Definitely illegal. I am terrible at picking up my tips, mainly because I usually get off when our store is the busiest and I hate asking a shift so my tips will sit there for a couple weeks. I went on medical leave 12/13 and came back on 3/12 and my tips from that week of the 13th were still there.

Your tips are your wage too. They are taking away your wage. Tell your DM. I know there’s a number you can call too, to report. They are stealing money from you

no that’s not normal. there a partner at my store that like to let hers accumulate for awhile before she collects them. they shouldn’t be redistributed

I've done the tips for 2 stores over the years (117..). First off they should be done weekly, I've never heard of them being done bi-weekly. Secondly, the only time we have ever returned money to the pool has been after they have been held for more than 6 months and a 'good faith' effort was made to get the tips to the person that they were meant for (and this has been for both borrowed and separated partners).

If, as you say, your SM is not 'interested' in mediating the process, definitely reach out to your DM. If that doesn't get any action, absolutely escalate it to partner services. This is part of your income and should be treated as theft by all who have access to YOUR money.

As long as the partner is still with the company and at your store, they cannot just put the money back. It is a bit different with borrowed partners, I think there is a time limit on that one but not sure what. But no, you cannot have your tips just redistributed. Definitely talk to your SM or DM, that's not allowed.

The only time I’ve ever seen that at my store is if the tips have been there for months at a time and most of the people that haven’t picked up are separated. But never every other week

Tips are supposed to be done weekly. And if tips are not picked up after 30 days the SM is supposed to contact the partner/former partner. I would reach out and report as they are not following policy and it’s basically theft.

I do the tips at my store and I have tips for a borrowed partner from about 4 months ago who I know also left the company and I still don’t put it ‘back in’. It’s very illegal to do so, that is their money.

We have unclaimed tips from.over 6 months ago that belong to borrowed partners, partners that have left etc. My SSV are good about making sure everyone gets their tips.

Taken directly from the Partner Guide, page 20, Tips and Tip Reporting: “Starbucks hourly non exempt store partners, excluding shift managers, are entitled to share in the tips received. Tips are counted in the store by tip-eligible store partners.” With that being the foundation, it is basically left to each store to allocate the time (1.5 hrs non coverage weekly) for tip counting, and who the proper partner to do that will be. My store has over 48 partners, and several borrowed partners coming in all the time. As an ASM, I do not touch their tips, the only time I come in contact with it is giving the tip bags to the partner, or when partners pick up their tips. They are not obligated to pick up their tips weekly, but do have to do a weekly sign off. Their tips are locked away, and we have hundreds of tips from partners that haven’t picked them up. I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to give up on tips being picked up and just put them back in the pool. I don’t touch the tips, but I think my team would run it by us if that was a possible course of action. Those tips are your hard earned labor, you deserve it!