should remain in the store overnight. I find it interesting that the cockroaches apparently are well aware of this situation and bagging the garbage does little to stop their scent glands from accumulating in the store to relish their feast. So much for 5 Star Service--what the customer dosen't know about this health outrage won't hurt them. Opened cakes are stored on trays with plastic covers. That is ok unless, as in the store I worked, the baristas continually store the cake with the dirty labels laying on top of the cake. Overnight, this gives the bacteria on the labels a chance to meet new friends and enjoy their stay on the cake. When the cake is taken out at the request of a customer, the baristas tend to leave the tongs laying on top of the cake; these tongs have been handled to the point of contamination and now they are sitting in direct contact with the cake. It used to be that previous managers saw to it that baristas were assigned to specific cleaning duties--currently the store I worked in is filthy. Based on what I saw, I would not frequent a Starbucks and would advise my friends to stay away. I'm sure most food-related businesses have their share of horrors but for a company which prides itself on service and has a million pages of service related procedures, this kind of scenario is rather sad. These type of food and garbage-related disgusting behaviors were related to the manager by myself, but apparently the manager was too busy trying to max out the bonus while being a miserable manager to worry about such disgusting procedures--nothing was ever done. It amazes me that Starbucks worries about many things but when it comes to activities that can affect customers' health and well-being, they seemingly couldn't care less.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I agree with you on most things. I don't think it's a good idea to make the baristas take the garbage at night. From a safety standpoint, it's a poor idea. Someone could easily overcome someone and rob the store, or worse. I'm sorry, I'm not willing to take a bullet for the BUX. I only go so far to make the customer happy.
We also could not take rubbish out if the bins were full. It has to wait in the back until the the bins are emptied. If you went ahead, and put garbage in the already full bin, the store gets cited by the local health inspector.
We never had any problems with vermin.
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OH, and if you *really* want to read the ultimate in "activities that can affect customers' health and well-being"; read the thread called "Liberation!" Just be sure you haven't eaten recently...
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SuiGeneris: There are at least 2 baristas in the store at closing. In many instances, there should have been 3 baristas. When I would open in morning and all I get is a "we were jammed up until closing"--I do not fault the baristas, I fault the manager, who in my store is out for the manager promotion to district manager and the end year bonus and could not care less that there are not enough baristas to handle known business surges. If there are 2 or 3 baristas, they can easily bring the garbage to the bin enmass and avoid what I see as a disgusting and unhealthy in-store situation.
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Part 4: Merchandise and Merchandising: Quite simply most of the merchandise in Starbucks is poor quality and overpriced. Cups and mugs are made, in the most part in China--if I do not want lead with my coffee or so not want the handle to come off of my mug of hot coffee, I dispense with Starbucks mugs. If I want a brewing machine, I go to Bed Bath or Linens or Walmart and find similar equipment for half the price. At least when I was a barista the 30% off got the merchandise down to a somewhat competitive price. If Howie wants to get back to the good ole days, he should stop listening to his marketing people who want to squeeze the heck out of their rich customers and use the merchandise as a tool to emphasize the store and its coffee. To their credit, they stand behind the merchandise, no questions asked, and they do have some items that are hard to find elsewhere--I particularly like my metal french press--you only see the glass ones elsewhere and they are prone to shatter; the metal one is indestructable and is insulated. In keeping with the Starbucks policy to follow the million page Seattle Bible that dictates every drone/cult-like move you make in the store, it is almost comical to see pictures every few months or so that show you EXACTLY where every item on every table and every nook and cranny should be placed. I assume that only the white shirt idiot marketing guy in Seattle is the only one who knows about marketing and the barista is just a drone-like idiot. In the store I was in, I actually saw the district manager come into the store with a ruler (no kidding) and measure the distances of the merchandise from each other and the edges of the table to make sure they conformed to either the Bible or the distict manager's perception of what was correct. Silly-yes; waste of time-yes; incredibly insane and nauseous-definitely. Part 5 to follow.
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Part 5: Customers: Please note-although most of what I have to say is truthful, at least thru my eyes of experience, I have tried to exaggerate comments so as to add a little levity to the comments. Firstly we can divide customers into 4 distinct groups--the men, the women, the women with little children, and the rich teenage crowd. The men, for the most part, know what they want when they come in and have money or plastic at the ready, pay and get out. Period, end of story for men. The women, on the other hand, usually come in with either a cell phone sticking out of their ear or conversing in a high shrilly aggravating voice with another woman. They wait on line for the 1-3 minutes or so and when they arrive at the counter they have to then continue their conversations to each other or the phone while thinking about what they want. This can take awhile as you stand there watching the line get longer and longer with apparently no concern for others on the womens' faces. Finally they order and then it is time to venture into the sewer that they call a handbag. Things come out of that bag that have been there since the beginning of time but eventually (as the line gets longer and longer) they either find the necessary money, find not quite enough money and must reenter the bagpit, or find plastic and finally leave. As they wait for their drink, their voices ring loudly over the din of the store as they have never stopped talking on the phone or their lady companion(s). The women with children are another ballgame altogether. Between the delay at the counter, as little Tommy goes thru his screaming and yelling as mommy asks him which kind of cake he wants, and the above scenario under my "Women Discussion", and the additional delays where mommy is looking for little Tommy as he runs away from her thru the store like an uncaged animal, the line gets longer and longer. The rich teenagers for the most part are much like the men. They know they want the frapuccinos (these days you cannot go to your neighborhood malt shop, which does not exist anymore. Howie in his desire to get back to the good ole coffee shop days, has put his approval on the "malt shop alternative", which, of course, has nothing to do with the good ole coffee shop other than expand into another venue and definition of what his stores are all about). They usually use daddy's plastic and, outside of mumbling their words as true teenagers, they are pretty good--its just the needless expenditure of around $4 a pop every day that tells me something about the kind of kids they are (in the store I worked in they were mostly private school students--then again that figures). Going back to the mommies with kids, we have the second act. As the mommies sit down enmass to sip their lattes in the atmosphere that Howie so longs for, the kids, in keeping with the Spock theory of little discipline and the development of youthful expression, are allowed to wander (that is a kind word for destructive rampaging) the store. Merchandise, in some instances, is broken and of course this is met by the mommies with a bad bad Tommy as the pieces are handed to you with not a whisper about payment. As the Tommys of the world are jumping on the furniture, yelling and screaming, playing with this month's grouping of stuffed animals (as they get their runny noses on the animals), mommy is still sitting and enjoying her 1 hour break with the other mommies; eventually they leave and it is now time for the baristas, who, of course, have nothing better to do, to clean up the spills and crumbs and general mess that has been left behind by the Queen Shebas and their little Tommys.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Exactly!
Ever wonder what goes on in the restrooms? Why is the toilet paper shredded on the floor like some animal had been after it? Am I alone on this one?
***I really enjoyed the "destructive rampaging" comment. Very accurate.
**** I wonder how Howie would feel if he came in to escape and had a band of these little banshies running all over the place screaming and breaking stuff. I hardly find this kind of atmosphere relaxing or what they are calling a 3rd place. It's probably more like, lets take them to starbucks so we can get up and leave the mess THERE.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Hey fivestar what you wrote is so true when you work in a neighbourhood that is extremly rich.I had a child in my old store get burnt by a hot cup of coffee because his mother was letting him run around the store like is was some kind of jungle gym. My favourite mothers were the ones who thought that you should be watching there children while they were sitting there designer **** down having a break. One customer even asked me if I would keep an eye on her child once I just said no in my sweetest voice. Hmmm I wonder if that goes against the JUST SAY YES policy.
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Wow, I wonder what she would have said if you told her that you would keep track of all the items that kid had broken during the visit and let her know what she owed at the end of the visit.
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Your comments cookiemonster remind me of ONLY one time in the three or so years I worked at Starbucks that a customer actually offerred, in a positive proactive manner, to pay for something their child had broken. It happened to be a father, which figures;the Queen Sheba mommies are just too important being "queens" and too busy drinking their lattes to worry about little Tommy's rampage and broken merchandise.
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Oh, I don't take that kind of behavior. I usually take the item in question BEFORE it gets broken or drooled on and say in a very looud patronizing voice to Tommy that he can't manhandle or touch to his lips in any way something he hasn't paid for. The tone of voice, and volume, is key. This usually mortifies the mothers to the point where (and they never offer to pay, I'm totally with you on that fivestar) they prevent Tommy from further destruction.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Aerin: With the last manager I had before I decided to leave Starbucks (I am retired and was a barista because I wanted to do it--not because I had to), I was quoted one of the million or so rules, regulations, procedures, protocols etc etc, that literally rule every waking moment of your life as a barista, that criticized any attempt by me to interract in any way with Tommy and his mother, or, for that matter, any legitimate sensible initiative that clearly served Starbucks' best interest when it came to customer service . Common sense and decency should have ruled, but the rigidity of the Starbucks'dogma, as carried out by a robot manager who has memorized the rules book to it's last syllable, overrode any correct response. Using my intelligence and experience of over 50 years involvement in the retail business counts for nothing when you are up against a controlling and inept manager who must rely on every written word in the Starbucks' bible, regardless of the situation, to live the life of a manager.
Posted 5 years ago # -
NO Common sense works at this place. The training manual is only used when a SS or above wants to be correct. If a barista tries to use them, "there must be an update on the way" or "you just don't get it do you?" is the response....sick of it...if I could find benefits somewhere else, Id be gone.
Posted 5 years ago # -
"if I could find benefits somewhere else, Id be gone."
Don't think Starbucks is the only company out there offering benefits, even for part timers. Look at the jobs in your area. I don't know about what the market is like where you are, but here in Arizona, it’s pretty good. Almost any large corp. offers at least decent benefits. You may have to branch outside your current line of business, but jobs are out there, and for better pay, better benefits, more structured scheduled etc. They are there, just take some time and look around.
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Not all benefits are created equal. The benefits that I have from SB are really awesome. Though they suck up most of my paycheck. My husband has Crones disease and needs to have lots of medications. At a certain dollar level we are able to pick up his meds at no charge. But this is really the only great thing that SB offers. The health plan at his job doesn't even come close to the coverage we have available. So, No, its not all that easy to up and go. The market sucks here. Actually, people ask what we start at and when I tell them $8.00, they lose their minds. I guess thats alot for this area.
What would make me happy is if MY DM was more like a human being.
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I have a very good friend that is an SM at Starbucks. She has good benefits, I wouldn't consider them awesome. She is always telling me she would LOVE the benefits I get (I have to admit, my company has some of the best benefits I have ever heard of!). Like I said, there are a lot of companies out there offering at least equal if not better benefits then are available to you at Starbucks, just look around, they are there.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Face facts--there are only 4 reasons why anyone wants to work at SBUX. 1) people looking for flexible hours that fit their real reason for living 2) people who need the benefits with only a 240 mhr quarter required 3)an unfortunate group who, for some reason, do not know how to "get a life"--they drone/cult along putting up with bad management and little pay so they can "belong" to the mystical SBUX family--someday I hope they all grow up and get real about life and its opportunities and 4) when SBUX was growing everyday, there were opportunities (and I guess there still are) for hard work and allegiance to the company and its policies to advance to a management position and, without benefit of a college degree, achieve a degree of success in the retail business--although the work in and of itself is truly not easy particularly during those busy times--working at a growing retail chain say in clothes or shoes or cosmetics certainly is not as physically demanding as standing behind a coffee bar trying to make 10 drinks in a minute.
PS: I contacted SBUX 3 times (as an ex-employee AND as a stockholder) and asked them to read comments on this website. Exclude the ridiculous and read on and learn where their problems are coming from. Each time I received a nice email saying they would send my comments to the "appropriate" personnel, which turns out to be the garbage since they never contacted me. They and Howie truly "talk a good talk" but do not come close to "walking a good walk".Posted 5 years ago # -
You guys are rough!
Some peoples situations are not so easy that they CAN PICK UP AND LEAVE. The benefits I speak of are great. I don't get letters asking if I have another insurance company that can handle what they are supposed to cover!!??? WTF. Get it. I can not leave. Im stuck!
Have a little compassion. Im here for the same reason. I hate it some days and need to vent. It's not always bad. And sometimes I get good suggestions. Yeah, I have complaints! But dont we all? Im not able to support myself making jewelry or drawing which are my real "passions" so, don't tell me to get a life. You guys left. Great! Its not always the solution.Posted 5 years ago # -
hey cookiemonster. sorry if some of us have been "rough". yes its true that "some peoples situations are not so easy" i have dealt with "not so easy" situations many times. you are not stuck though. ok..not permanently. i can not help you without more information...i.e. where you live...your experience....etc. if you leave your email here i will contact you and we can hopefully get you out of this negative situation and into a more positive one. no promises but i will do my best and who knows maybe we can get you to supporting yourself with making jewelry or drawing. your call. let me know.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Dear O,
I have taught myself to bend wire and have sold quite a bit in little stores. But the economic times, people aren't buying jewelry. You can't eat it. Or drawings, they don't fill the beltline gap either. I worked for a remainder company for 29 years and got some photoshop experience. I can take awesome photgraphs, or at least I used to.I use some of my art at SB making their signs. That is truly the best part of my job. I also make the signs for the store hours and other events that the store holds. The DM gave a blanket approval of my work. Maybe thats not saying much. But Im told that if SB doesn't send it out to put up, you don't put it up. ???
I wouldn't know how to send you samples of what I do. Not on this site anyway.
Posted 5 years ago # -
hey cookiemonster, if you give me ur email i will contact you and we can discuss more.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Cookie, I would love to see some samples too! If you can get them to me somehow. I spent a number of yaers as a high school art teacher. I have a fine arts degree with a consintration on photography. By all means, please share.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Why do I hate this place let me count the ways. I've been at starbucks for just 1 year now and I can see why people really hate this place. For one they continually preach about taking the time to interact with the customers but rush you to get the drinks out to the customers and get angry when you try to interact. Secondly I have just put in for vacation next week and so the assistant manager comes out and starts talking right in front of me with another "partner" how since some people are taking vacation next week they will be working extra the week after because and I quote "it is not fair to the other workers". Then we have no sick days if you call out even if you can't walk and don't have someone to cover your shift you are written up and receive corrective action. The store hours at least at my store is ridiculous i have to be there at 4:45 in the morning so the 1 or 2 people who come in at 5:30 can get there early bird cup of coffee. Management is nothing but a bunch of **** in one instance a pregnant woman who works in the store was not feeling well and wanted to know if she could leave early the assistant manager catches a fit and doesn't want to let her go but finally after bitching for a long time decides to let her go a few days later that same assistant manager goes rushing out the store because she was "not feeling well". If your 4-5 minutes late you receive a corrective action but i've witnessed the manager and the assistants managers come in sometimes up to 30 an hour late and no one says anything to them. Then assistant managers just stop working whenever they feel like it and i've even had an assistant manager tell me to do something because as she said "I'm not going to do that ****" and all that was asked of her was to clear out some boxes from the back. Finally and I could go on all night but I'll spare you the assistant managers and the manager sit in the back and are on the phones for a good portion of the day but they are very strict on the rest of the workers in the store. GREAT PLACE TO WORK?! YEAH RIGHT!
Posted 5 years ago # -
Ok, here is my contact info svensmom98@yahoo.com. Contact me there and I will send pix.
Did you want to see my SB signs as well? It may take a day or two to put pix back on the computer. I removed many to free up space. But I will start working on a couple of folders today.Posted 5 years ago # -
I never heard back from SBUX after I emailed them identifying myself as a stockholder--so much for any kind of real service and concern. I must admit that as a retired person with SS and a pension, I only took job for morning exercise, interractions with customers that I grew to like as friends, and free coffee. I was in a position, as someone once said to me, "it's nice when you have f__k you money--if the job is not fun anymore you can tell them so in action and in abusive verbal tones". When it was not fun anymore due to a manager that I just could not stand anymore I just took off the apron, dropped it to the floor, turned around and walked out without a word spoken. It felt good and I only wish that many of you will someday be in that position, have your share of f__k you money,and be able to silently say, as you walk out the door "take this job and shove it"
Posted 5 years ago #
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