I wish this was Facebook, so I could hit the “Like” button on your post. Spot on. Well put.

I understand what you’re saying, but just want to clarify. The root problem isn’t labor, it’s the cutting of labor hours. Management’s constant desire to cut labor to save money for shareholders, rather than focusing on the customer experience, is the biggest issue I have with this company.

Damien made an excellent point: it’s great to take time to ensure each drink is utterly perfect and to spend plenty of time connecting with the customer, but at the same time, people do want to get their drinks sometime that same day.

I work at a drive-thru Starbucks. Let’s say someone pulls up to the window to pay and get their drink, and I start chatting with them. I get into a nice conversation with them – we talk about the weather, how their kids are doing in school, the local sports teams, etc. Awesome! I’m connecting with the customer! That’s what Starbucks is all about, right?

Know what the person behind them is thinking? “Why in the hell is that jackass standing there chatting away while I’m stuck here in line? Why isn’t he getting their drink!?”

Know what the person on bar is thinking? “I have a bar full of drinks here that I could use help with! Why is that jackass standing over there at the window exercising his jaw rather than putting syrup in these? Steaming milk on the other bar? Getting those frappuccinos started? Rinsing these dirty milk pitchers? We’re about to run out of whipped cream; why isn’t he making any? It’d be nice if he actually helped!”

Know what the people in the lobby are thinking? “Where’s my drink? This is taking a long time!” Know why they’re thinking that? Because I’m off “connecting with the customer”…to the utter neglect of every other customer.

The root problem is labor. To do my job, I have to be in three places at once, because there’s no one else to do the things that need to be getting done in those three places. I’m forced to choose between not connecting to the person immediately in front of me so that I can make sure everyone gets helped, or taking plenty of time on the person in front of me and making everyone else suffer.

So yeah, there has to be a balance between doing all of this coffeehouse romance and pagentry and ensuring that the customer is served in a timely fashion. Which is a shame, because I’m happiest when business is slow but steady and I do have time for all of the coffeehouse romance without having to rush off to help the next person, make the next drink, solve the next crisis.

I agree with you in regards to the old C.O.W. system. There did seem to be a lot less complaining about the coffee because it was always rotating. There always seemed to be new and exciting.

@Melody once mentioned a compromise between the old and new: 45 minute hold times. It’s not as bad as holding for an hour, but not significantly longer than 30 minutes. What if we had 45 minute hold times in the afternoon? I work at a relatively high-volume store and in the afternoons, we can go hours without serving a cup of coffee.

But most drip coffee drinkers don’t want to wait at all. I really miss the old COW system. Everyone was happy, even if a little more coffee was wasted. Hour hold times, Multiple options… Those were the days

1. @Sbsmooth: All the things Starbucks asked, pleaded for us to do have gone by the wayside. In my opinion, they have gone by the wayside PURELY as a cost-saving measure. I specifically remember reading that we should pour shots directly into the cup for “quality reasons.” However, Starbucks also happened to mention that because the motion of removing and replacing shot glasses has been eliminated, the labor we were receiving for espresso drinks would be reduced.

2. @Clark Kent I think the espresso excellence did reinvigorate baristas into buying into the notion of “theater and romance.” While lately, though, theater and romance seems out the window in favor of speed of service and QASA/Ecosure visits. It feels as though I can spend very little time engaging my customers during non-peak times due to the fact that I have to clean every square inch of the store because there might be a Quality Assurance visit. “Don’t take the time to learn that customer’s name! Can’t you see there are errant grinds on the counter next to the grinder?! Heaven forbid!”