Hello, everyone, I'm new to this forum, and Sbux, all I have to say is sbux customers are the **** worst! When I was a very frequent customer I would tip 1.00 for a 2.00 espresso, EVERYTIME. These customers come in with their entire **** ancestry in tow and after I've put in an order of about 47 Frappucinos which comes to about 397.70, they will give me 400, take the 2 dollars back, and leave us **** 30 cents, WTF? I'm not looking to buy a new porsche with the tips I receive, but working almost 40 hrs a week and yielding 15 dollars in tips is quite ridiculous. I had this lady call in the other day, and say she was so **** because the barista serving her wasn't smiling and asking her about her day, and I said "well mam, that's probably because you're incredibly ugly, weren't you the one eating all the sugar packets at our condiment bar?" (Okay, I really didn't say that because I'm a ****, but it would've sounded awesome) But seriously though, IT'S STARBUCKS! IT'S COFFEE, why do you call into a store unless you're an employee, what a complete waste of oxygen she is. I've been working at sbux for 3 wks now, and I'm already looking to find new work. Everytime I've been working longer than 15 minutes I want to stab myself in the face with a matcha serving spoon. Anyway, I give it up to all of you who have been with sbux a while, sainthood is soon to come for you! Peace, tipssuck
Starbucks customers, wow
(63 posts) (31 voices)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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Well, look on the bright side, $15 a week in tips is $15 a week more then I get in tips.
Posted 4 years ago # -
tipssuck--
you are absolutely right. tips do suck at sbux because of the clientele we draw...i.e., morons, cheapskates, and a-holes. at any decent coffee shop that pulls real espresso shots, you will see almost nuthin' but dollah bills in they tip jah. but not at the buck. people be thinkin' that 10-cent is a decent tip at the buck. and most folk don't be tippin atall. dayum.Posted 4 years ago # -
I agree, I don't tip the kid working at McDonalds, all they are doing is assembling food (well, it resembles food anyway). At Starbucks, they aren't really doing much more then pushing buttons and using a blender. I can pull a much better shot at home. Why would I tip at a starbucks?
I saw a tip jar at a Circle K the other day? What the hell? Everyone has there hand out these days! Thats it, I'm putting a tip jar in my office!
Posted 4 years ago # -
OMG tipsuck. ur a loser. Want tips? Wait tables. Making me a cup of coffee or a latte doesn't "deserve" tips. Though I often do.
Hilarious about Circle K parrothead.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Seriouslly, everyone is expecting a tip. How am I suppose to know who I am suppose to tip and not? There is a tip jar everywhere? If I tipped everytime I saw a tip jar, I'd be broke, and I make pretty good money! And I only ever get a coffee at any coffee shop, sometimes I'll get an Americano, but why should I tip a buck for someone to pour me a cup of black coffee? My 7 year old does it for me at home, not like it requires an special skill. Man, don't get me started on the whole tipping thing!
Posted 4 years ago # -
A tip jar at Circle K? Really, now?
Tips are for service employees, not automatons on an assembly line. Namely for exceptional service.
Fast-food joints don't have tip jars because they're not doing anything exceptional.
@ the bux, though, by customer expectation, we're supposed to deliver "legendary service". And I'm soooo sorry, but tipsuck is right: when a cust requests specialty, there's a large party, or someone genuinely asks,"How's your day?", then why shouldn't we receive tips for extra attention. Contrary to the Fortune 500, we don't get paid THAT much(remember, service employee?) and tips make up some of the difference.
Although it is entirely up to the customer to decide to leave a tip, I personally give legendary service ALL THE TIME, regardless.Posted 4 years ago # -
"when a cust requests specialty, there's a large party, or someone genuinely asks,"How's your day?", then why shouldn't we receive tips for extra attention."
Isn't that your job? I mean no disrespect, I just feel, pouring a cup of coffee, or making a cafe mocha, well, its the job of the barista. If someone asked for something special, or feels the received "exceptional" service, and they want to give a little extra for it, that is up to them. If barisata's made $2.50 an hour like waitstaff does, and depended on tips, I would feel much differant about it. I worked customer service for years, and provided very good c/s for a company the fortune 500 says is one of the best in the industry, and never recieved a penny from any of my customers. I was just doing what I got paid to do.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Yes. It is our job to take the customer's order, make what they ordered, and provide them with excellent service. But this is the same job description of any service job. The McDonalds handbook tells its staff the exact same thing (in different words of course.) Now, is there a difference between the service you get at McDonalds and the service you get at Starbucks.
Even before I worked at Starbucks I realized there was a vast difference between the two. The kids at McDonalds are greasy 16 year olds who clearly hated their jobs. They wouldn't smile at me, acknowledge my existence, and just mumble unintelligible things at me. At Starbucks, however, I was always greeted with a smile and was asked how I was doing, etc.
Also, the clientele that frequent Starbucks are an entirely different story. We attract the bitchiest types of customers because people expect something different from Starbucks. For some reason people go into a fast-food joint or a gas station and just expect poor service. However, a customer comes to the Bux and we better do every little thing right or else we're getting yelled at.
I've worked at both McDonalds and Starbucks and I can tell you that the Starbucks job is much more challenging. Yes, it is easy to pull the shots, and the Mastrena machine does a damn good job at steaming the milk while I do 10 other things. But no one comes into a burger joint and asks for - 5 half-sesame seed buns, no pickles, tomatoes, or onion, extra ketchup, lite mustard, extra-hot, Big Mac - while talking as fast as possible while trying to carry on a conversation with a person on their cell-phone.
I don't care if you tip or not. It's nice if you do. Especially if your order is super complicated and/or you're just being a **** in general.
But don't compare my job to a gas station attendant or the guy who works at McD's.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Wow, that's it in a nutshell!
Posted 4 years ago # -
By your rational, ANYONE that preforms any sort of specialty, skilled service should be tipped? Why?
And why should I be expected to tip becuase the 4 people in front of me were bithcy?I used to work as an assitant chef in a very nice restuarnt. I use to specialize customers ordered for them all the time, and was preforming a very specialized job, all while doing 100 things at once. I never got any tips for that. I would argue a chef is as much, if not more skilled a postion then barista. I never got a single tip? The only diffreance between a chef and barista is face to face customer contact. I'll be honest too, at most coffee shops, most of the interaction between customer and employee is done with the person at the register, while the barista is mostly just making drinks.
I see your points, and they are valid. However, it just seems to me there is no clear line as to when a service truely deserves tipping, and when you are just "doing your job".And besides, all the person behind the counter is doing is pouring coffee into a cup, and handing it to me, and taking my money. Why does that deserve a tip, and not the kid throwing my cheeseburger into a microwave and heating up at McDonalds not deserve one?
Posted 4 years ago # -
It seems like you missed the last two lines of my text. Like I said, I don't care if people tip or not. I don't expect them to and I don't get upset if people don't tip. I'm just saying it's a nice thing to do if you were pleased with your service.
Also, one minor, albeit important flaw in your argument. The tips you put into the jar don't just go to the person behind the register. They go to everyone on the floor (including the person making your drink).
Just a heads up.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Well, you are right, I did miss those lines! So sorry. again, I don't mean any disresepct, and please don't think I'm being a jerk or anything, its just, I guess I get tierd of seeing tip jars everyone from Starbucks to Cold Stone, to yes, even at Circle K.
And to you last point, I know it doesn't just go to the person making my drink (or pouring it) It goes to a bunch of people that had NOTHING to do with the person that acucally poured my drink and gave it to me, that to me is another reason why I have a hard time putting anything in that jar.
Posted 4 years ago # -
You're all missing the **** point. Non-forced tipping (i.e., in places other than restaurants) is for people who wish to show their appreciation for service well-rendered...or who simply want to put a down-payment on service well-rendered (both are smart moves, in my opinion). And guess what, when a customer shows me they appreciate me by tipping, I'm much much more apt to appreciate them as a customer, even if, by all rights, they are a royal pain in the ****. I remember tippers. And I reward them for their generosity. Non-tippers, not so much.
Posted 4 years ago # -
For key examples: See "Ghetto Iced Latte"
Posted 4 years ago # -
Oh, and SAM, I invite you to enjoy a nice hot cup of go-****-yourself the next time you're at your neighborhood sbux. Just tell the manager on duty to comp that for you. peace!
Posted 4 years ago # -
I second the previous post...
Posted 4 years ago # -
You're completely correct. It is our job to deliver legendary service to everyone, no matter what. Pouring a cup of coffee, making a latte, that's easy ****.
But here is why we deserve tips.
You know that customer that comes in? The one that has no idea what to get, so you offer something and they get angry because they feel like you're rushing them? Then a line begins to form. More people become impatient and start to leave. You can't force the customer out of the way for the people behind them, so you have to improv. You have to "sell" something to this person to get them on their way down candy cane lane. So you say, "Well, have you tried our Arabian Mocha Sanani yet? It's a bold coffee with hints of mocha in it. It pairs well with most chocolates, but I prefer mine with some peppermint and white mocha to really bring out the flavor. Plus, it's just coffee, so it's 2 dollars!"
Then they say that sounds delicious and they get that and a pastry.
That's why we deserve tips. Not because we're programmed by Sbux to pour a cup of coffee and say "have a great day," but because some really smart people know how to get people to buy things.It's really a sly market, retail. And if you can't bluff, then you lose the five people behind them. That's 10 plus dollars.
Posted 4 years ago # -
If that is your best description of Sanani, you don't deserve the tips...
Posted 4 years ago # -
jobbamison, you are 100% correct. I just get upset when people make comments like "and they didn't even tip" or call someone cheap for not tipping. Thanks for laying it out like that.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Parrothead, thanks, and I'm sorry if that post sounded a little harsh. All the posts on this issue have been interesting and enlightening and helped me to understant tipping from several viewpoints. When someone tips at Sbux, I'm impressed. It doesn't ruin my day if they don't tip either. I'm simply too busy to worry about it. But thanks for your comment.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I worked in the bar business before coming to SB. i taught my kids if they go anywhere to eat, drink, whatever, if you don't have money to tip don't go! and these stupid numbers we have to make...holy **** people...let's see...a latte for my tummy or gas for my car??? HMMM...I'll go for the gas every time!!
Posted 4 years ago # -
IloveSbux,
Cut the guy some slack. Mocha Sanani isn't worth learning about anyway. It's a crappy, overrated, overpriced bag of carbon anyway. Who gives a ****.Posted 4 years ago # -
jobbamison, you must be confusing Sanani with French Roast...lol!
Posted 4 years ago # -
French Roast is crap!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Indeed. Can't stand it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
AT LAST IT AGREES WITH SOMTHING
Posted 4 years ago # -
Hey, EXslavetostarbucks...the caps lock key is over there on the left....just hit it once to bring things back to normal. You're welcome!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Just felt like yelling I am so happy right now
Posted 4 years ago # -
Meds must have kicked in, eh?
Posted 4 years ago #
Topic Closed
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