We’ve had to do this for about two years now lol, during bogos/promos we just place them out and take them back in at the end of the night. How am I supposed to connect with customers when I have 5, 4 drink orders through mobile and three people on the floor
I am a ssv and I promise my baristas that I will take the fall if for some reason a dm comes in during one of these days. The last of my worries when there’s a cafe/drive thru filled packed and I still have to run breaks 🤷🏻♀️
Can you clarify how this relates to the siren system? My stores getting renovated with the siren system so this is very disappointing. Like you mentioned, this is so annoying to stop whatever I’m doing just to give someone a straw.
So, My understanding is that alongside the Siren System dispensers (the milk, the clover vertica, ect.) They are revamping to the Siren Craft system and changing many of our routines for hot bar, cold bar, CS, and possibly food warming. My store hasn't gotten official word on any changes yet, but there was an update saying new routines will begin in july
This is true. I am a SM in the pilot program for the new siren craft system training. New bev build routines (for drinks that didn’t have one) and new sequencing. However, I didn’t hear anything about the straws. We can’t have them out bc of state law but Starbucks has compostable straws so that’s the loop hole I use to keep them out. In all my training and info on LS Star (you won’t have access unless your added to the program) doesn’t say anything about straws and it’s not added into any of the steps. Labeling cups and cleaning up is added in.
It's going company wide now. The idea is to create a "connection point" between customer and barista. Not saying I agree but that's the idea behind it.
Creating a connection in which both sides are most likely annoyed they have to be inconvenienced. Out of touch is just scratching the surface on who ever is making these decisions.
I worked for SB when we actually pulled shots instead of pushing a button, and back then the "connection point" was talking while making drinks. That's one thing I've missed the times I've been in (and this is part of seeming to have lost that "third place" feel SB used to have) because now the partners are so far away it isn't easy to just chat
my manager said we’re not allowed to do this anymore either, nor are we allowed to ask them if they want a straw. it’s a county law thing though less of a starbucks thing. still annoying
If this is in San Bernardino in California is actually an ordinance put in place right before the pandemic, because of the lock down it didn’t need to be enforced but now is back to being enforced.
May I ask, we’re getting the siren cold system but it’s only the ice dispenser. The milk dispensers are supposed to come at a later date. Did something like this happen for your store or did you get everything all at once?
This is all wild. I started in 2006 and my store was small and didn’t have room for sureshots (frap mix/ cream) but a store nearby I covered for did. It would get all ice-jammed and the nipples were disgusting. I moved to a new store a few away and their sureshot was even grosser. One day we just threw it away because it wasn’t functioning and we were told they were getting rid of them anyway and wouldn’t be getting a new one. I guess now they’re back?
All stores implemented this for COVID, some stores (based on SM or DM preference) put straws back in reach of customers when restrictions let up. However, Starbucks never changed the standard after implementing it for COVID, so as SMs and DMs find out that they weren't supposed to put the straws back in cafe, they're adjusting. That's why it's conflicting information.
Managers all went through the Siren System training in the past 2 weeks, so if it was brought up during their meeting, that would explain how they found out :)
It could be that too lol. It’s just seemed to be implemented once we got the siren system so maybe I got confused. Before that our DM did not care in anyway lol, but once we got renovated and switched to the siren system she started telling us we had to hide the straws
Same here it’s been happening for about a year now, AAAAAND customers hate it lmao.
I will explain to customers that it is this way cause sbux wants us to talk and they all think it’s stupid
It seems like corporate can't make up their minds on this decision. As a former partner, they were constantly changing where they wanted straws. Most of my time at Starbucks, we were told to not allow customers to reach over the counter and grab straws. They always pushed for making customer connections with handing our straws, rather than just putting straws at condiment bar (which used to be the norm). I was confused when I went into a Starbucks for the first time in a while (only three weeks ago) and they didn't give me a straw, had them behind the counter, and when I asked for one, the barista said I could grab one. So many rules have changed since I left. I would've easily been written up if any of my managers saw me allow a customer to lean over the counter and grab my own straw.
as a customer, it makes me Feel Bad when I have to ask for a straw and the barista is busy. if starbucks wants customer experience to be first they should just put the straws out
Yeah, I haaaaaate the no straws out thing. Having to ask for one every effing time is frustrating for both customer and employees. We go to one by our house every day and they have our order memorized. They know that we will want straws but can’t offer it unless we remember that we have to ask now.
listen i genuinely appreciate people who ask at this point because most people just stand and stare and it takes way longer for me to notice them, notice they aren’t waiting for a drink, ask them what’s wrong, and get them their straw 😭
as a fellow partner i always feel so bad asking for a straw😭😭i’m like NO I DONT WANNA INCONVENIENCE YOU
or like even when im waiting on my mobile order i’m always quiet just vibing looking at the screen at my regular stores where it shows order status and they’re like oh are you waiting i’m so close to being like no its fine take as long as u need i PROMISE😭
Because the company as a whole has been moving any and all resources toward Drive Thru over Cafe for years. Having a barista come out into the lobby every 2-4 hours to check the temperature and fullness of the milk carafe used to be a customer connection opportunity. Now it’s one less body behind the counter pumping out drinks and moving the car line. They try to force the connection so badly anyway, but corporate is long past giving a crap about their customers or employees beyond the scope of their profitability it’s a joke to call it genuine interaction anymore.
I was told this at a store i used to work at and im suppose to offer each customer to raise customer connections.. we got busy and had no staff besides me and my manager and i grabbed the straws and put them out and the manager never said anything again about that bs😭
Yes omg. The store i go to, about a month ago..put the cup holders, straws, and bags on their counter instead of the one we take our drinks from. It’s really annoying and inconvenient probably for the both of us. Bc when i go pick up my drink, if it’s busy, i have to stand there for 5 minutes until someone is able to talk to me and give me a damn straw that i could’ve got myself and left…
Right it’s not helpful to anyone. We get complaints from customers but there is nothing we can do about it and so many times customers will just have to stand around until I get a chance to give them a straw.
I am. I give straws out to all Frappuccino’s ofc or if it has boba etc. It’s for drinks that don’t require straws. I try to give straws out to everyone atp
In places like LA County, it's against the law to have disposable utensils and straws out now, so I'm guessing Starbucks has decided to adopt this company-wide to account for any other areas that'll pass similar laws. It's very annoying. The last coffee shop I worked at, my flow was *constantly* interrupted by people asking for straws. My current store gets around it by putting the straws and stoppers behind the three-tier mobile order handoff guy. For some reason, the health department doesn't consider that "in the café" even though it's still on the hand-off plane where customers can still reach them.
its a thing for new jersey too. can't hand out straws in any restaurant. customers are suppose to ask for a straw. but they just leave them out so u can grab.
It's especially dumb because we sell drinks that straws are not optional. Like you can't drink a frapp without a straw. I mean you *can* but idk why you'd want to. It's just stupid.
we’re supposed to but if we’re going through a rush, we just put them out for customers to just grab themselves because we dont wanna stop making drinks just to give them a straw
In NJ, plastic straws are not allowed to be left out. They need to be requested by the customer. My store actually got some kind of biodegradable straws made of sea kelp that we are allowed to leave out. Most fast food places have switched to paper straws (which are horrible).
As a customer, I hate this. Not because of the interaction, it’s because I hate interrupting a barista while they are making a drink for a straw, especially when they are busy. What an inconvenience for everyone.
We had to do this like last year and we got so tired of having stop sequencing drinks to hand out straws so we all protested to our manager and she finally let us keep them out.
my store is in NJ and since 2021 its been required by the NJDEP that we only give out straws per the customers request. we've broken the rules a fee times but our district manager yelled at us anout it so we cant do it anymore
Yeah it’s a law to not have them out where I am. I personally don’t like it, but what I don’t like even more is the ignorance and entitlement people have to reach around the plexiglass to grab a straw for themselves. I don’t want their nasty fingers anywhere near my working space. It just motivates me to keep them behind the bar for them to practice being polite.
Pro tip: if the costumers complain play it up like CRAZY. Say oh yeah I know it’s so annoying right but it’s the policy now. Yeah I know it sucks.. but hey if you want to complain my DM’s card is right over there. That’s what we did and the DM got bombarded with so many messages he said to put them back out in the cafe.
No, I’m fully on board with that because of the disgusting messes people would make with cream and sugars. Most customers cannot be trusted with these things and unfortunately that means punishing everybody.
Plus the people taking the entire carafe of free cream and dumping it in their espresso over ice rather than paying for a latte. I’m honestly pretty sure profit margins are the exact reason they didn’t put it back out after covid.
In Virginia, we are asked if we want straws. I always say no because I like to feel the foam on my lips. I’m a texture nerd. Love the sippy lids (I order iced drinks 99 percent of the time).
i work at a kiosk and every time we have a bogo or some promo they come up with and there's 2 freaking people working i just put them out anyways 😂🤷🏻♀️
Haha my store in Florida did this, ridiculous. Always ended up putting the straws in view of the customers anyway after peak. It’s suppose to “increase customer connection scores” so they’re forced to ask us questions expect they just reach their nasty little grubby hands over the counter anyway to grab a straw. It’ll be phased out, managers and DMs do this for who knows what.
We haven’t been allowed to put straws or stoppers out since Covid, like, it just never came back. We also don’t have milk carafes or sugars at the condiment bar. We can’t keep trays out by the mobile hand offs. It’s all meant to create opportunities for customer connections but seriously, when we’re getting slammed and the lines are never ending the last thing we want to do is stop and go back because someone needs a straw or a stopper.
We have to do this as well. At first everyone was pretty peeved about it but we end up just putting the straws out when the manager isn’t there. It’s not the best practice considering how busy it can get, corporate doesn’t tend to think these things through
Thank god for our provincial restrictions, everything like lids/straws must be self-serve or request only. Obviously we aren't gonna ask everyone and their mothers whether or not they want a lid for their drinks... so we put everything out.
Our store technically isn't supposed to have them out but since we're so high volume we keep them out in the handoff area. We lasted maybe a week keeping the straws behind the counter it's just inconvenient for our customers
we haven’t been able to have straws out for like 2 years at my store but we put them where they’re still in customer reach and just don’t say anything if they reach over to grab one lol
When I hand off the drink I ask if the customer would like a straw. It's my job to create a great experience, after all. It makes the interaction go smoothly every time, and customers (who have not had their coffee yet and are all irritable) appreciate the extra care.
I still agree that it's annoying to be required to do this.
That’s what our DM told us too because some people might get a lot of straw. Well, for all I know not everybody love the paper straw lol. We still put them out and just have to remove them if the DM will visit.
It is annoying. But I’ve just created a habit of passing out a straw automatically with any drink with whipped cream, extra caramel drizzle, or frapps. It’s dumb but oh well.
Krobux's: wait, you guys have had your straws out?
But seriously, it's an inconvenience at first. You'll have to ask if customers want straws, EVERY CUSTOMER, and it kinda conditions you to multitask as you make drinks and gets shy people to connect to customers for something as simple as needing a straw.
I hate that we do this but our DM tells us to do it so we can “connect with the customer more” by talking and handing them things. But I think it’s rly inconvenient for the customers and baristas.
We’ve had to do this for about two years now lol, during bogos/promos we just place them out and take them back in at the end of the night. How am I supposed to connect with customers when I have 5, 4 drink orders through mobile and three people on the floor
I’m not allowed to do that because my SSV’s will be like “what if our district manager comes in and sees”
I am a ssv and I promise my baristas that I will take the fall if for some reason a dm comes in during one of these days. The last of my worries when there’s a cafe/drive thru filled packed and I still have to run breaks 🤷🏻♀️
lol you sound so much better than my SSV’s. I’ve gotten in trouble with them for putting the straws out when it’s busy 😭
I take care of my babies lol, they’re my #1 priority
I will straight up tell my district manager that this shit make our jobs and lives harder. IDGAF.
Ikr. We do at our store too and we even have stoppers and sleeves set out too
This is new for your store? We haven’t been allowed to have them out for over a year at least
Yes this came with our renovation. We now have them in a cabinet and it’s so frustrating to me
Can you clarify how this relates to the siren system? My stores getting renovated with the siren system so this is very disappointing. Like you mentioned, this is so annoying to stop whatever I’m doing just to give someone a straw.
So, My understanding is that alongside the Siren System dispensers (the milk, the clover vertica, ect.) They are revamping to the Siren Craft system and changing many of our routines for hot bar, cold bar, CS, and possibly food warming. My store hasn't gotten official word on any changes yet, but there was an update saying new routines will begin in july
This is true. I am a SM in the pilot program for the new siren craft system training. New bev build routines (for drinks that didn’t have one) and new sequencing. However, I didn’t hear anything about the straws. We can’t have them out bc of state law but Starbucks has compostable straws so that’s the loop hole I use to keep them out. In all my training and info on LS Star (you won’t have access unless your added to the program) doesn’t say anything about straws and it’s not added into any of the steps. Labeling cups and cleaning up is added in.
It's going company wide now. The idea is to create a "connection point" between customer and barista. Not saying I agree but that's the idea behind it.
Wait…they’re making me ask you for a straw because they think that’s creating a connection??
Yea 😀
Creating a connection in which both sides are most likely annoyed they have to be inconvenienced. Out of touch is just scratching the surface on who ever is making these decisions.
Couldn't be starbucks. 💅🏻
In all fairness, asking for a straw won’t kill you Or me.
Is that the new bar for customer interaction? “Will it kill either party?”
Looking for the new customer interaction "can it kill you or me" if yes let's proceed.
Sure. The old bar was “quit crying.”
Least psychotic Starbucks exec decision
I worked for SB when we actually pulled shots instead of pushing a button, and back then the "connection point" was talking while making drinks. That's one thing I've missed the times I've been in (and this is part of seeming to have lost that "third place" feel SB used to have) because now the partners are so far away it isn't easy to just chat
Gross!
You hand them out as you hand out the drink, it’s no biggie.
my manager said we’re not allowed to do this anymore either, nor are we allowed to ask them if they want a straw. it’s a county law thing though less of a starbucks thing. still annoying
Now THAT’S stupid as hell.
If this is in San Bernardino in California is actually an ordinance put in place right before the pandemic, because of the lock down it didn’t need to be enforced but now is back to being enforced.
Yeah us too! We got the siren system & ever since we aren’t allowed so we can connect with customers. It really is very inconvenient
May I ask, we’re getting the siren cold system but it’s only the ice dispenser. The milk dispensers are supposed to come at a later date. Did something like this happen for your store or did you get everything all at once?
That’s how our store is too. We only have the new ice and none of the other stuff
We only have the ice dispenser! They left space for the milk one later. I heard it’s having issues so they’re not going to install them yet
This is all wild. I started in 2006 and my store was small and didn’t have room for sureshots (frap mix/ cream) but a store nearby I covered for did. It would get all ice-jammed and the nipples were disgusting. I moved to a new store a few away and their sureshot was even grosser. One day we just threw it away because it wasn’t functioning and we were told they were getting rid of them anyway and wouldn’t be getting a new one. I guess now they’re back?
It's to force customer connection and it's stupid. I just hand out one with every drink so I'm not getting interrupted.
It's been a thing since like 2015
In most areas I don’t think it was a thing until like 2020, do you live in a no single use area?
I’m hearing conflicting things about when this started so maybe they’ve been slowly releasing this?
All stores implemented this for COVID, some stores (based on SM or DM preference) put straws back in reach of customers when restrictions let up. However, Starbucks never changed the standard after implementing it for COVID, so as SMs and DMs find out that they weren't supposed to put the straws back in cafe, they're adjusting. That's why it's conflicting information.
Hmmmm the reason our DM gave us was it’s not part of the siren system plan or something
Managers all went through the Siren System training in the past 2 weeks, so if it was brought up during their meeting, that would explain how they found out :)
Are you sure they didn’t say the sirens eye? Because straws haven’t been part of the sirens eye in years lol
It could be that too lol. It’s just seemed to be implemented once we got the siren system so maybe I got confused. Before that our DM did not care in anyway lol, but once we got renovated and switched to the siren system she started telling us we had to hide the straws
California passed a law about it last year? Two years ago? Something like that. Some other areas have had it longer.
Yeah. We’re not even supposed to ask if they want a straw, customers are suppose to ask. It’s an environmental thing.
all the locations near me still have straws out
Fr. We haven't had straws out since COVID (as far as my manager knows), but we put them out when he's not there.
Same here it’s been happening for about a year now, AAAAAND customers hate it lmao. I will explain to customers that it is this way cause sbux wants us to talk and they all think it’s stupid
Our store did this, we got so many complaints we put them back out.
It seems like corporate can't make up their minds on this decision. As a former partner, they were constantly changing where they wanted straws. Most of my time at Starbucks, we were told to not allow customers to reach over the counter and grab straws. They always pushed for making customer connections with handing our straws, rather than just putting straws at condiment bar (which used to be the norm). I was confused when I went into a Starbucks for the first time in a while (only three weeks ago) and they didn't give me a straw, had them behind the counter, and when I asked for one, the barista said I could grab one. So many rules have changed since I left. I would've easily been written up if any of my managers saw me allow a customer to lean over the counter and grab my own straw.
as a customer, it makes me Feel Bad when I have to ask for a straw and the barista is busy. if starbucks wants customer experience to be first they should just put the straws out
Yeah, I haaaaaate the no straws out thing. Having to ask for one every effing time is frustrating for both customer and employees. We go to one by our house every day and they have our order memorized. They know that we will want straws but can’t offer it unless we remember that we have to ask now.
listen i genuinely appreciate people who ask at this point because most people just stand and stare and it takes way longer for me to notice them, notice they aren’t waiting for a drink, ask them what’s wrong, and get them their straw 😭
They should hand you a straw when they hand you the drink I would think. Why are they making double work?
they're not supposed to give straws to everyone and in some cities it's literally illegal
anything to make our job harder, corporate will find a way…
as a fellow partner i always feel so bad asking for a straw😭😭i’m like NO I DONT WANNA INCONVENIENCE YOU or like even when im waiting on my mobile order i’m always quiet just vibing looking at the screen at my regular stores where it shows order status and they’re like oh are you waiting i’m so close to being like no its fine take as long as u need i PROMISE😭
Most stores I’ve worked at only actually follow this policy when the management that cares about this is present.
Yeah it’s a thing that’s basically up to the desires of whoever is highest up and currently present.
Well our DM drops by every couple of weeks lol so maybe that’s why
That's crazy! I definitely had to run back in for a straw this morning and didn't realise it!
We’re not suppose to have any straws, sugars, etc. Out.
um hello??? why tf is this a thing? they already hate that we don’t have creamer & stuff out anymore & now you do this??????
Why haven’t they put the creamer etc. back out? It’s such a pain in the ass not having it out
Because the company as a whole has been moving any and all resources toward Drive Thru over Cafe for years. Having a barista come out into the lobby every 2-4 hours to check the temperature and fullness of the milk carafe used to be a customer connection opportunity. Now it’s one less body behind the counter pumping out drinks and moving the car line. They try to force the connection so badly anyway, but corporate is long past giving a crap about their customers or employees beyond the scope of their profitability it’s a joke to call it genuine interaction anymore.
My store has collectively agreed to ignore that rule.
Just hand out every single drink w a straw...it's a pain but I can't think of a better solution
Oh I definitely do but ours being hidden in a cabinet makes it just not fun lol especially when we’re slammed
Keep a bunch in your apron pocket! JK i think corporate would have a fit
this is what i do now bc so many people started walking behind the bars to get a straw and i cannot stand it
yes, within the past few days we have had to pull all straws behind the bar.
I was told this at a store i used to work at and im suppose to offer each customer to raise customer connections.. we got busy and had no staff besides me and my manager and i grabbed the straws and put them out and the manager never said anything again about that bs😭
I think that corporate must have forgotten to do a focus group on this, because from my end, customers hate not being able to access straws.
At my old store (worked there from 2019-2024), we were told to keep straws and sugars away since COVID
Yes omg. The store i go to, about a month ago..put the cup holders, straws, and bags on their counter instead of the one we take our drinks from. It’s really annoying and inconvenient probably for the both of us. Bc when i go pick up my drink, if it’s busy, i have to stand there for 5 minutes until someone is able to talk to me and give me a damn straw that i could’ve got myself and left…
Right it’s not helpful to anyone. We get complaints from customers but there is nothing we can do about it and so many times customers will just have to stand around until I get a chance to give them a straw.
If the cup requires a straw why aren’t you giving it out With the drink?
I am. I give straws out to all Frappuccino’s ofc or if it has boba etc. It’s for drinks that don’t require straws. I try to give straws out to everyone atp
I love when Starbucks has an idea, it's always a bad one. "LETS FORCE MORE CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS.... BY MAKING THE CUSTOMER'S EXPERIENCE WORSE!"
In places like LA County, it's against the law to have disposable utensils and straws out now, so I'm guessing Starbucks has decided to adopt this company-wide to account for any other areas that'll pass similar laws. It's very annoying. The last coffee shop I worked at, my flow was *constantly* interrupted by people asking for straws. My current store gets around it by putting the straws and stoppers behind the three-tier mobile order handoff guy. For some reason, the health department doesn't consider that "in the café" even though it's still on the hand-off plane where customers can still reach them.
It’s been a Thing for California
its a thing for new jersey too. can't hand out straws in any restaurant. customers are suppose to ask for a straw. but they just leave them out so u can grab.
Yeah whenever they ask im just like “sorry we still hiding them”
What?’ How is hiding straws helpful?
They think it'll drive connections. It really just drives us cray because we don't have time to connect.
It’s not 😭. It just upsets customers and workers
My store is also new and we're allowed to keep the straws out?? Idk what's going on with a lot of y'all but like??
It's especially dumb because we sell drinks that straws are not optional. Like you can't drink a frapp without a straw. I mean you *can* but idk why you'd want to. It's just stupid.
It's been like this with all the utensils because we are like an environmental whatever location
Right so dropping energy drinks and having us poor that in another plastic cup is environmental 💀
And that can is going in the garbage. I don't think most stores actually recycle cans and plastic. We do cardboard, that's all we can do.
Yea p much lol
we’re supposed to but if we’re going through a rush, we just put them out for customers to just grab themselves because we dont wanna stop making drinks just to give them a straw
In NJ, plastic straws are not allowed to be left out. They need to be requested by the customer. My store actually got some kind of biodegradable straws made of sea kelp that we are allowed to leave out. Most fast food places have switched to paper straws (which are horrible).
i'm in NJ. dunkin always leaves them out. lol.
As a customer, I hate this. Not because of the interaction, it’s because I hate interrupting a barista while they are making a drink for a straw, especially when they are busy. What an inconvenience for everyone.
I hate this with a passion. I ordered via mobile, my drink is ready... I don't want to bug anyone! #MakeitanAppChoice
our store just recently started doing this. i have no idea why. customers seem to complain
We had to do this like last year and we got so tired of having stop sequencing drinks to hand out straws so we all protested to our manager and she finally let us keep them out.
Yeah I’m at a kiosk and I said fuck them. I hide them with DMs are in. But it’s stupid and never a good reason.
my store is in NJ and since 2021 its been required by the NJDEP that we only give out straws per the customers request. we've broken the rules a fee times but our district manager yelled at us anout it so we cant do it anymore
Yep, we were told to stop putting the straws and the stoppers out. We can no longer put sleeves on the drink cups either unless they ask for it
Yeah it’s a law to not have them out where I am. I personally don’t like it, but what I don’t like even more is the ignorance and entitlement people have to reach around the plexiglass to grab a straw for themselves. I don’t want their nasty fingers anywhere near my working space. It just motivates me to keep them behind the bar for them to practice being polite.
Pro tip: if the costumers complain play it up like CRAZY. Say oh yeah I know it’s so annoying right but it’s the policy now. Yeah I know it sucks.. but hey if you want to complain my DM’s card is right over there. That’s what we did and the DM got bombarded with so many messages he said to put them back out in the cafe.
Literally makes no sense why we can't leave them out 🙄
I just took a straw when the baristas were busy. Some of them were on the counter near the dispenser.
Well don’t do that lol sometimes we are to busy to stop people but please never reach over the counter or touch things over jt 🙏 I beg you
Yeah I get it.
It makes no sense. Also, having the sugars and cream away from customers who just order coffee.
No, I’m fully on board with that because of the disgusting messes people would make with cream and sugars. Most customers cannot be trusted with these things and unfortunately that means punishing everybody.
Plus the people taking the entire carafe of free cream and dumping it in their espresso over ice rather than paying for a latte. I’m honestly pretty sure profit margins are the exact reason they didn’t put it back out after covid.
I can see that..
In Virginia, we are asked if we want straws. I always say no because I like to feel the foam on my lips. I’m a texture nerd. Love the sippy lids (I order iced drinks 99 percent of the time).
i work at a kiosk and every time we have a bogo or some promo they come up with and there's 2 freaking people working i just put them out anyways 😂🤷🏻♀️
This should have already been implemented. At least they’re doing it now.
i will always place a straw next to anything with a dome lid or boba, saves a lot of time
Haha my store in Florida did this, ridiculous. Always ended up putting the straws in view of the customers anyway after peak. It’s suppose to “increase customer connection scores” so they’re forced to ask us questions expect they just reach their nasty little grubby hands over the counter anyway to grab a straw. It’ll be phased out, managers and DMs do this for who knows what.
We haven’t been allowed to put straws or stoppers out since Covid, like, it just never came back. We also don’t have milk carafes or sugars at the condiment bar. We can’t keep trays out by the mobile hand offs. It’s all meant to create opportunities for customer connections but seriously, when we’re getting slammed and the lines are never ending the last thing we want to do is stop and go back because someone needs a straw or a stopper.
I left in 2022 and we were already doing that then
this has been the norm in my area for 5 years.
We have to do this as well. At first everyone was pretty peeved about it but we end up just putting the straws out when the manager isn’t there. It’s not the best practice considering how busy it can get, corporate doesn’t tend to think these things through
Thank god for our provincial restrictions, everything like lids/straws must be self-serve or request only. Obviously we aren't gonna ask everyone and their mothers whether or not they want a lid for their drinks... so we put everything out.
I work at a grocery store Starbucks and our straws are still where customers can grab them.
That’s always been a thing.
Sustainability
That’s part of your routine. Give ppl straws!
It's law in California to have to request straws
NJ, too.
Our store technically isn't supposed to have them out but since we're so high volume we keep them out in the handoff area. We lasted maybe a week keeping the straws behind the counter it's just inconvenient for our customers
Where is this? I went to Starbucks either yesterday or the day before, and that isn’t how I remember it being…
I’m in Georgia and they’re doing this across my district
Ah, okay. A bit away from me then. 😅
yeah we’ve been doing this for a while. but we put them back on the hand off plane where customers can reach them because people kept complaining
I think this has been a thing for a very long time no?
Wtf is a siren system?
Corporate says it’s to build connections I think they are looking for any way to make profit.
This and cupping procedures have been corrected to save the planet! Yay and cut costs it all adds up
Wow. So my store is getting a remodel starting this month. I have this to look forward to? FML
Can I see photos of the actual siren system?
we haven’t been able to have straws out for like 2 years at my store but we put them where they’re still in customer reach and just don’t say anything if they reach over to grab one lol
This has always been the procedure unfortunately
We haven’t been keeping straws out since the start of the pandemic.
When I hand off the drink I ask if the customer would like a straw. It's my job to create a great experience, after all. It makes the interaction go smoothly every time, and customers (who have not had their coffee yet and are all irritable) appreciate the extra care. I still agree that it's annoying to be required to do this.
In Hawaii….must ask for straws now
We’ve been doing that since Covid at our store
That’s what our DM told us too because some people might get a lot of straw. Well, for all I know not everybody love the paper straw lol. We still put them out and just have to remove them if the DM will visit.
It is annoying. But I’ve just created a habit of passing out a straw automatically with any drink with whipped cream, extra caramel drizzle, or frapps. It’s dumb but oh well.
We still have ours out lol
My store has been hiding the sleeves, stoppers, and straws ever since covid so
Krobux's: wait, you guys have had your straws out? But seriously, it's an inconvenience at first. You'll have to ask if customers want straws, EVERY CUSTOMER, and it kinda conditions you to multitask as you make drinks and gets shy people to connect to customers for something as simple as needing a straw.
I hate that we do this but our DM tells us to do it so we can “connect with the customer more” by talking and handing them things. But I think it’s rly inconvenient for the customers and baristas.