Everyone Got Paid

2024-Dec-2

This didn't affect you. That alone says a lot.

A few weeks ago, a technical vendor of Starbucks was victimized by a ransomware attack. The main affect was to shut down the tool Starbucks uses to record baristas' work hours.

For a brief time - to keep paying baristas - Starbucks paid them based on the hours they were scheduled, rather than the actual hours they worked. Those who worked more hours than scheduled would be reimbursed the difference as soon as the system was back up and running.

A friend (who does cybersecurity work for the U.S military) and i (who used to consult in backup and recovery of large databases) were discussing what could be done. A few days later, the situation was mostly fixed, and it turns out they did practically just what we discussed.

My point of writing this is to give kudos to Starbucks for having a solid information technology infrastructure and for acting fast to take care of their baristas.

Hello, I Must Be Going

2024-Nov-14

Why is The Barryista no longer a Starbucks barista?

A short while back, some high-level manager wanted to discuss this site with The Barrysta.

I'd been looking forward to the moment. Even though it's not affiliated with Starbucks, TheBarrysta.com helps customers connect with Starbucks by making the menu less intimidating. It's the same thing i do when i talk to customers in person.

I'd told my management and fellow employees about the site, as well as my desire to find a role in the company helping to make Starbucks stores better for both customers and employees.

So naturally, the first thing this high-level manager said was that her bosses were losing their shit (my words) over the site.

"I guess i have a decision to make," i told her.

I was laughing inside because i already knew the answer. My decision to leave had been brewing (see what i did there?) for a time. But i had a few reasons for not wanting to leave just yet, and it seemed silly to be just as dickish, so i said "Sure, i'll shut it down until i decide what i wanna do".

And in the meantime, a supporter immediately sprang into action and created NotTheBarrysta.com.

It was a great 2-1/2 years. And i lasted longer than Oleato and Laxman combined. I made friends with customers and employees, and i learned a ton about how to get the coffee drink i want. I hope this site does the same for you.



(Technically, i'm still a Starbucks barista. But now i have a Date Dot showing i can't be used after Dec. 1 at 1pm.)

Well that sure didn't last long

2024-Oct-6

A few facts about Oleato...

• Chances are you don't know what it is
• It's the name for drinks made with olive oil
• I'm not kidding
• Most baristas will make more shaken espressos in the first 10 minutes of any shift than the number of Oleato drinks they made in their entire life
• The taste in hot drinks has been described as licking the bottom of a pizza box
• It debuted in 2024
• It's still 2024, and it's going away

Where's Laxman?

2024-Aug-25

Hey is this Laxman's car?



Is he looking for a job at a Target Starbucks?

Update: According to that customer, the car probably isn't Laxman's. The personalize STRBX license plate, though from Washington, also contains a U.S. Army emblem, and he found no indication that Laxman was ever in the U.S. military.

Another reason to smile

2024-July-1

It's funny when someone ordering at the drive-thru first realizes that they're on camera.

Are you just realizing it? It's true... the POS for drive-thru has a monitor helps us understand what you're saying by letting us read your lips or see you talking into your steering wheel. I'm over heeeere...

More important, it lets me see you have a dog in the car so i don't let you forget to order a Pup Cup.

We also can turn on our camera so you can see us. Not that we ever do, of course. But we can. In fact, i was joking with a customer about this once, and my manager appeared out of nowhere just to turn on my camera.

You get the point. I really just wanted to post this to show you what we might see when there aren't customers.

Unsweet deal

2024-May-20

If you order Starbucks Iced Coffee for some reason, then a big change just happened for you.

The iced coffee no longer comes with Classic Syrup by default. Starbucks says they are using a new blend that has an inherent sweetness.

Since any good barista would ask you if you wanted the Classic Syrup (i often would just ask if they want it sweetened or unsweetened), it shouldn't be much of a change. Except that if you say nothing and the barista doesn't ask - your coffee won't come sweetened. That can be good or bad depending on what you like. But at least it's easier to put it in after the fact than it would be to take it out, right?

I've read it rumored that Starbucks did this so the could charge for the Classic syrup. Good news... at least as of now they don't seem be charging for it as they do for other syrups.

By the way... why did i say "for some reason" up there? It's simply because there are better alternatives.

Trashy Grounds

2024-May-07

Sometimes it seems like the espresso machines in Starbucks stores are designed to annoy the barista.

Don't use the machine for a few minutes, and it goes into sleep mode. No big deal... you just gotta push a button to wake it up. Problem is it wakes up at the speed my son did when he was 17. So, like his dad, you stand there looking dumb until it decides it's ready to do its thing.

That's when the machine isn't busy. It's even worse when it's busy. For every single shot of espresso it makes, it leaves behind a "cake" of used grounds. That cake automatically drops into a drawer at the bottom of the machine. Nice, right? Until you go to make a drink and the machine has stopped with the message "Grounds Drawer Full."

You'd think an advanced machine like that would have some sort of counter so it could warn you a few cakes before it's full that it's about to be full. But nope. So in the middle of making drinks for an ever-growing back up of mobile orders, cafe customers, and drive-thru cars, the barista has to empty the grounds drawer before doing anything else.

Here's where you're the winner

In some stores, the grounds are emptied into a (often already overflowing) trash bin. But in others, they're emptied into a garbage can just for the grounds. Why? So you can ask for them if you wanna use them as compost. For free.

If a store doesn't keep its used grounds for giving to customers. You still might be able to get some. Stop by in the morning and ask if they're willing to start a trash bag for grounds for you. It's actually easier for the barista than having to worry about a full trash bin. Then... come back in the evening, and it'll be full (you do realize that Starbucks makes a shitload of espresso shots during a day, right?). And did i mention it's free?

Card Games

2024-Apr-07

If you pay by credit card in the drive-thru, then you know how painful those machines are to use.

I'll confess... some of us easily amused baristas chuckle to ourselves as you figure out whether to tap, insert, or slide. Tapping is easy, you don't even have to physically touch the card to the machine. In fact if you use your phone it probably can be in the next state and it'll still register. But it doesn't always work. So you're left with inserting it. That's usually a bit awkward because i'm holding the machine and you gotta hold the card in there. And i can't see the screen to know what's happening.

Need to actually slide your card? I hope we both did our stretching beforehand, because the slider is facing me and you have to move the card sideways, so with both of us fumbling around there's no way one of us ain't getting hurt.

Why all this? Because as hard as you rub your card against the screen wondering what it takes to tap, nothing's gonna work until you press the button first telling us if and how much you wanna tip.

Let's get this out of the way first. As i've mentioned before, weekly tips can be a lifeline to some employees. So when Starbuck began allowing customers to leave tips on their credit card, it was a game-changer.

But let me assure you, it's awkward for us too. Especially because asking for tips is plain awkward for some (including me). It's been informally discussed more than once just what to say.

Which of these have you heard?

• You need to press a button first
• You gotta take a quiz first (there are no wrong answers)
• I'm not the only one who has to work. You gotta too.

It doesn't help when the sun is shining right into the 1990s-style screen. I never know what you're seeing, but i've been told it helps when i use my other hand as a sun visor. I guess it would be asking too much for Starbucks to design their drive-thrus in a way that accounts for that intermittent sky visitor.

Now i know right about now you're thinking, "BFD quit whining Barry."

But that's telling me you've never been through the exercise. Think it's easy? Take a look at some of the tips i've gotten...


And STFU... they weren't for bad service. These were the result of somebody helplessly trying to figure out how to use this thing. And by the way... if you do get lost in button-world... you can ask the window person to reset the transaction. It takes 2 seconds and will bring you back to the starting point.

On the other hand, i also noticed a kid left a $20 tip once. His mother was right next to him, and i told her he mistakenly made the tip $20. "It was no mistake," she said. Wow.

Speaking of tips, i'll leave you with one i hate to give because it'll make the window person think you feel entitled. Just grab the machine when they hold it out. As dickish as it seems sometimes, that's actually the best way for all of us. So go ahead, act like you own that machine. This is one time i'm good with it.

One more thing... i swear it's unintentional when i hold the machine out to you with my left pinky covering the "No Tip" button.

You want cream on the side?

2024-Feb-7

One thing you don't want as a customer is to be given a name. Don't worry, it's not easy to get one. You gotta earn it.

Take, for example, Cream-on-the-Side Lady.

COTSL came to the drive-thru and ordered a Venti iced coffee with... well... i don't need to tell you do i?

So far so good... until i gave it to her. It had maybe 1/8-inch at the top for... again... i'm sure you got this. But she asked if i could fill it to the top. Still... all good. I gave it to the barista who filled in that 1/8-inch gap.

Now there are only two ways this could've gone, and i'm guessing you realize by now that thanking us and driving off happy was not that way.

The other way was COTSL yelling that her cup was too full. So of course i offered to spill a little bit out.

Here's a lesson in behavioral science for you. It's amazing how upset you can make someone by merely offering to give them what they ask for. So just like that... COTSL cursed how we always do this and drove off before i could ask her why the fuck she keeps coming back.

I think i'm working on Jan 22

2024-Jan-15

But any of y'all wanna help me figure out what i'll be doing when?

Curve Ball

2023_Dec-29

The Medicine Ball has become one of the most popular drinks at Starbucks.

Apparently Starbucks is banking on the popularity, because the two teas that make it up - Peach Passion and Jade Citrus Mint - now are ONLY available if you order the Medicine Ball.

That's right... there is no longer a button on the POS for either of those teas.

If you still want one of those teas, it's gonna depend on the barista and individual store policy. In most cases, they'll make it for you but ring it up for you as a specialty tea, which will cost more than a regular tea. If you know a employees at the store (or at least are really nice), they might ring it up for you as a regular tea and just give you the right (i mean wrong) tea bags.

BRING IT ON

2023-Dec-15

I already mentioned that you can earn 25 bonus stars (and a 10-cent discount) by bringing your own cup. That's previously only worked if you order in the cafe. It just wasn't feasible for mobile ordering or in the drive-thru.

That's changing. Possibly by the time you read this, stores will have special cleanable cups for them to make a drink that you order online or at the drive-thru order place. The barista will make your drink in the special cup, and then simply transfer it into your own cup when you arrive (or pull up to the drive-thru paying place.

And they'll only make the base drink in advance. Any toppings - such as whipped cream or cold foam - will be added to your own cup once you're there.

A FRACTION OF WHAT YOU CAN DO

2023-Dec-13

I've already mentioned that one way to customize your drink is to specify the number of squirts of syrup. You even can ask for a fraction of a squirt.

If you're gonna do this, however...



... there are 3 conditions you're gonna wanna meet...

1. Work at that store
2. Ring it in yourself
3. Be at least somewhat friendly with the barista who's gonna make it.

AND THE AWARD FOR WORST ACTING JOB GOES TO...

2023-Nov-20

It's pretty well known that Starbucks wants baristas to go out of their way to make sure a customer enjoys their drink. If you ever don't like a drink... even if it's because you didn't understand what you were ordering, or just ordered wrong... you always should ask to have it remade.

So this woman orders a Chai Tea Latte in drive-thru. I hand it to her. She immediately hands it to her daughter (12?) in the passenger seat. The daughter takes a sip and twists her face like we made the drink with bathroom cleaner. "I can't taste chai in there," she says.

"I'm sorry... we'll remake it right now," was my only possible reply as i took back the most horrific drink Starbucks ever made.

"Can we just keep that one too," she asked?

I'm not sure which i enjoyed more. Her surprised look as i said no, or my store manager's smile right after.

NEW WAY TO GET YOUR DRIP

2023-Nov-3

Might as well start this with some good news.

As a customer, i always hated it when i'd come in the afternoon (or even late morning) and they had already stopped brewing dark roast. Soon that won't be an issue.

Over time, Starbucks stores will be replacing their drip coffee makers with a single-cup maker named Vertica.

It will grind beans and brew the coffee for each cup. It can hold three types of beans, meaning you should be able to get dark roast or blonde roast - as well as the Pikes Place medium roast - any time of day. And it always will be hot and fresh.

Starbucks must be excited about this because there already are buttons for it on the POS, which just appeared one day out of nowhere and have been quite a source of confusion for baristas.

Here's an article about it.