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

8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Brad LaRock Staff

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.

8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren Staff

Pipes, here's your choices:

http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/cof...

8 months ago ( 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

8 months ago ( 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 roll our eyes curse you under our breath 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.

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

David Gouldin Staff

A little more insight 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, White Rock Coffee?

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren Staff

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.

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( 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.

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

David Gouldin Staff

or saved from abuse, depending on your opinion of Saved by the Bell

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )