Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Customer’s in drive thru not placing orders at the box? Apparently it’s a new trend??? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Few-Tax-1647
So there’s been a significant increase in the amount of people that pull up to our window without stopping at the box. I’m used to this occasionally happening with people who mobile ordered and don’t realize they’re supposed to stop and let us know they’re in line.
But lately it’s been a lot of people pull up to the window ready to place their order. It’s been frustrating because I obviously hear the ding when they pull up, and can see in the camera when they just drive by, but they always say something along the lines of, “Oh I stopped but no one said anything so I figured it was broken.” However today, we had this happen about three times, and I think I finally figured out why.
I ran through the whole, “Please stop at the box next time,” speech to a man who pulled up to the window to place his order. He said that he heard you actually get your order faster this way, because your order is prioritized and made immediately. And WOW. Just wow. Apparently Starbucks customers have learned to associate the term, “On the fly,” with quick hand off times, and they’re using this to their advantage.
Is this becoming a common thing to do at anyone else’s store???
But lately it’s been a lot of people pull up to the window ready to place their order. It’s been frustrating because I obviously hear the ding when they pull up, and can see in the camera when they just drive by, but they always say something along the lines of, “Oh I stopped but no one said anything so I figured it was broken.” However today, we had this happen about three times, and I think I finally figured out why.
I ran through the whole, “Please stop at the box next time,” speech to a man who pulled up to the window to place his order. He said that he heard you actually get your order faster this way, because your order is prioritized and made immediately. And WOW. Just wow. Apparently Starbucks customers have learned to associate the term, “On the fly,” with quick hand off times, and they’re using this to their advantage.
Is this becoming a common thing to do at anyone else’s store???
spookyboi13 103 points 1y ago
i only understand when its a deaf person or someone who doesn't speak english very well. then its fine, and preferred.
anyone else and you best believe they are on our shit list and we WILL make you wait.
anyone else and you best believe they are on our shit list and we WILL make you wait.
Few-Tax-1647 [OP] 16 points 1y ago
period
_abbycadabby_ 61 points 1y ago
It can't possibly speed it up for them. Our customers ROUTINELY wait 15-25 minutes in line just to get to the window. The only thing I can think is that it guarantees a hot latte or a non-icy frap when wait times are crazy.
Having said that, if it's not peak and it's otherwise physically possible given our shitty parking lot, we often send them back around. 😏
Having said that, if it's not peak and it's otherwise physically possible given our shitty parking lot, we often send them back around. 😏
Tungsten18348 37 points 1y ago
If they seem like they were feeling important and wanted faster service, I like to go ahead and take the order at the window then pull them around to the side of the building to wait for their order…. And now we see if anyone remembers you’re out there.
spacespecterr 28 points 1y ago
policy says we don’t have to take orders at the window afaik (as in according to ssvs and former sms) sooooo i usually just say “oh i’m so sorry you’re gonna have to pull back around to place the order” lmfaaooo. idc if it pisses them off bc thats their fault for thinking theyre more important than the other ten cars that actually waited in the long as fuck line to place an order like normal people
Few-Tax-1647 [OP] 23 points 1y ago
Right! I feel it’s a common sense thing that you’re completely ruining your chance of your order already being ready to hand out the window by the time you get there, especially with these drive times we’ve been having due to holidays 👀 It just blows my mind.
Also our SM is a Ray of Sunshine™️ when it comes to customer connections, and I’m pretty sure she would smite us all if we even suggested sending a customer back into the line instead of Making 🙂 The 🙂 Moment 🙂 Right 🙂 for them.
Also our SM is a Ray of Sunshine™️ when it comes to customer connections, and I’m pretty sure she would smite us all if we even suggested sending a customer back into the line instead of Making 🙂 The 🙂 Moment 🙂 Right 🙂 for them.
RareGull 19 points 1y ago
I always ask them to pull back around especially during peak
sunshine320159 11 points 1y ago
how do u ask that without getting trouble because I want to do the same
RareGull 10 points 1y ago
I usually just politely say (and tell my baristas to tell them this too since I’m rarely on window now as a SSV) “You missed the order box, it’s back at the menu boards, if you don’t mind just going back to them that would be great so we’re able to serve everyone quickly.” 9/10 they’re fine, every now and then you get one that just won’t move.
Having “Shift Supervisor” on my apron might help, but if they refuse I tell them to “pull forward and I’ll bring it out to them.” (This way they don’t fuck my OTW) That usually placates them and I just have my bar partner make the drink when they would’ve if they ordered at the box.
Having “Shift Supervisor” on my apron might help, but if they refuse I tell them to “pull forward and I’ll bring it out to them.” (This way they don’t fuck my OTW) That usually placates them and I just have my bar partner make the drink when they would’ve if they ordered at the box.
sunshine320159 7 points 1y ago
ahhh that’s a great idea thanks
RareGull 4 points 1y ago
Do clear that with the shift lead before a shift, one of them at my store hates doing that and will murder his window time doing a six drink order at the window for I don’t know why
punkrott 10 points 1y ago
when people do this at our store we tell them to either go back around to the box, or just come inside to place an order, as placing an order at the window (or adding onto your order) messes with how we sequence things. 9 times outta 10 they end up just leaving in a huff, so i guess they didn’t want their drink that badly
BeardiesRule112 10 points 1y ago
IQ has been shown to be dropping lol
bishop_josh 8 points 1y ago
they should’ve do mobile order as i always do. (i’m deaf)
[deleted] 8 points 1y ago
[deleted]
maytrrs 7 points 1y ago
nah we tell them to circle back around for skipping the speaker box
AJ228842 6 points 1y ago
We have several baristas that tell them to drive back around the building and stop at the speaker to order 🤣 and they do. But I personally don’t, we do have a handful of deaf people who have to pull up to order.
lewabwee 5 points 1y ago
Lol but they get to the window at the same time they would have gotten there anyways?
strangechatter 2 points 1y ago
When you order at the box it goes through the system and the barista on bar can start making it immediately, when you skip the box we can’t start making the order until you’re at the window. If that makes sense? It messes things up for us and the people behind you in line. The flow of things is interrupted
Braveheart1451 5 points 1y ago
I haven’t started at Starbucks yet, but I did previously work at a Chick-Fil-A, mostly taking orders. During my last few months I worked drive thru headset in the morning. I’d do the same thing, I’d try to answer the ding within a second, keep my eyes on the camera monitor when it was slow, and if I was busy (since a lot of times I had to make drinks while taking orders) I would try to get to them within three dings while mixing a drink or such.
I used to have people who would do this same stunt though, not a lot to where it became a huge problem, but enough to where it did get annoying. Most of the time though since we already had the other customers orders bagged, after we took theirs we just had the customer pull up so we could continue serving the other customers. It would mess the system up a little, but we usually figured it out. I wonder if the customers who did that did have that same process though because I would get people who said, “No one took my order” even though I watched them just drive past on the camera.
I’m a bit nervous for Starbucks though because I really hope this doesn’t mess me up too bad.
I used to have people who would do this same stunt though, not a lot to where it became a huge problem, but enough to where it did get annoying. Most of the time though since we already had the other customers orders bagged, after we took theirs we just had the customer pull up so we could continue serving the other customers. It would mess the system up a little, but we usually figured it out. I wonder if the customers who did that did have that same process though because I would get people who said, “No one took my order” even though I watched them just drive past on the camera.
I’m a bit nervous for Starbucks though because I really hope this doesn’t mess me up too bad.
gallivantgoose 4 points 1y ago
Yes!! oh my god yes this has been happening so often at my store! Have a **talk with your shift supervisors and managers about refusing to take an order at the window** without stopping by the order box. This happens so often at my store, and because of how busy my store everyday it was always chaotic trying to get the food and drinks lined up in order without the line messing up.
jelizt 4 points 1y ago
When people do this I tell them I’ll go ahead and put their order in queue but they have to drive back around
tacticalcop 3 points 1y ago
i hope they know that café is typically prioritized over drive thru, if he truly wanted faster service he would go inside or mobile order.
KristaDaystar 3 points 1y ago
Immediately no. Also, instant park them.
aaronbdancer 2 points 1y ago
We moved our box when we got remodeled so that’s been fun. Almost two months and it still happens daily
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
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LuissaMartinez 1 points 1y ago
Here’s how we have gotten people to stop at the box instead of going right past it normally they start with blah blah blah nobody answered so I’ll take their order at the window but we tell them they will have to pull around and come in and get their order since the people behind them have orders ready and they will hold up our line, it almost always works (if none of this makes sense I blame it on the no sleep and only having nicotine and caffeine all day thank you) Also no cap we normally take our sweet sweet time with their order when they do That
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