Starbuck’s has had a hard row of coffee bushes to hoe so far this year. It’s had to make some tough decisions, and change its business model. Now, Starbuck’s is trying to get ahead of a new PR catas-trophe triggered by a former employee…
“It used to be a great place to work,” an anonymous longtime Starbuck’s em-ployee told Business Insider. “People wouldn’t leave Starbucks unless they were college students and went up into a higher career, or they retired [out of] the company.” But things have changed – drastically.
A soulless fast Food empire
“It started out as a trendy, quirky coffee shop job, and it’s just morphed into this soulless fast food empire since that time,” the writer, who has been working at the chain for ‘nearly 20 years’ said. But, “Ever since [former CEO] Howard [Schultz] left, things have just really gone downhill.”
Schultz stepped down from his role in 2017. And the COVID crisis didn’t do the ‘meet-and-greet’ spot any favours.
One of the major issues the employee spotlighted was staffing cuts. He says his location had up to five employees per shift, but was cut down to just three. this in the face of a new flood or orders coming in the the Starbucks app, under the pressure of a major promotional campaign.
Others speak out…
Other disenchanted Starbucks employees are spoke out in response to the original post on Reddit:
“I worked at Starbucks over 20 years ago, it was a soulless fast food empire back then,” a user wrote. “I don’t think [the original poster] has ever been inside a quirky coffee shop.”
Still others were more specific about what’s happened to the brand: “Personally, for me, they stop-ped being a coffee shop when they moved away from espresso machines to the automatics that require zero skill to use,” another Redditor complained. “Now they are an overpriced place to get coffee-flavored sugar drinks via an app.”
Unpopular decisions
On top of that, customers complained earlier this year when it became apparent that Starbucks was getting rid of its famous comfy chairs, discouraging folks from lingering in their shops, and gearing up to handle increased drive-thru and take-out traffic.
Shortly thereafter, the company admitted, in shareholder communications, that fans were starting to rebel against its latest round of menu price hikes. And major changes in the company’s identity and businiess model were needed.
Enter: CEO Brian Niccol
The result has been the appointment of a new CEO – Brian Niccol – who lept into action a few days ago. In an open letter to shareholders and customers, Niccol admits the brand has gone off the rails.
“In some places — especially in the U.S. — we aren’t always delivering,” Niccol wrote. “It can feel transactional, menus can feel overwhelming, product is inconsistent, the wait too long or the handoff too hectic. These moments are opportunities for us to do better.”
He also pointed out that, Starbucks has, “enormous potential for growth,” in the UK, France, South Africa, Brazil, and dozens of other countries across the globe.
A firm commitment
“Today, I’m making a commitment: We’re getting back to Starbucks,” he promised. “We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our enduring identity. We will innovate from [t]here.”
More than a commitment, it’s complete 180-degree turnaround.
Four key principles
Niccol says the latest ‘new era’ for Starbucks will be based on 4 principles:
- Empowering our baristas to take care of our customers.
- Get the morning right, every morning.
- Reestablishing Starbucks as the community coffeehouse.
- Telling our story.
I, for one, want to know if they’ll be bringing back their famous comfy purple chairs (see photo, above, left)…
How that will all pan out remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: There will be lots and lots of juicy Starbucks news coming our way over the next few months!
~ Maggie J.