It is

See statements like this make me really uncomfortable. Because I was the most recent partner of the quarter and I feel like I busted my ass to get to a point where my team could rely on me. And even now I still really struggle with feeling like a burden to my team and that makes me try even harder. Some of that for sure is just my insecurity as a person and an unfortunate injury I sustained right after I joined my team, but I feel like I put in so much work, and I really felt honored to be awarded this. So when I see people say things like this is just a popularity contest, I get really defensive.

Always has been

Absolutely is. I’ve only been with sbux since August, so when I got to pick someone for POQ I was excited because we have a few baristas who bend over backwards and don’t get recognition for it. They show up every day, never call out, stay extra (by HOURS), unbelievably kind and helpful. Overall amazing people that we would crumble without. Literally nobody voted for them and instead voted for their quirky bestie who calls out for most of her shifts and shows up late when she does come to work. Super rude to customers and gives everyone who isn’t her friend nasty looks and rolls her eyes when they talk to her. I mean, she knows how to make drinks fast and is good on CS, but idk. I don’t believe she earned POQ.

I depends on the store but most of the time it’s popularity.

For better or worse, at my location, it typically goes to the person who has overcome the most in the last quarter.

Which tends to be a huge moral boost for them. Unfortunately, the flip-side is that we have A LOT of very deserving and hard working barista who pretty much never get acknowledged.