Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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SM wants us to compete against each other (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by lulabellah
My store has a new manager that’s never worked at the bux. He’s completely useless. Has no idea what he’s doing yet isn’t above micromanaging everything we do and then blaming us for mistakes he’s making that’s bringing us down.
His latest idea is teaming us up in pairs for the drive through and whatever team gets the lowest drive times gets a prize!
The prize being the winners get to choose their own hours...
I don’t know about anyone else but this seems totally not okay! I don’t want to be pitted against my coworkers to earn hours that we all desperately need. Hours that should be as evenly distributed as possible! I think I’m going to outright refuse to take part in this if he insists on going ahead with it cause it seems completely messed up.
His latest idea is teaming us up in pairs for the drive through and whatever team gets the lowest drive times gets a prize!
The prize being the winners get to choose their own hours...
I don’t know about anyone else but this seems totally not okay! I don’t want to be pitted against my coworkers to earn hours that we all desperately need. Hours that should be as evenly distributed as possible! I think I’m going to outright refuse to take part in this if he insists on going ahead with it cause it seems completely messed up.
yyz_barista 137 points 3y ago
The PCC and Business Resource & Ethics (I can't remember their actual name) would definitely have some strong words about this.
TheBlueSuperNova 91 points 3y ago
Yeah no that’s borderline illegal. Hope you have your DM’s contact info!
Whagarble -1 points 3y ago
Lol what??
Illegal? As in... The police will be called and come arrest the manager??
Illegal? As in... The police will be called and come arrest the manager??
METAXILLUS 3 points 3y ago
You do understand there’s a difference between civil, criminal and federal crimes right?
Whagarble 0 points 3y ago
I'm so looking forward to hearing how a little contest put together by a store manager is illegal in any sense...
METAXILLUS 2 points 3y ago
It’s a turn of phrase bro.
Learn to use language poetically.
Learn to use language poetically.
radpandaparty 79 points 3y ago
I guess he wants to alienate, aggravate, and lose his crew while having complaints go to the dm. Like that entire thing sounds like a clusterfuck
- It encourages people to cut corners
- If your strongest people 'win' what stops them from never working weekends or happy hours? Wouldn't you want some of your strongest people then?
- While people need to give input about their schedules but partners won't know about everyone's scheduling needs, hell I'm a shift and I only know a few details about some of my people's scheduling needs.
- It encourages people to cut corners
- If your strongest people 'win' what stops them from never working weekends or happy hours? Wouldn't you want some of your strongest people then?
- While people need to give input about their schedules but partners won't know about everyone's scheduling needs, hell I'm a shift and I only know a few details about some of my people's scheduling needs.
bobwhitetail 47 points 3y ago
Being a partner shouldn’t be competitive, it should be conducive. All aspects of employment should be as such.
This dude sounds like he gets off on having authority. Maybe he’d do better managing a Dick’s sporting goods or a Buffalo Wild Wings
This dude sounds like he gets off on having authority. Maybe he’d do better managing a Dick’s sporting goods or a Buffalo Wild Wings
GaggleGuy 1 points 3y ago
Branching off your comment, hope you don't mind.
It's like a team game. Everything that one person decides to do/say OR not, directly effects everyone else in the store in one way or another for better or worse. This sounds like some stray dog just got slapped into a management position and decided it wasnt a team game anymore.
It's like a team game. Everything that one person decides to do/say OR not, directly effects everyone else in the store in one way or another for better or worse. This sounds like some stray dog just got slapped into a management position and decided it wasnt a team game anymore.
acuppalife 32 points 3y ago
Sounds like he's trying to get out of being responsible for scheduling.
lulabellah [OP] 25 points 3y ago
Wouldn’t surprise me actually. He’s terrible at it and I’ve had to stay an hour late a few times this week because he hadn’t scheduled anyone to come in for an hour after the end of my shift so would have been there alone 🙄
acuppalife 12 points 3y ago
Yeah, he's in way over his head. Never hurts to document the shitty behavior, too. Definitely time to get in contact with higher ups.
You deserve better!
You deserve better!
Kaywin 10 points 3y ago
I honestly wonder with the stories I hear sometimes how tf people like that get to be outside hires. Like, I haven’t even met the prerequisite expectations to be considered for a shift supervisor position, let alone a store manager. How is it these people get a full time salary and I’m stuck making minimum wage?
acuppalife 3 points 3y ago
My thoughts exactly.
sawawastar 21 points 3y ago
I’d call that DM quicker than he could say Frappuccino.
bwaydood7827 13 points 3y ago
woah, yeah no, the drive times are not just on the shoulders of the people on DTO and DTR, it takes a whole TEAM to be fast and efficient. this is extremely unfair and not what starbucks stands for. you need everyone to be successful. definitely call PCC.
pbebenek 12 points 3y ago
Same situation happened at my store with a new manager, we went from number 1 in the district to dead last in EVERYTHING. Out of my 5 years at Starbucks she’s the worst manager I’ve ever had, and because of her I quit this past December.
lulabellah [OP] 7 points 3y ago
Ugh that’s awful. A lot of people at my store are trying to get out too.
pbebenek 7 points 3y ago
All the people that used to work there either transferred or quit, I think only 2-3 people out of 20 are still there. It’s fucking depressing. If you don’t need the benefits I would suggest just quitting and finding something else that’s less stressful. I got a job as a server and it’s 95% less stress/ less work and I get paid the same I would at Starbucks. Fuck the Bux
b2m0k 8 points 3y ago
Yeah if everyone's not working together it doesn't matter who is on drive-through or who is on bar or who is on oven... Drive-through times only work well when everyone works well together and you don't get customers ordering 12 frappuccinos in a drive-through
nodnarb_thebarista 8 points 3y ago
Competition can be fun if done correctly, but you can’t mess with peoples hours. Maybe give gift cards as a prize or something like that.
Alexbran1 7 points 3y ago
Besides the fact that drove times require everyone to be on their a game
NOTcreative- 6 points 3y ago
Yeah I see many issues with this. I would try to bring your concerns to the manager. A conversation along the lines of how everyone needs hours to make ends meet and giving preferential treatment to certain baristas for more hours is a problem. If he’s not receptive call your DM or ethics and compliance. Forgive them because they probably don’t know what they’re doing. Give them a chance to make it right but if they don’t make it right, escalate it.
Davidgrunge182 4 points 3y ago
This guy think Sbux is a sales game. My boss at my gym does this same exact thing and whoever does the best in sales gets more hours. This is Sbux and this is hourly. That SM is a A-hole and has no idea how the company works
Lunatics_Apprentice 4 points 3y ago
This is called gamification-from-above and is pushing a neoliberal agenda (I’m folloeing a cultural analysis minor at university and we just discussed this). Totally not cool. You should counter it with making a little game among yourselves to counter work hehe.
dalydesserts 4 points 3y ago
I had a manager that was always putting us up against each other too. Always really annoying as he would be judge and jury even though he didn't know how to even make a coffee. Was very bad at scheduling too and called people out for not staying longer then they were scheduled just because they had plans and he couldn't predict when we would be busy
Saoirse_Says 3 points 3y ago
That sounds illegal
colonade17 2 points 3y ago
I hate this idea from your SM. Friendly competition can be ok, but this doesn't sound right, and the prize is just unfair. Scheduling needs to be done holistically with consideration of the stores needs and everyone's availability.
If my SM did this I would tell him that it was a bad idea and would harm the store, goes against starbucks policy and values, and that if he didn't end it that I would contact partner resources.
If my SM did this I would tell him that it was a bad idea and would harm the store, goes against starbucks policy and values, and that if he didn't end it that I would contact partner resources.
xxludosii 2 points 3y ago
My manager just plays favorites and doesn’t even give us the option to choose our hours. Availability means nothing and her only way of “motivating us to do better” is being mean to everyone because she has no concept of positive reinforcement.
METAXILLUS 1 points 3y ago
Record the SMs reaction when the fastest team doesn’t choose peak hours.
[deleted] 1 points 3y ago
[deleted]
KingKyle801 -3 points 3y ago
I think this is being taken out of context. This is to drive results, not turn the team against each other. Maybe you should be brave and have a conversation with your manager instead of work against him. Put yourself in his shoes before you just attack and work against him.
Tangofett4 -30 points 3y ago
My DM did teams with me and the other shifts, and it didn't seem problematic. It is a motivator
awkwardllama97 20 points 3y ago
It's not about being teams, it's about the prize- choosing your hours
amorbaleine 12 points 3y ago
Teams where if you lost you wouldnt get the shift you wanted or the hours you need?
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