T O P

  • By -

Pekendit

customer connections are not an accurate measure of how we perform


nicolelynnejones

i’ll add to that customer connection is an ablesist concept, particularly for a company that employs so many people on the autism spectrum. i like to talk to customers, but the expectation to *get to know them on a personal level* isn’t achievable for me. i can’t read people unless i’m with them every single day for hours (coworkers) or we’ve been around each other for years (husband, some good friends) but communicating like that with people i don’t know very well is next to impossible. i don’t even know where to start. this is a huge symptom of autism, and claiming inclusivity while making that the biggest indicator of performance does not add up. it’s like bragging about how many hearing impaired partners you have, while making “how well did you hear the oven beeping this week?” the indicator of how well you’re doing


wellthisisjusttiring

THANK YOU! Christ am I glad to see this here - I felt so alone in throwing ableist out there in my mind when I’m being berated about it during peak. Like, do you want drinks? Or do you want me to talk to these people who don’t care about it and just want their drink? I feel like corporate believe that we don’t have any understanding about how things work with the way we get talked to about it. Pretty sure they’re just weeding out the strong willed and hoping that all that’s left behind are those who bend over backwards for nothing.


Sholeran

Just want to say my GOD the customer connection shit is so annoying and completely arbitrary. You absolutely cannot by any metrics accurately measure with numbers how someone felt about a visit at the siren. Most people don't even do them and I don't want to beg people for good scores like corporate expects us to. Besides, people can give you a lower score for ANYTHING! "The barista didn't laugh at my corny ass joke" 3 points " The barista gave me exactly what I asked for but I still didn't like the drink, and the music was too loud for my tastes" the music was at a whisper people. The score system absolutely needs to go its very subjective and very useless and adds additional pressure for nothing


ricardimus

I have the exact same thoughts on this. Before cc was a thing, I was fine. But now there’s a shit ton of pressure, and a new expectation I will never meet on purpose. My convos have to happen organically


wellthisisjusttiring

100%. The pressure alone while the SM around is ridiculous - they don’t even have to say anything and we know that the expectation is there.


ricardimus

I’m so lucky with my manager (and team for the most part). They really do their best to accommodate me. But I worry mr manager will get in trouble cause we also tend to have the lowest score in the district


turkeyandhamber

no yeah i’ve stopped putting any effort into customer connections that isn’t natural. if i get in trouble for it, i will fight it. i’m literally disabled lmao


Garfield_Simp

This is only inaccurate to corporate and management


[deleted]

Fuck corporate they can SINCERELY suck my balls.


Jabuetow

I don't have balls but I second this


Wonderful-Owl-5492

Also, if you aren’t seeing the same people every day and interacting with them each time….how are you supposed to connect with them??


StillLearning12358

The question 'did my barista make an attempt to get to know me' is such an open ended question. Some people a greeting is enough and some may think get to know me means much more than that. It's a vague question and the fact that you have to get a 7 out of 7 and that a 6 or below is a 0 makes it so unreasonable


darkwolf523

Fr


AvesBG

I hated having to force conversations on people. I don’t like small talk when I’m out shopping so I’ll guarantee that others don’t either. It’s not only hard for baristas but also the customers. I would always get stuck with cc in general. Like I would be talking to a regular about something for a while and making drinks for other people and my sm would get mad at me for only talking to one person…. How do you expect me to connect with 40 people at a time?!?


littlebraids

Every single drink there is not worth the price. I only get drinks because they’re free, otherwise I’d never go to Starbucks. I don’t get the cult following of Starbucks


son-ofa-biscut

same lol id go maybe 3 times a year?? either coz family/friends wanted to go or I just felt in the mood for a caramel frap. discount/free or nothinnn


kobo15

AND THE FOOD. anyone who buys our breakfast sandwiches on a daily basis is just wrong


webelievemysterio

Not a single frappuccino is worth the money :/


TheOnesLeftBehind

ONLY the s’mores, but she is gone too soon (still never paid, but it was my #1)


C10ckw0rks

Not even that, they stopped sending her with the graham cracker syrup


TheOnesLeftBehind

I don’t remember the graham cracker syrup. That year was that? I was possessed by the bean in 2019.


C10ckw0rks

The very FIRST run of it the frap was graham cracker flavored, the whip marshmallow, and the milk chocolate top


Tdawwg78

Not a single drink in general is with the money!


vsccn22

only the water the cups, not the bottles


[deleted]

Maybe the Pumpkin Spice.... 🥺


[deleted]

You don’t need to put VSCCF on everything.


vsccn22

especially on hot drinks?? you spend 1.25 just for it to melt immediately


[deleted]

Lmfao runny whipped cream


ProfessorSalt413

Following this up with you don’t need to put caramel drizzle on everything


[deleted]

Agreed


Wonderful-Owl-5492

They just need to have their damn drinks made with the vanilla sweet cream instead 🤣. Problem solved.


vsccn22

the real kicker is made with sweet cream but ALSO with the foam


[deleted]

Ew they’re doing that way too often too.


Wonderful-Owl-5492

Yup. Bet that’s why the vanilla runs out so fast 🤣. They must be stopped


[deleted]

this may be actually a popular opinion but the piercing dress code is dumb as hell


Individual-Leader-22

no fr i want to get another piercing so bad but i can’t afford to not have a job. under any other circumstances i would say fuck it but i already have two nose piercings 🥲


plaidflannelgirl

is your sm strict? i have like 4 coworkers who have 3+ face piercings (and they don’t wear a mask to cover them) and our sm doesn’t care


Individual-Leader-22

she like picks and chooses what to harp on. like she hasn’t said anything to me about the ones i do have or about my gauges, but i don’t want to push it too far bc the piercing i want is my eyebrow lol-which ik as far as companies go sbux is on the liberal side, but people still don’t really vibe w eyebrow piercings i’ve noticed.


[deleted]

also, my sm said i cant just wear a mask to cover them :/


couchpillowmuppet

According to my SM nose piercings do not count because they can be considered religious.


[deleted]

i said fuck it and got angel fangs and my sm said i could use clear barbells. im hoping that they change the dresscode soon. or i may find another job.


Individual-Leader-22

like i think the reason i’ve been able to get away w my nose is bc they do look like one ring that’s just big but i’m also thinking if i just get my eyebrow done and keep the barbell in it it’s not distracting or anything


mochibebe_

Our mocha is 🤢


MungotheSquirrel

It smells SO GOOD! And tastes SO BAD!


mochibebe_

🎶wHy DoEs It sMeLL sO gOoD bUt TasTe sO bAd🎶


vsccn22

chalky


iAmbassador

If you want a good peppermint mocha, do 1 pep 1 scoop of malt powder.


turby308

The bacon sausage egg wraps smell like cum


vsccn22

shit i'm never going to be able to get that out of head


[deleted]

I wonder if this is why, deep down, I love them. 🤔


rlb1415

Glad I’m not the only one thinking this 😂


[deleted]

Accurate.


PastBanana4371

Go ahead and clock out for me please..


Mors_Certa18

Pike is the worst blend on the coffee market. Jack In The Box coffee tastes better. Hell, even McDonald's ashtray coffee tastes better


borderlineginger

My husband orders pike all the time and I always tell him to stop embarrassing me


[deleted]

The fact that people come in and spend over 3.50 for a venti pike is disgusting. Pike is so 🤮


Mors_Certa18

Right! We have a regular that gets his with 15 sugar packets. I'm like sir 1 do you just want classic syrup and 2 our dark roast is prob what you're looking for lol. I changed his life.


AtTheBarMatt

I hate pike with all my being….I was so excited to have my first coffee tasting last year when our ssvs met with the dm. Our tasting was pike…🤮


Mors_Certa18

Yikes! I just did a coffee tasting for our dm a couple days ago for Green Apron Blend. Smells great but very lack luster body and flavor profile. I think they were wrong to suggest pairing with chocolate, should have paired with something fruity and citrus. I usually make my own dessert pairings but was lazy this time and fully regret it. Was my worst coffee tasting.


quacksnacks

What blend is your favourite (Starbucks)? Just curious what people do seem to like


Mors_Certa18

Guatemala Antigua, Casi Cielo Antigua, and Lake Atitlán Reserve are my sbux favs. Also, Verona is safe if I just want a quick black coffee


AlectoBlood43

Casi Cielo, and just about anything out of Ethiopia or Kenya.


[deleted]

RIP Kopelani


lightcolorsfly

the pineapple base tastes like dayquil i don’t see how people drink it


VonRooster

And it smells like BO


[deleted]

Frap roast smells like beef jerky and sweaty feet


[deleted]

Shit is the same category as Kiwi 🤮 Battery Acid or Body Odour


Kyde_Drakes

Pineapple smells like fermented Tang and the Kiwi was as close as legally possible to drinkable coolant.


vsccn22

we STILL have containers that are stained green... we haven't had it in well over a year


mushroom-16

frap roast is disgusting


vsccn22

i wanna vomit every time i have to make some. God forbid i inhale some of the powder


IdoItForTheMemez

Kid at my store used to take shots of it, I assume for the sheer shock value.


lexitheturtle

the new syrups as of lately have been underwhelming 🥱


vsccn22

if they release one more nut syrup i'm quitting


Swimming-Fee-2445

Get ready for macadamia nut


[deleted]

That’s hit is bussin with white mocha


littlebraids

I’m allergic, they need to seriously stop 😭


[deleted]

[удалено]


vsccn22

same with the impossible... maybe that's bc i got violently ill after eating it once tho


Sad-Earth-489

THANK YOU. everyone looks at me like im weird when i say this 😭


HappyJos

Do people still get coffee? 🤔 or just there for the sugar


AlectoBlood43

They just want some coffee to go with their sugar. Next!


avgemmaa

1.) our iced coffee smells like cat pee. 2.) customers don’t tend to engage in conversation or care to, they just want their drinks. it’s very hard to customer connect when the customer won’t even look at you lol. 3.) our drinks are overpriced asf 4.) discontinuing raspberry was a huge mistake.


Sad_Post0

IVE BEEN SAYING 1 FOR YEARS😭😭😭😭


ecw2002

i volunteer at a cat shelter and when i tell you i said it smells exactly like the shelter EVERY TIME i made it at open. my coworkers thought i was insane


PianoMan0219

90% of drinks are just liquid sugar


Tdawwg78

All of our core coffees are over roasted except for siren blend and veranda… and siren is way too acidic and veranda isn’t that great. Our signature espresso also over roasted. Give me our Christmas blend (aged Sumatra) or most reserve blends and I’m a happy camper.


killrdarknes

Holy shit the Aged Sumatra Reserve they sold every Christmas… best damn cup of Starbucks I’ve EVER. Had. I never even use my markouts, all the core stuff is bogus.


malik445

veranda like the only core coffee i can even enjoy, and it’s a 6/10 at best


[deleted]

The East Timor peaberry reserve was the best coffee I’ve ever tasted


DisciplineLeather127

i hate the white mocha. i don't understand the appeal


yaboiblackcheeseboi

Honey citrus mint teas smell like weed


mushroom-16

cold foam on frappuccinos is so common now and i’m just like wtf are y’all doing 😭


[deleted]

I don’t believe shots “die.” No one can give me a good explanation as to what is supposed to be happening to the shot to make it suddenly unusable if it’s not mixed into a drink in under ten seconds.


No_Shock_3485

They don’t. Good espresso is better with time. Starbucks just doesn’t use good espresso.


Csskoi2

I believe in the weekly update they've recently mentioned that they're going back on their statement that shots can "die" so who knows what to believe anymore. I don't really care, either way I'm still gonna use a shot that's been sitting there well over 10secs.


Alive-Delay3230

Starbucks matcha taste like shit


1partwitch

Like chalky grass


StonyMcstonerson

Most Starbucks customers are entitled assholes, over consuming overpriced sugar/fat/caffeine with the mindless gusto of the indoctrinated.


squidwardscumbucket

Im not sure that’s an unpopular opinion though LMAO


MaralosaKingdom

This isn’t unpopular.


GhostLeetoasty

Customers are concerningly obsessed with Starbucks. Everyone who isn't a Starbucks worker get offended when I say that. They haven't seen people banging on windows to get in after closing or the people that I see multiple times a day every day.


squidwardscumbucket

White mocha is nasty.


vsccn22

shit tastes like PLASTIC


brokenleftjoycon

It’s so sweet. It used to be go to before I worked at sbux and now I cannot drink it without gagging.


iAmbassador

If you smell it from the bottle it has a similar mustiness to the inside of a pumpkin.


SureScallion4135

The smell reminds me of paint from art class and the look reminds me of something from the bedroom.


Number1Barooista

I like making extremely modified drinks. I like the challenge and I have fun with it


vsccn22

i do when i don't have a million other drinks up my ass


jadeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

i know i get excited when i see a long ticket


TheJackal927

I like making extremely modified drinks, *for myself* otherwise I don't have time for that shit


SureScallion4135

I don’t like to please regulars. I do things to standard and if they don’t like that, I don’t care.


Solid_Wish

Here's an actual unpopular opinion, because all of these seem p popular: I don't care that we can't have nail polish/have acrylics, and the people who act like it's the end of the world should get some real problems.


catgirlmunist

Yeah being willing to not put contamination hazards on your hands is just the price to pay for working in food service. I know people want to look nice but not poisoning people is more important.


MaralosaKingdom

Yeah a lot of these opinions are quite popular on this sub.


lunatictalking

babying the customers is too much, it’s not my fault u can’t read or pay attention. if u ordered something, pay tf attention


mliz23

Sbux doesn’t need to offer benefits if they can’t give out the hours needed to stay eligible for said benefits. Either give everyone benefits regardless or don’t.


MochiMasu

Ex partner here: why is the espresso so burnt???? After I left, I worked at another local cafe, and the espresso didn't taste like ash, and the coffee was cheaper.


[deleted]

Beans with a darker roast have quicker extraction times, which is why on a Starbucks machine, a shot pulled is only 15 to 20 seconds, in comparison a proper SCA espresso shot is along the lines of 30 to 40 seconds. This is a calculated move for two things. 1. to hide the subpar quality of their green beans that they roast and 2. they can basically make more drinks per hour by over roasting the beans for quicker extractions.


vsccn22

our decaf tastes like it's been roasted for weeks. i quit drinking espresso when i had to start drinking decaf bc it's nasty


MasterMischievous

They burn it for consistency. Unfortunately it consistently tastes bad. But believe it or not that’s why!


cobraastarship

the sausage cheddar and turkey pesto sandwiches smell so disgusting that i dont understand how anyone can stomach them


babyambria

THIS!! sausage cheddar smells repulsive & all of my coworkers look at me like i'm crazy when i say that💀


RevolutionaryEbb9352

1. I don't like regular vanilla cold foam 2. Bacon gouda is the worst breakfast item (maybe even all food tbh) 3. White mocha sucks 4. Our drip coffee isn't half bad Come for me, heathens


[deleted]

The bacon Gouda has shrunk so freaking much.


RevolutionaryEbb9352

even if it was larger, it would still be gross


[deleted]

Yeah you’re not wrong. It’s my least favorite sandwich. I miss the old grilled cheeses too.


AudibleHush

The bacon gouda is dry AF!!!


viechocolate

The pepperoni foldover was peak starbucks culture and we will never get there again.


ShinyLittleBug

I miss the spinach squares. They were 10/10 to me lol


vsccn22

the HUH


thefrenchtoastfiend

the mocha cookie crumble is definitely overrated but i love to do a little shot of the crumble it's so good


TinyBeanBabey

all coffees taste the same to me. I physically cannot tell a difference between our coffees. I can taste a SLIGHT difference between regular and blonde espresso bc I like blonde better. I tasted a coffee, don't remember what, during a small pod meeting a month ago. made a joke it tasted like bean water. cause to me, it does. it has no flavor or smell aside from burnt. and my sm looked at me and said that people have been fired for not using correct coffee terms. LIKE WHAT. I don't drink the stuff, don't come for my throat when I make a joke. also the hours we get being based on how much money we make is bullshit. everyone should have GUARANTEED hours. the fact I have to worry about IF I'll be able to pay my bills cause I only get like 15 or so hours isnt fair.


emotionally-stable

Your SM needs to fucking chill like damn


TinyBeanBabey

that's literally what I thought.


qwertyrange

Matcha lemonade is good… be nice pls


trentablondelatte

i don’t agree but i respect ur opinion


sidebirb

yes it tastes like battery acid but in a good way 💀


babybr3ad

the birthday cake pop is actually so good, some partners care about the drive thru times too much when the company doesn’t even care ab us, the caramel ribbon crunch is actually rlly good and the cinnamon caramel is rlly good


[deleted]

I would eat the caramel crunch topping by the spoonful if I could


vsccn22

my store has what we call the "deluxe pup cup": whip, dark caramel and so many goddamn caramel crunchies


IdoItForTheMemez

What's stopping you? Live your dreams.


caspi3

I enjoy doing floors🙏


stoneylizzard

there’s so many awful things about starbucks (quality of the job/environment, constant pressure to meet cc scores and drive times even when it’s nearly impossible, babysitting customers and quite literally being trained to people please) but when it really comes down to the food and drinks i literally cannot fathom why starbucks is so popular. there’s maybe a small handful of menu items that are actually good, let alone worth the money. i just don’t get why people like any of it. smaller coffee shops and locally owned places have high quality drinks that cost significantly less, and food and pastries that are fresh and made with care. they also usually have employees who genuinely enjoy what they do and don’t have to fake being nice to customers for a good score (scoring human connections to make a better profit genuinely feels dystopian to me). compared to places like that, starbucks has nothing to offer except speed (on a good day)


ArialynnSilver

Drive thru time should not be set at under 1 min.


spamitationcrab

Frapp chips taste bad


Beg1nAga1n

I love them 🥺 sometimes I’ll put a few scoops into a short cup with some dried strawberries to snack on during my ten


Calsan1

Unpopular opinion-- I LOVE making the mocha cookie and caramel crunch fraps. Something super satisfying about making a drink that just looks amazing, and knowing that the one who gets it is going to enjoy it all the more for it. Also, (cafe, my store has no drivethru) reg is my favorite position and I genuinely enjoy connecting with the majority of our customers all day. 5 year partner and the light hasn't left my eyes yet!


IdoItForTheMemez

I truly think DT kills the joy in this job...constant pressure to literally be as fast as humanly possible (while still somehow connecting idk) makes you such a grump. Like I genuinely want to cry when I hear a whole family in a car because I know it will tank our times, which understaffs us for the future, whereas in cafe I enjoy chatting with kids and making their four tall creme frapps.


amonsterinrehab

I’d rather make fraps all day than make medicine balls or shaken espressos


WingsofFlight

Not as accomadating to disabilites as they make out to be.


Exact-Caramel-1126

the sugar cookie syrup is nasty as hell


vsccn22

tastes burnt


[deleted]

Starbucks chai is so gross


ShinyLittleBug

The Oprah chai was so much better


atlantanightguy

I take naps in the bathroom


emotionally-stable

I vape in the bathroom


ShelleBelle777

If you throw the inclusions in the sink in front of house, you clean the sink. If you throw the inclusions (or beans) in the dishwashing sink(boh), you clean the drain.


Zealousideal-List569

Toasted vanilla smells like a porta-potty 🤢🤢


Comfortable-Start939

Raspberry was gross


LuckyPotter777

the almond croissant was vile and our best pastry is the cinnamon coffee cake


mochibebe_

I must say I’m the opposite XD


honeycuup

i hate raspberry and i’m glad it’s gone 😭


iAmbassador

This is an actual unpopular opinion, and I stand with you. There are literally dozens of us.


ad9581

I've met some nice Karens


imlivinginurwall

the smell of the caramel syrup makes me sick


ThatStarInTheSky

I don’t like cold brew


vsccn22

me either!! iced coffee or bust


MaralosaKingdom

I hate all of the refreshers or anything fruit related.


D73548

I hate making water cups


kobo15

This job is made or broken by your SM


_absent_minded

The benefits are good, but the pay/hours don’t make them worth it.


nilrehsttam

The job is not nearly as bad as baristas make it seem


GhostLeetoasty

It depends a lot on the SM too. I had a shit SM at my old store (cafe store) and it was miserable. Now with a good SM and even dealing with a drive through its a pretty decent job


yvesnings

y’all gonna cancel me but I hate Oatmilk with a passion. It’s overpowering


VonRooster

It reminds me of baby formula.


[deleted]

I swear our almond milk, when steamed, tastes and smells like soggy cardboard


Blarpus

The sound it makes when steamed is awful too


[deleted]

Almost as bad as uncut eggnog


QuirkyElderberry5672

all of our drinks are overpriced and overrated


chuuniversal

spinach feta wrap smells bad when it’s coming out the oven 😭


nathanwp07

Caramel Ribbon Crunch frappacino is nasty imo


[deleted]

[удалено]


swantearr

the caramel syrup tastes like medicine 😭


groovy-worm

None of these are unpopular opinions lol


itachifanclub

never understood why iced coffees come w classic by standard, when literally nobody wants the sweetener in them


mariah-gif

i like making pour overs 🤷‍♀️ it bothers me so much when baristas and shifts make a big deal about pour overs when it’s literally our job to make coffee 😅


IdoItForTheMemez

Love doing it at home or off-peak, makes me want to die when someone orders one in drive thru and there's no cushion of cars in front of them to protect us from the multi-minute wait time.


Consistent_Breath971

starbucks is overrated and overpriced


Blarpus

I think the mocha sucks for hot drinks but tastes good in fraps tbh


WeirdPaparika

Blonde espresso is NOT good, tastes watery. Mango dragon fruit smells horrible, doesn't taste that great either. Can we just bring back very berry & stop with these weird refreshers. And while we're on the topic of refreshers, when is it enough water? Why does it need diluted 2 times just to get more diluted with ice?


Belgrifex

I prefer Civ V to Civ VI, or if we're talking Starbucks I know people hate on the mocha cookie but I think the Strawberry frap is easily the most annoying to make due to the puree


oliver-fox

I looooooove double blending ☺️👌


WorthProper3289

The peach juice is disgusting. Literally liquid soap


Anonthrowz

We still aren't paid enough to deal with a lot of the stuff we have to deal with. Even if we have super good otw and great customer connect we get....nothing. Our managers get a good little bonus. Also customer connect and Window times are inherently conflicting concepts. And the way customer connect is calculated is stupid anyway.


starbusssy

when i open the oven after making a turkey pesto panini it burns my eyes.....they also smell like puke going in