Iced mochas are fun in the summer time. They are essentially chocolate milk plus espresso. But they can run up to $5.00 a cup! What to do?
Simple… go to your local Starbucks… and order a doppio espress (two shots of espresso) over ice in a venti cup. Then ask for the number of pumps of mocha you want (for a venti, I think 2 ½ will do).
That’s it. Once you have your drink, you have the option to saunter over to the condiment counter, and fill up the rest of your cup with the milk they have in the canteens (usually, skim milk, half & half, whole milk and coffee cream).
But it's here that I've decided to alter my approach a bit. Like all good things, this approach can be abused. As a manager at Starbucks recently informed me, the unreasonable idiots that comprise Starbucks' upper management generally micro-manager stores under their domain. Since the cost of milk / cream in the carafes cannot be accurately measured at the point of sale till, it comes out of the store's budget. When customers start to use the carafes to get cheap iced mochas / lattes, the milk / cream costs skyrocket, and store management isn't really able to account for it.
Remember that if you are tempted to do this often. The baristas and managers at Starbucks aren't rolling in it because of pricing... it's wishy-washy Howard Dean (from personal experience, I can tell you he resembles a compass attached to the head of a figure skater during the finale of their routine) and the shareholders.
That’s it. Once you have your drink, you have the option to saunter over to the condiment counter, and fill up the rest of your cup with the milk they have in the canteens (usually, skim milk, half & half, whole milk and coffee cream).
But it's here that I've decided to alter my approach a bit. Like all good things, this approach can be abused. As a manager at Starbucks recently informed me, the unreasonable idiots that comprise Starbucks' upper management generally micro-manager stores under their domain. Since the cost of milk / cream in the carafes cannot be accurately measured at the point of sale till, it comes out of the store's budget. When customers start to use the carafes to get cheap iced mochas / lattes, the milk / cream costs skyrocket, and store management isn't really able to account for it.
Remember that if you are tempted to do this often. The baristas and managers at Starbucks aren't rolling in it because of pricing... it's wishy-washy Howard Dean (from personal experience, I can tell you he resembles a compass attached to the head of a figure skater during the finale of their routine) and the shareholders.
8 comments:
>> "(Starbucks CEO) Howard Dean is struggling to pay off his third summer house because customers like you won't do their part in paying full price for our drinks." Don't worry... Howard's doing just fine.
Is it easy to confuse that look with the look of "Running your order incorrectly is part of a pattern which ensures that we will not get the hours and coverage we need to keep our store at it's best, is there any chance you might decide not to do this?"
You shouldn't need to lie to yourself that the person serving you is an extension of The Man, not just another person trying to get by and do their job the best they can. The barista does not care about your smirking fight against paying full price any more than you care about the CEO; they just want to do their job well and part of that includes accurate recording of labor & supply use so there are enough people scheduled during rushes to ensure, say, that the condiment milk you so enjoy as a beverage is fresh and full.
You replied in a somewhat respectful manner, so I'll do likewise.
You are claiming that my way of ordering will result in fewer hours and store coverage, so I should just subsidize your labor costs with my drink order.
I don't agree that I should have to do this, but I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of the average barista.
I also ring my Starbucks card once for each item I buy, which results in me getting multiple stars AND an increased transaction rate per 15 min. (http://www.ihatestarbucks.com/bb/topic.php?id=5171), which is how your company counts labor. More transactions per 15 min. = more justification for higher staffing during a shift.
"I also ring my Starbucks card once for each item I buy, which results in me getting multiple stars AND an increased transaction rate per 15 min. (http://www.ihatestarbucks.com/bb/topic.php?id=5171), which is how your company counts labor. More transactions per 15 min. = more justification for higher staffing during a shift."
I don't have a problem with ringing up the orders separately for that very reason unless the customer is a dick about it. But people that come in radiating of self entitlement who act like they are "owed" their stars get really frustrating. The company doesn't have to offer any kinds of rewards.
As for the "Douchbag Mochas" as a Barista friend of mine calls them... This is something I will take issue with. It's cool if you don't want to pay $5.00 for a drink. Just don't come to Starbucks then. You can try to justify it all you want, but when push comes to shove, what you are doing is stealing, plain and simple.
Your comment was respectful, so I will reply in like manner.
You are correct that the company does not have to offer a rewards program. But, they would do well to realize that if they did away with it, they will lose a significant portion of their customer base. They should also realize that in large urban centres (I live in Vancouver), there is a dizzying array of coffee shops that would love to siphon off the green siren's business.
You are correct that customers should treat their baristas and not like a "dick". Unfortunately, something about Starbucks seems to attract rude, entitled people, with a few exceptions. But make no mistake: I'm unapologetic about getting my stars. I'm just always upfront about it, and because of my honesty, I haven't had an issue w/ multiple ring-ups.
However, you are wrong about the "d-bag mochas". If I reach behind your counter and steal steamed milk, that's stealing. If Starbucks puts milk at the condiment counter, that's up for grabs.
I believe it is things like the misguided "Just say yes" policy that has trained customers to be "rude, entitled people". It tells people that if they just cause a loud enough stink they will get their way. Starbucks is one of the only places I know, where I could literally never pay for a drink if I wanted to do it.
As for the D*-Bag mochas... I'm afraid we are gonna have to just agree to disagree. However I do ask you this, is it stealing if someone decided to take their empty pastry bag and fill it up with the sugar packets at the condiment bar?
Again, a respectful reply.
Re: the pastry bar & the sugar packets: I do not disagree that it's filling up your jar with bar sugar is not OK, but it is not stealing. The CCC defines theft (in so many words) as taking something that you do not have color of right to take.
Could Starbucks easily remedy this problem by making the pricing of their drinks a little more logical? An iced latte should be rung as "Iced Doppio" + "Add Dairy". Maybe a code for "tall", "grande", and "venti" Add Dairy? It helps keep track of inventory better too.
Yes, as a former barista, I've seen how Starbucks management will time and again side with their jerk clients rather than back up their baristas. That's too bad; it is the mark of a weak mind, and I feel like it leads to the excessive turnover and no-shows that plagues them.
Thanks for your feedback.
I manage a licensed store and something you're not taking into account is food cost.
I'm unsure as to how corporate deals with this but food cost is very important at my establishment, my bosses give me a headache if my food cost is higher by even tenths of a percentage point.
Now, one person making the "ghetto lattes" is not going to wreak havoc on my food cost, but promoting such behavior in a blog can lead to multiple people doing this and thus having it adversely affect my food cost.
I'm not saying you're a horrible person for doing what you do, but just to keep in mind that the reason we charge what we do is to cover the cost of our products and pay the baristas working, not just lining Howard's pockets. And what you do on a large scale likewise will effect much more than Howard's third vacation home.
I understand your side of things. Having browsed the I Hate Starbucks forum a few months back, its apparent that upper management has no trouble being unreasonable when it comes to micro-managing costs at the store level.
When the issue of the ghetto mocha came to Starbucks attention, the corporate response was that the "customers can modify their drinks at will". Pathetic. It was a poorly thought out, desperate ploy to assuage and retain their customer base.
Starbucks should have explained that in light of each store's overhead, the carafe / condiment bar was meant to be used in moderation (which the ghetto mocha is not). But they didn't. So don't they open the system to the ghetto mochas.
On a personal level, I'd have respected Starbucks a LOT more if Corporate showed a backbone on this issue. But they didn't.
I'm not sure if I should keep this blog post up. The reasonable replies have made me re-consider my position (and the fact that I gave up Starbucks permanently 2 weeks ago has a lot do with it)... let me think...
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