Similar
Stories
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Starbucks to close all stores, including those in Dallas, for three hours on evening of February 26
Join hands. We can get through this.
Starbucks announced that it will close 7,100 stores across the country on February 26, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., for a training session of its 135,000 employees.
A spokeswoman said that the training will cover new standards, including creating "the perfect shot", steaming the milk, and the various other ingredients that go into a perfect espresso-based drink.
This is for company-owned stores only; workers at the 4,000 licensed stores (in supermarkets, airports, SuperTarget, etcetera) will be retrained, oh they'll be retrained, but not on the same day.
Other changes since the return of chairman Howard Schultz last month: They're ditching the experimental warmed sandwiches (which Dallas never saw) and switching wireless Internet providers. More changes TBA at the annual company meeting March 19.
Posted by T.G.
Related stories
Faved or commented on by...
Related events
Latest Contests
Latest comments...
Deep Ellum Brewing Co.'s ladies night: Progressive idea or patronizing marketing ploy?
This is Tait and I assure you this is not a marketing ploy (we are not receiving proceeds from this
Theater review: STT adeptly handles dense and dark Gruesome Playground Injuries
This was a solid review. It talked about the play, provided insight, just enough synopsis, and then
Photos: Where in the world is Johnny Football?
Saturday night, Manziel made headlines for tweeting that he "can't wait to leave College Station." H
Spamboy, anonymous:
I think it has something to do with their sinister Phase 2:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/...
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
I expect to see a throng of zombies scratching at the doors for the entire three hours.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Scott Doyle, verified:
Sorry TG, but here's a huge
<b><big>WHO F-ING CARES?</big></b>
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Teresa Gubbins, staff:
scott, if i didn't know better, i'd say you had a bias against starbucks. which is probably a good antidote to my predilection in favor. but starbucks or not, you don't find it interesting that a company is shutting down all of its branches in the middle of a busine$$ day for 3 hours?
meanwhile, i'm just trying to help out the reader who might've gone to a starbucks that day and found the doors locked and had a breakdown. this way, they can hit the store at 5 p.m. and stock up
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Scott Doyle, verified:
Sorry TG, but from my desk, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. isn't during the business day (well, technically I'm usually still at work...but only b/c I hate my life).
A wee bias, but like I said - only b/c I didn't think of it first. On the flip-side, <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/feb/10/blackland-coffee-stresses-fresh-roasted-coffee/">that cat</a> in Royse City seems to be making some monies off the whole "let's pay way too much for coffee" bandwagon. I commend him.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
lastangelman, anonymous:
I will be outside the Greenville Ave/ Caruth Haven location reselling the canned stuff at exorbitant prices that only Steve Jobs could appreciate and renting the use of lawn furniture to recline in parking lot. You want WiFi? I'll be renting Etch-A-Sketches out, too.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
<i>WHO F-ING CARES?</i>
The throng of zombies. Zombucks?
To be fair, if I wanted coffee and they were closed so they could teach the drones inside not to spit into the customers' drinks or whatever, I'd be pretty pissed. Do that on your own time.
It's like Chick Fil A being closed on sunday. It enrages me.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Scott Doyle, verified:
Are you slow? It's not at all like Chic-Fil-A being closed on Sundays - it's 3 hours, once, for training. And considering they're open all but the 8-9 hours each day when most people sleep (some 24 hours), when the hell else are they gonna do it?
I'm sure they ran the numbers and determined that to be the slowest time-frame of the day. Dinner hours, mang.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Brad LaRock, verified:
The power of the consumer...choice. Don't like Starbucks? I am sure there are several other places in Dallas Fort Worth such as Dunn Bros or White Rock Coffee or many other non-corporate coffee houses that pour a better product that would appreciate your patronage. I have given up the Mighty Mogul for Dunn Bros. I saw someone in a Starbucks dusting off bags of coffee and at Dunn Bros I got a bag right out of the roaster. There is a difference between the stuff that is unloaded off the trucks and the stuff that is roasted in house. Going to Starbucks is like going to McDonalds. I haven't been to either in a long while. I have a choice and I choose to vote with my dollar.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, verified:
Pipes, here's your choices:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/cof...
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
I vote with my feet. Starbucks is closest, so they get my bidnez. I also used to have access to a T-Mobile account, which was nice.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
John Turner-McClelland, verified:
All I can picture are the underpants gnomes from South Park now.
"Step 1. Steal Underpants. Step 2. ? Step 3. Profit!"
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
twisteddog, anonymous:
Good to see Howard Schultz kicking some barista ass.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Teresa Gubbins, staff:
i hope he makes a personal visit to the branch in front of the Central Market in plano. i got a dose of passive-aggressiveness from the staff there last weekend that made me want to brandish my fist or something. boy i was mad. yeah
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Kirbside, anonymous:
@ Pipes
Neither of the situation's you described is really best for your latte. Coffee is at it's peak 7 days from when it is roasted, at 14 days it is about half as good as peak. Quality starts to decline sharply after that. This is all assuming that you are still dealing with whole beans. Once ground, coffee loses it's peak in a matter of hours. So yes, as we all know, Starbucks coffee is most definitely sub-par.
What most people don't know is that coffee has a degassing time, when the carbon dioxide from the coffee is being released. This process requires (usually) 1 day for regular coffees, 2 days for espress. During this period of time, coffee is well below sub-par as well. So it seems that both Dunn and Starbucks are a bit misinformed.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
What do you mean by "coffee", in regards to degassing? You mean the brewed stuff?
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Kirbside, anonymous:
No, sorry for the confusion, I was referring to the beans.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
OpusthePoet, anonymous:
I can usually get a decent cup from Warbucks (hey if you're going to name you're establishment after a fictitious character you might as well use the funny pages, none of that "high literature" stuff) actual stores, but except for the one at the Barnes and Nobles non of the "in store" place are worth a dang. I hope thr retraining goes well and thanks for the warning...
Opus
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
pnewsgal, anonymous:
I'm so glad to know that someone else gets teed off from Chik-fil-A being closed on Sundays...
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Alex Bentley, staff:
Okay, the official report is that we Starbuckians (and by "we" I mean employees, not customers) are expected to go back to basics in order to craft the best drinks that we can possibly make.
CEO Howard Schultz, who just recently rejoined the company, is disappointed that Starbucks has focused so much on expansion, other projects, and the bottom line that we've gotten away from what people liked about us in the first place -- great coffee.
So, we were retaught to make sure that espresso shots are coming out at just the right consistency and that milk is being steamed so it has that perfect sweet taste. We were also reminded to <del>roll our eyes</del> <del>curse you under our breath</del> treat every customer with the utmost respect and try to make sure that Starbucks is a place they want to come back to time and again.
Now, I can't speak for other Starbucks employees, but I didn't really learn much I didn't already know yesterday. Maybe others needed these reminders more than me, but I've always tried to do everything we were "retaught" last night, so not much is going to change on my end. For you customers, you may see a slight slowdown in service as baristas get used to the "new" standards, and that's actually what Schultz wants. Better to take a little longer to get the drink just right then get it out fast and have you walk away with a substandard cup of coffee (or latte or cappuccino or mocha...)
On a side note, I took a little guilty pleasure in watching the stream of customers come to the front door, try to open it, and then be incredulous that the doors were locked. More than one person kept trying to open the door, as if that first pull was a mistake. And, yes, there was a sign telling why the doors were locked, but it was obvious most did not want to believe their eyes.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
EdWeirdness, anonymous:
Personally, I find the affectation and use of "Barista", and the needlessly complicated jargon of Starbucks offensive.
I would surmise that to the average joe who just wants a cup of same, Starbucks has made a seemingly simple transaction too much of a "social event" or reflection of a lifestyle choice.
Now that Dunkin D's on the rebound and expanding, standing in line at Starbucks or waiting in a drive thru to struggle with the language barrier, are no longer the only options for all those caffeine monkeys.
So who does one complain to at Starbucks, the store manager (this is America, titles and nametags matter!) or the "barista"?
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
I used to hate Starbucks' terms for all their stuff, but then again I also used to loathe hot topic and "the popular kids". Then I realized that it doesn't matter, that coffee is coffee.
Are you mad that McDonald's serves "Big Macs", and not just "burgers"?
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
davidg, anonymous:
A little more <a href="http://valleywag.com/361607/whats-new-at-starbucks-3-changes">insight</a> as to what is different after the training. I can't say I could taste much of a difference. Then again, shot glass or not, they're still push-button shots.
And Ed, nobody's stopping you from walking up to the counter and ordering a medium coffee. Do you really find their jargon that much more complicated than, say, <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/white-rock-coffee/">White Rock Coffee</a>?
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Mike Orren, verified:
I absolutely refuse to use Starbucks sizing terminology, and about 20% of the time I order there, the barista gives me a hard time about it.
"I want a large coffee"
"Our sizes are small, tall and venti. Which do you want?"
"The largest."
I wish you could get good coffee somewhere in gas-n-sip sizes.
<img src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/startracks/060501/mischa_barton2.jpg">
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
indiekitten, anonymous:
I remember getting a little thrill in highschool when ordering my mocha with "extra whip." I don't know - I'll admit it, I felt cool drinking coffee (I wasn't allowed) and skipping first period to hang out at Starbucks. Ordering my mocha with the "extra whip," just seemed to validate that I was cool enough to be hanging out in a coffee shop at 16. Man. I was lame ten years ago.
...off to order my "triple tall very wet cappucino with one pump of mocha"....
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Alex Bentley, staff:
Mike, any barista who gives you a hard time about not knowing (or not caring about) the names of the sizes is an idiot. 999 times out of 1,000, I know exactly what size you're asking for without having to ask what Starbucks size you mean.
I couldn't care less if you call it small, medium, or large, or ask for 6 shots and 15 Splendas (yes, that's happened) -- my job is to take care of the customer and that's what I do. And no, not being an a-hole about people using or not using the "correct" terms for the sizes was not part of the retraining, but I think it should've been.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
Elizabeth, were you a Mormon? Or did your parents just not want you chewing up all the couch cushions on a caffeine rush?
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
indiekitten, anonymous:
Haha - no, I was an honorary Opus Dei Catholic - I wasn't allowed to have soda either ... or watch most PG movies ... or Saved By the Bell ... or eat sugar cereal ...
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
So you were abused as a child. Gotcha.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
davidg, anonymous:
or saved from abuse, depending on your opinion of Saved by the Bell
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
indiekitten, anonymous:
I watched it anyway (thank you "recall" button!") but only remember the "don't do drugs episode" when Jesse took caffeine pills to study for her exams. I think my mom just assumed that if teenagers were on a show or movie, they were having sex.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Ashley Lyell, verified:
I'm so excited....I'm so scared. Man that was a good episode.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
indiekitten, anonymous:
Extremely dramatic - I also remember being disappointed that she never did go to the dance.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
Pavel Lishin, verified:
Pretty glad I missed out on all that.
Link to this comment | Suggest removal
What do you think?