I'm a 297**** partner, this hurts so much to read. I wish I got to experience this kind of Starbucks. It's nothing like I thought it was going to be.

I remember this too! I'm a 154\*\*\*\* and started back in 2007; the era when drive-thru had just begun. Back when we steamed in batches and BR2 was not a thing - everyone had their own drink making method and it worked well.

I especially miss the presence Starbucks had - no mobile orders and drive-thru meant you got to connect with each customer -- genuinely.

Also a former partner here 121xxxx. My time was 2004-2010 then rehired 2012-2015. I left right before mobile ordering went live. I started in one of the busiest cafes in the PNW region. I remember the morning we got 90 customers through our lobby in a half hour.

We were the test store for breakfast sandwiches, coffee masters, and LEAN training. I met Howard Schultz at that store. I opened 2 drive thru stores in our district, worked in the Seattle area, So Cal, and New Orleans.

I don't recognize the place I devoted so much of my life to. The floor doesn't run the same, no one calls drinks, I don't even bother going through DT because it takes 10 minutes now a days.

I do still dream about making drinks on bar at least 3 times a week. Or not being able to close the doors at close and people keep coming in! I blame the SSV who trained me to be a SSV for that one. Bar was my favorite. And then DT bar became my favorite.

I miss it, but it's not the same.

Yes! This! I was a partner in 1996-1998 and came back as a DM in 2013-2015. 6 digit partner number! I remember two Frappuccino’s on the menu, no warming, actual handcrafted drinks, I loved making beverages on those old machines. Coming back was a whole new world. I have so much sympathy for partners these days!

Became a partner in 2004. I'm a 117.. I miss everything. The personal connection, handwriting cups, cupping club (was that a thing just here in So Fl), the giving spirit where everyone was willing to volunteer, black apron, putting on 'teaching' events for customers where we showcased our coffee and tea knowledge, all our different coffee and tea offerings, yearly district picnics, frequent coffee tastings and food pairings...

Like I said, everything.

I work in the same café store I opened and even though we don't have the same metric as a DT, we're still driven by mobile times. I usually have mobile bar. And God forbid I fall 5 mins behind the time on the sticker printing out. Nevermind that I have to field questions from people in the lobby and hand every mobile customer's order as they come up to the counter and find their food that hasn't made it to MOP meanwhile still making beverages for 3-4 stickers I've managed to pull during this time and let's not forget if I get a curbside I need to prioritize that over mobile but if I get a delivery I need to prioritize that over curbside over mobile but still stay under 5 mins but preferably less than that and don't forget to connect with customers.

They've turned us into coffee fast food and sadly, taken away everything that made this job special. 😢

Former 146**** and worked there throughout HS. I remember even then people saying that 06-07 were the last “good” years of Starbucks. I learned to write on cups but we were one of the first stores in the state to have a sticker machine. I miss chantico!!

154**** chiming in. My first store was the second in my state, and a cozy and very popular location. We felt like celebrities. Everyone knew you in the downtown area. We were the flagship store for the Mideastern region since we were a block away from the headquarters.

Then in 2008 we closed down because of the restructuring, the regional HQ was closed. All the pampered people from HQ who would bitch about my signage not being perfect were let go. The VP had cryptically told me a few prior “the safest place in this company is nearest to the cash register” so he must’ve known. DM was fired, SM was fired, I chose a transfer to one of the drive thrus which was actually closer to my house. That’s when I learned what a real HIGH VOLUME store was. I was living in a fairy tale of testing shots hourly, pairings with customers, GIFTS from customers like $100 bills for my birthday, we have an oven?, all the coffee came pregound in full batch bags, all the Frappuccino’s were batched and we had regular/light/creme based only. Hell we only a few fraps to pick from anyway. No cameras so we’d get high after close in the back room and clean the bar area super stoned then go to the bar next door.

RIP

[deleted]

Was telling partners just recently that I wish I had started here back in 2007 rather than 2019. What it once was is really what I wanted to experience and I stupidity thought it still existed. Sad those days I'll never know are long gone.

I'm a 1090xxx corporate partner. I started in 2002, and worked seven different times until most recently I ended this past February.

Even the corporate culture has changed. I can't really put it into words, but it feels different. Before, I felt like we were more in sync with the store partners and were all on the same track. But now it just feels like there's a disconnect.

Remember, while the very top levels may not care about the lifeblood of the company (baristas), you still do have allies at corporate. There are still many of us that care.

I’m so lucky to have a store that is (for the most part) a tight-knit bunch who all get along and enjoy coming into work and seeing each-other every day. Super cool to hear your take and experience with Starbucks from years ago!

I started in 2000, the bux was a very different place, but some things are apparently the same, like management at the district-level plus is pretty much out of touch and useless.

You all sound like you had so much fun 😭 sincerely a 291 who didn’t know any better

sorry I tapped the down arrow by mistake....i totally agree with you. There was a real change when Howard left the first time and especially this last time.

It is now a very isolating job especially at the window taking orders. It is difficult to communicate with the customers with our masks on and straining to hear their order. Minimal time "connecting" with customers or even our own partners.

We did a great job of fulfilling Howard Schultz's vision of the 3rd place at a local little lobby store. Now I get in trouble for talking to those customers who come in to see me. We gotta move them along... even though there are 4 employees in the store we only have 1 employee helping the customers...So no, that just shows that customers are no longer the priority

I miss those years too :( 112xxxx here

Remember when we had to grind coffee for the entire day at open?

The berry coffee cake was the only other strong smell in the store besides coffee, no warming food at all.

Managers actually got to be Managers without DMs and corporate interfering with ideas that didn't make any sense and they got to focus on schedules that made sense.

Writing on cups instead of crazy nonsense on stickers and customers were trained to order drinks correctly and loved that culture.

2 weeks of solid training and going to the corporate office for your first training class.

Limited technology and we called out drinks

Almost every single Barista was super hard-core and very good at their job because training and standards were so intense. Huge turnovers weren't a thing and people would work at the same store for years.(I feel so bad for the greenbeans nowadays, their training is not long enough)

We actually had an open/mid/closing shift that overlapped by hours so there was a shift on the floor the entire time to help.

Our customers hung out with us after work and we would all get drunk at the bars after work and had Store parties at restaurants, other stores would cover a close for us so we could all go.

There weren't bogus things like clean play and planting, the shift made the calls and Baristas knew exactly what to do. If something happened the shift could redirect effortlessly without being worried about getting yelled at for stupid playbook crap.

We always had enough people on the floor and a call out didn't affect much.

Oh and texting wasn't really a thing yet so you would leave work and never be bothered after your shift.

Edit: added a few more things

It’s absolutely nothing like that anymore! It’s all about getting as many people through the drive thru & cafes as quickly as possible. There’s no such thing as the 3rd place anymore, because Starbucks really no longer cares about the customers even though they make such a big deal about customer connections. At my old store I had amazing customer connections with our regulars & my friends who are still there tell me that the customer connection score has gone down a lot because I left (I’m not saying this my old co-workers are) but at my new store it’s just a HEY WHAT CAN I GET YOU, ANYTHING ELSE ANYTHING ELSE OK SEE YOU AT THE WINDOW. I understand that we’ve got to keep the line moving & also out of the street but come on you can still create those customer connection moments at the speaker also instead of sounding like a freakin robot asking if you need ANYTHING ELSE for the third time. The stores customer connection is at a low 40 and after working there for almost 4 months I can honestly I understand why because they don’t take the time to get that connection in because they are to worried about getting customers through the line. It’s really sad because the people who do DTO as good as they are are just monotone robots except for this one girl who is really sweet, but the others they put on dto when I’m there sound like they hate being there and give zero effort in making that quick connect at the order speaker.

Can we please return to this 😫

all i got to say is fuck starbucks. benefits are great but man the pay is trash for the things we have to endure. additionally my first store manager went on vacation then quit when her pto was out. my second store owner is a straight up hypocrite. she called me and my friend a lesbian magnet and suggested im a lesbian because me and this guy did not work out. which wasn’t none of her business, plus it’s weird because she’s already come out as a lesbian. she goes and tells other baristas your business and obviously it comes back to you because it’s gossip central at my store. additionally she doesn’t take accountability and my district manager and her are best buds so there’s nothing we can do except quit

285 here. It’s pretty insane how different the company is from when I started. I began pre Covid and since we came back it’s like they’ve been so obsessed with making that lost money back that they could care less about us. I work in a location in midtown NYC in a brand new store and we still don’t have enough people to keep up with the demand. The clientele is extremely demanding and it feels like upper management doesn’t take our concerns serious