When a customer asks for water and they are a paying customer I'll usually hook 'em up with a grande cup. We've had times when we just had mobs of kids loitering inside/outside and they all want water (venti) and I charge 50 cents. My personal rule of thumb is to provide tall cups to whomever (regardless of if they are paying or non paying customers). Sometimes it ticks me off when they ask for multiple venti cups of water and they haven't paid for anything! What do you guys do at your stores??
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Water cups
(18 posts) (12 voices)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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Lol. It's illegal to sell water...just hope you don't get fined/sued.
As for us, we use our sorbetto cups for water unless a customer asks otherwise. :DAnd as long as you're marking out the water cups on the POS, you won't have to worry about it costing your store money for new cups.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Mark out water cups? Who does that?!
There are some regulars at my store that come every day like clockwork and just get waters. It pisses me off because the store is usually busy, and I have to leave paying customers to get their 3 grande water cups.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Not markout, but push the "cup of water" button. It gives your store 2 seconds of labor per cup. So push it often, even it they don't get water.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Which is complete **** btw. Getting a cup of water takes more than 2 seconds. Especially with our faucet.
Posted 4 years ago # -
That is soooo true Virus--2 seconds of labor my ****!
There is a "cup-o-water" button @ bottom of Other menu, as CustomersSuck and Virus indicated.
As for the regulars who want water in the middle of the rush, just write H2O in the drink box on whatever size cup, and put it in line with the paying customers. Then if they (the water disgustomers) have a problem, gently explain that you're working on it, but it is policy to help the paying customers first.Posted 4 years ago # -
that's a phenomenal suggestion darkrost. non paying/non regular customers wait the 20 cup que. ;)
Posted 4 years ago # -
there's a price for everything!
Posted 4 years ago # -
I kind of do the same thing that DARKROAST does. Especially in the summer. This is what I do: "May I help the next customer?" "yes, can I have a ...." said customer A.Then out of nowhere someone else interrupts the conversation and says," Excuse can I have water?" customer B. I then proceed to give them the look, the "are you serious look." I tell them, "I'm helping this customer, you'll have to wait in line". If they give me attitude I then tell them that everyone else is waiting for their drink, and it's not their fault they came before him/her. So after I'm done with the initial transaction, I write ICE in the custom box and H20 in the drink box. So they still have to wait as the paying customers. I actually was looking up the policy concerning water. The standard it they get a TALL unless they specify. The cool thing at least in my store they tip us for getting the water...not all the time.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@ Virus - I agree, it takes much longer than 2 seconds to pour a glass of water. Doesn't mean they'll give us the full amount of time it takes to actually do it ;-)
@ Darkroast - I do the exact same thing. Someone wants water, they can wait in line. Generally, it's paying customers who want a water with their drink anyway, so they don't mind. But in the summer, it's awful. We actually had kids who would come in and get a glass of water with whip cream on top. Eat the whip cream then drink the water. YUCK. If they ever came to me, I would never do it. Blech.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Put them in line, give them a tall,hit the cup of water button on the POS. Just bee sure to hit button when on another transaction and not by itself as it adds a customer to your count and brings down your check average. We had a situation wher I had a SS adding a bunch of cups at the end of the day. We would have sles totaling $5-$6 the las hour but couldn't get permission to close earlier because we were showing 15-20 guests that last hour. I finally figured it out after monitoring the sales journal.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Genius's... We work with genius's!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL J/K ... Love to all. I like the idea of making them wait! Be careful though because some of them only want water so that you will turn around and they can steal your tips!!!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Oooh, that's happened to us, ONCE! I refuse to let it happen again, so now, I do what DARKROAST says... Put it in queue.
"Make every drink in the order you get it!" :]
Posted 4 years ago # -
Really? Water? Now people who want water are not only cheap, but they want to steal our tips? What has you so bitter about the job that a person asking for water annoys you. And how pathetic that you get your giggles from making them wait and being rude. Is it that hard to get someone a water while you wait for shots to pull or a frapp to be done blending? You act like they are stealing from you. Do you pay the water bill? Is that cup coming out of your check? Do they not pay you for that fraction of a minute that you are serving someone water? Are you or your kids gonna suffer because of that water stealer? I can't stand how crappy customer service has gotten and how the people who are getting paid to do a job act inconvenienced when they have to actually do some work. Sometimes I wonder where they find some of these partners. BTW, Starbucks doesn't ask us to create our own policy and procedure. There is a reason they don't leave that up to us because then you get someone like yourself who acts like they are doing someone a favor when they "hook 'em up w/ a grande" cup for water while charging on top of that. It's water!! Something we all need! You probably roll your eyes, too when you have to grind some beans for a customer, or have to steam breve for a cap. Think about it, is this really something you should be bothered by? And what is with all the judgments made about people who want water? People get thirsty, or have to take medicine, or want to join a friend but prefer water to coffee or tea, or they don't have enough money (which being poor does not make someone guilty of being a thief or trash... I've met more **** with fat wallets). I think we should all just do our best and play it by ear. If there is a line to the door, get the water when you can, start your drinks and do it in between. I've been an opener at a busy store for years. Water is the least of our problems as baristas.
Posted 4 years ago # -
You disgust me, NG.
How dare you have the audacity to berate US in such a manner, given the our background information and the type of customers that enter the doors of our Starbucks.
"Really? Water? Now people who want water are not only cheap, but they want to steal our tips? What has you so bitter about the job that a person asking for water annoys you."
Oh, Sherlock, let's see here. The fact that they asked for 3 venti waters in the middle of the morning rush, giving us attitude and demanding that we give them water asap since it's not a fancy drink and they shouldn't have to pay for it, since, after all, it's just water. The fact that they expect us to hold up the line to get them their water when paying customers are behind them.
"And how pathetic that you get your giggles from making them wait and being rude. Is it that hard to get someone a water while you wait for shots to pull or a frapp to be done blending? You act like they are stealing from you."
I see you're versed in the art of ****. Getting giggles? Where did that come from? Did you seriously take the "hehehehe" literally and thought we actually laugh while making the customers wait? If so, then please rid the world of your presence and go play in traffic.
And yes, IT IS hard to get someone a cup of water seeing as to how we have 2 partners on the floor and a line out the door. And just to make you look stupid, allow me to confirm that customers ordering water DOES count against us in multiple ways.
1) dissatisfied customers from the wait might leave and we'll lose their money, thus making one less transaction, thus not getting hours for the VTI, thus less hours for our store/partners as a whole. Now, allow me to do the math. Waters = less check average = less hours = less money = sad barista because we can't make rent.
"Do you pay the water bill? Is that cup coming out of your check? Do they not pay you for that fraction of a minute that you are serving someone water? Are you or your kids gonna suffer because of that water stealer?"
Just slap yourself right now. Those rhetorical questions backfired on you because, in fact, giving someone water DOES come out of our pay check and ultimately affects our family/kids. As said before, Waters = less check average = less hours = less money = sad barista because we can't make rent. Furthermore, they might steal our tips while getting them water (happened twice at my store), which will give us less money. Ergo, we suffer.
"I can't stand how crappy customer service has gotten and how the people who are getting paid to do a job act inconvenienced when they have to actually do some work."
DO NOT, for a SINGLE MOMENT, blame crappy customer service on us. We would be delighted to offer legendary customer service if we are given the correct tools to do so. I refuse to get someone water unless it is their turn in the line of drinks. I will not succumb to their "need" to drink water. With labor and economy the way it is, our hours have been cut in eighths and we'd be lucky if we're able to get through the day without having to rush our whole shift. We barely have enough time to wipe after our messes, let alone get someone water while we casually 'wait for shots to pull.' We have no free time anymore. Thus when the shots are pulling or the frapp is blending, I'm busy wiping down counters, making other drinks, running transactions, doing a lobby, and a shitload of other work.
"Sometimes I wonder where they find some of these partners. BTW, Starbucks doesn't ask us to create our own policy and procedure. There is a reason they don't leave that up to us because then you get someone like yourself who acts like they are doing someone a favor when they "hook 'em up w/ a grande" cup for water while charging on top of that."
You see, I wonder where they get partners as well. I don't get why people continue working for such a wretched company while having so much expected of them, and on top of that get horrid creatures such as yourself criticizing us for making someone wait to get their precious water, like everyone else who ordered a drink is waiting.
"It's water!! Something we all need!"
Shut the hell up, okay? We're not denying them water, we're simply making them wait as they should.
"You probably roll your eyes, too when you have to grind some beans for a customer, or have to steam breve for a cap. Think about it, is this really something you should be bothered by?"YES! We should be bothered by this! It happens all the too often when customers have these pesky side-orders they want like grinding coffee or getting water that takes so time and so little outcome.
"And what is with all the judgments made about people who want water? People get thirsty, or have to take medicine, or want to join a friend but prefer water to coffee or tea, or they don't have enough money (which being poor does not make someone guilty of being a thief or trash... I've met more **** with fat wallets). I think we should all just do our best and play it by ear. If there is a line to the door, get the water when you can, start your drinks and do it in between. I've been an opener at a busy store for years. Water is the least of our problems as baristas."
I refuse to play it by ear and will treat every customer the way I treat the former. Everyone WILL wait in line as I write their water on a cup and wait for the barista to get their drink. I WILL NOT hold up the line for water, something we won't get hours nor money for. I will not!
Posted 4 years ago # -
i didnt know there was a 'cup of water' button
we used to have a sign by the bar that said something like to be courteous to the paying customers please order your water at the register as well
as annoying as it is, its a little easier that way i guessPosted 4 years ago # -
i didnt know there was a 'cup of water' button
we used to have a sign by the bar that said something like to be courteous to the paying customers please order your water at the register as well
as annoying as it is, its a little easier that way i guessPosted 4 years ago # -
NG's store must be either slow or properly staffed. Mine, quite frankly, is neither.
Water is kind of an inconvenience. But I sure as hell am not rude about it. They can wait an extra minute if they want it that bad. May I remind you, they're getting something for FREE. I do need to be nice and polite to them, but I don't need to go out of my way for them. And, NG, we HAVE had people steal our tips when we turn around to get water, especially in DT.
"I can't stand how crappy customer service has gotten and how the people who are getting paid to do a job act inconvenienced when they have to actually do some work."
You **** disgust me.Posted 4 years ago #
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