Starbucks barista points out major flaw in the new 'writing on cups' rule: 'It's crazy'
A Starbucks barista revealed a major flaw in its newly revived rule for writing on customers' cups.
An employee of the coffee chain expressed frustration in a Reddit post that workers are not permitted to use common abbreviations in the messages they scrawl on drinks containers.
Some of the popular terms include YOLO (short for 'You Only Live Once') and GOAT (for Greatest Of All Time), the employee stated.
The person said workers cannot include such shorthand because the company believes 'different generations won't understand their meanings.'
The user took particular offense when noticing a Starbucks advertisement on Reddit that included 'IYKYK,' an abbreviation for 'If You Know, You Know.'
'Of course there's got to be a double standard with the higher ups,' the employee observed.
The return of the written messages is part of CEO Brian Niccol's ' Back to Starbucks' plan.
Niccol announced the plan in September after he was appointed CEO in August.
The plain aims to improve customer and worker satisfaction while boosting morale.
In response to the edict, baristas urged their fellow employees to stick it Starbucks.
'Write nothing more than a lop-sided smiley face all the time. Malicious compliance,' a Reddit commenter replied.
But even adding a smiley could carry risk, some said.
[T]hen we'll get another store meeting on how to draw smiley faces. [T]his f****** company lol,' a Reddit user wrote.
'Our district manager told us smiley faces or hearts by themselves were strictly not allowed and we had to write an "actual message,"' another responded.
Workers have shown disdain for the 'writing on cups' rule since it was brought back earlier this year.
The action 'has slowed down the pace and is a "forced" way to build connections with customers,' baristas told CNN.
Social media users were aggravated over the rule and noted 'smiley faces' were a debatable message inclusion
'It's just a lot for workers to have to add to the number of things we're expected to do,' explained Amanda Rivera of Starbucks Workers United.
'It would be more sincere if I didn't seem stressed out of my mind making 10 other cups.'
One of the chain's earlier updates was the removal of surcharges for dairy alternatives.
Another was requiring that customers make a purchase in order to use the bathroom or hang out in store.
And one that's been talked about nonstop is Starbucks' new dress code policy, which will take effect on May 12.
The new code, which requires employees to only wear solid black shirts with any shade of khakis, black or blue denim pants, has made baristas threaten to quit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness
The most costly £4.50 drink turns out to the biggest letdown of all DON'T GET IN A FRAPP I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness THE sun has got its hat on – and more and more of us are reaching for an iced coffee to stay refreshed. But rather than splash a fortune at the cafe, you can pick up supermarkets' own drinks for a fraction of the price. Sophie Warburton samples what is on offer, and gives her verdicts and marks out of five . . . 10 Sophie Warburton tested out various iced coffees that can save you splashing out at the cafe Credit: Louis Wood 10 Arctic's coffee stood out from the rest, winning on taste and price Credit: Louis Wood Arctic Coffee Cafe Latte 330ml – £1.25 A FAVOURITE of mine for many years. Arctic says it is made with 'only the best ingredients', including Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans, in powder form. In fact, I noticed this was the only drink that used coffee powder, rather than extract. Another reason Arctic trumps the rest is how it manages to balance that earthy coffee taste with sweeter notes. RATING: 5/5 10 Starbucks scored full marks - but it is on the costly side compared to some others Credit: Louis Wood Starbucks Caffe Latte 220ml – £2.55 CREAMY, sweet, nicely pack-aged and perfect for when you're on the go. Great for those newer to iced coffee as it's quite sweet but you can still taste espresso. Very moreish. You spike the lid with a straw, making it hard to spill. The only downside is it's a bit pricey, as you may expect with Starbucks. This coffee is a lovely combination of full-fat milk, water and Arabica coffee extract. RATING: 5/5 'survey reveals what your ice cream eating habits could say about your personality' 10 Costa's latte was a little thick but still scored highly on the taste test Credit: Louis Wood Costa Cafe Latte 330ml – £2.55 VERY similar to the Starbucks caffe latte but thicker. In fact, this latte was perhaps a little too thick for my liking, as I felt a bit full after drinking it. I did enjoy it but you probably wouldn't want to drink too many of these. Again, this one is a little bit on the pricey side. The drink is made up of semi-skimmed milk, coffee extract and water. RATING: 4/5 10 After hearing rave reviews, I thought Jimmy's Iced Coffee tasted bland Credit: Louis Wood Jimmy's Iced Coffee 275ml – £2.10 UNPOPULAR opinion because I have heard rave reviews about this one, but I thought it tasted watery and bland. It's not terrible, but in comparison to the competition it was tasteless. It's also priced at £2.10 in Tesco, so not even the cheapest option. This coffee has been put together with semi-skimmed milk, water and single-origin Arabica coffee. RATING: 3/5 10 The chocolate taste overpowered the coffee and was disappointing Credit: Louis Wood Emmi Caffe Latte Cappuccino 230ml – £1.85 TOO sweet for me, it also features a chocolatey component – and it's all a bit much. Not one for those of us who want to taste the coffee. If I had to choose the drink that it's most similar to, it's the Starbucks caffe latte. They feature similar designs but this one is more of a dupe. It's concocted with semi-skimmed milk and brewed Arabica coffee. RATING: 3/5 10 This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk Credit: Louis Wood M&S Oat Latte Cold Brew Coffee 250ml – £2.60 RATHER unpleasant, I'm sorry to report. This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk. I've also decided I'm not a huge fan of coffee in a tin, like this, and much prefer it in a glass or bottle. This drink is concocted from water, Arabica coffee and oats – much like its sibling, below, but just worse. RATING: 2/5 10 The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery Credit: Louis Wood M&S Chilled Cold Brew Oat Latte 250ml – £2.60 COMES in a minimalist plastic bottle – and that pretty much sums it up. Minimal flavour, and I wasn't crazy about this one. The oat milk is quite punchy, though, and I preferred this latte to the other M&S one I tried. The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery. The drink is made from water, Arabica coffee and oats. RATING: 3/5 10 The overpowering taste disappointed and I would not be keen to try it again Credit: Louis Wood Quarterpast Iced Coffee Concentrate 360ml – £4.50 NEVER again – unless I'm really desperate. Sweetened with cane sugar and very gloopy, this was seriously overpowering. It hasn't altered one bit my low opinion of concentrated coffee. This one works in the same way as Nescafe's concentrate. You just add 20ml to a glass with ice, and top with milk. Enough for 18 servings. RATING: 1/5 10 If you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable as this was by far the cheapest Credit: Louis Wood Barista Coffee Co. Caffe Latte 250ml – 80p OH dear, this is just sickly and, well, plain boring. Not something that I would go looking for again next time I fancy an iced latte. This was, however, by far the cheapest option of the drinks I tried out – so if you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable. It is created from semi-skimmed milk, water and instant coffee. RATING: 2/5
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
British people left baffled by 'UK themed snack box' sold to Americans filled with 'products they've never seen' for an extortionate price
British people have been left baffled over a UK-themed snack box supposedly filled with quintessential English treats. An American man said his wife is subscribed to a service that curates monthly boxes with an array of popular snacks from countries all over the world. She recently received a delivery with British snacks but it didn't include the treats most from the UK would expect. Instead of the familiar classics like Monster Munch or Tunnock's teacakes, the package contained Bounty cookies, pickled onion-flavoured crisps and banana toffee. The man turned to the internet to ask if the snack collection was an accurate deception of beloved British snacks and was met was a barrage of outrage. Many were quick to express their confusion with most claiming they had never even seen most of the items on supermarket shelves. 'Wife got me a snackbox subscription - monthly snacks from around the world. This Month is UK. How did they do?' the man asked on Reddit. He shared an image of the box, from US company Universal Yum, which costs USD$29 (£22). Its contents included Dean's All Butter Shortbread Petticoat Tails and Bristows Rhubarb and Custard-flavoured Bonbons. There were some eclair and butterscotch sweets, Bounty cookies, All Rounders wine gums, and two packets of Taylors crisps in mature cheddar and onion and pickled onion flavours. Iron Brew Millions sweets and Walker's Yummy Banana-flavoured toffee were also included along with a sticker sheet and a United Kingdom snacks information booklet. On the Universal Yum website, the box is described as having 'classic flavours and iconic treats - aka what you'd expect from the UK'. For an extra $30, customers can get the 'super yum' British snack food box that includes everything in the smaller package plus Jammy Dodgers, prawn cocktail crisps, a can of Iron Bru, and Toffee Pops. Hundreds of Brits took to the comments of the American's post in outrage with some going as far as to call the box 'absolutely abysmal' and an 'abomination'. 'It's like if AI created a snack box. It's almost recognisable, but just off. I can't even start on that graphic,' one user laughed. 'This looks like stuff left over from a raffle when everyone donated things from the back of their cupboard,' another joked. 'I live in the UK and have literally never seen any of those products in a shop,' a third wrote. 'Flavours are right but not many of these would be seen commonly in shops in the UK!' one person pointed out. 'I don't recognise any of that except the Millions,' another agreed and one user said: 'This is shockingly bad. Get your money back.' 'They have literally just grabbed whatever is on offer at B&M, Home Bargains and Heron that week. Shocking selection,' someone added. But not everyone was offended by the selection and many pointed out that a few of the snacks were more popular and commonly found in Scotland. 'Ignoring the brands, the items themselves are pretty good!' one woman said. 'Taylors crisps used to be Mackies, I'd say that's a fairly big brand, at least in Scotland,' a second explained. 'In Scotland, you can get most of this in Asda or Home Bargains,' a third pointed out and another agreed: 'Dean's shortbread is pretty common in Scotland at least'. 'Rhubarb and custards are a classic British sweet, same for wine gums and all butter shortbread is always a treat,' one person chimed in.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Starbucks makes shock U-turn after years of job cuts and plunging sales
Starbucks has launched its biggest hiring spree in history — aimed at finally tackling the number one gripe from frustrated customers. The recruitment blitz— adding as many as 85,000 workers across its 17,000 US locations — is a bold move aimed at slashing long wait times. Customers have grown weary of waiting 20 minutes for a drink, with many walking away from the chain entirely. Soaring prices and what critics call a 'soulless' in-store experience have only added to the exodus — helping drive a sharp drop in sales. New CEO Brian Niccol, speaking to 14,000 store managers at a Las Vegas event on Wednesday, called it 'the biggest human capital investment in connection in the history of Starbucks.' He said the goal isn't just to speed up service, but to ease pressure on overworked employees and bring back the warmth and personal touch that once made Starbucks a beloved 'third place' between home and work. 'Your rosters are going to expand with this,' Niccol told managers, who can begin hiring from August. Five years ago, Starbucks stores averaged 23 employees. Cost-cutting has since trimmed that number down to 18 to 19 — four to five fewer workers per location. Restoring pre-Covid staffing levels would mean hiring between 68,000 and 85,000 people across all US stores. Even focusing solely on the 11,000 company-owned locations, the increase would still be a massive 44,000 to 55,000 hires. Jodi Love, a portfolio manager at T Rowe Price, a Starbucks shareholder, estimated the labor investments would add more than $1bn in additional spending to fiscal 2026. But the move is expected to resonate with baristas on the frontlines, many of whom have long complained of chronic understaffing that fuels delays and drains morale. The new hires are also expected to support Starbucks' efforts to bring back a more personal touch — including a new policy asking baristas to handwrite notes on customers' cups. Explaining the U-turn, Niccol told the Financial Times: 'We over-rotated on the idea of equipment and that replacing the humanity of service,' Niccol told the Financial Times. 'And I think service is our point of difference. Despite everybody saying they're more connected than ever, everything I read is people feel more lonely than ever. 'I think part of the problem is there aren't enough third places anymore.' Former Chipotle boss Brian Niccol was hired to revive Starbuck's ailing fortunes The new Starbucks boss has said he will simplify the chain's 'overly complex menu' in a bid to win back customers amid slumping sales Customers have increasingly been turned off by long wait times and rising prices at the chain Starbucks is scaling back the promotions and discounts offered through its mobile app Starbucks held Niccol was hired last year in an effort to turn around the struggling chain. Former CEO Howard Shultz agreed with Niccol telling Wednesday's company event 'we're not a company based on technology. 'That enables us, we're a company based on people.' The former Chipotle boss has embarked on a series of plans to return Starbucks to its original 'third place between home and work' concept. Coffee drinkers have turned away from the chain in recent years, put off by high beverage prices, long wait times and impersonal experiences. Niccol has set about axing complicated drinks from Starbucks menus, asking staff to put messages on customer's coffee cups and scaling back promotions. The plan will help address the major customer pet peeve of long wait times before getting their hands on a coffee. It will also likely be popular with front of house employees who have complained of chronic issues with understaffing, which compounds the backlogs.
