Starbucks Team Leaders

[redeye58]

@ Asuras: That's pretty good for your first.
We got dinged on a visit early this year when they found some juices in the cooler expiring that day.

 

[Yetive]

I like beer & I like coffee but just not together.

Kind of what I think, but, I may have to try it

 

[Yetive]

@Asuras, nice going. One more this year.

 

[Asuras]

Wanted to make a sheet for my newer team members with freshness dates. Just wanted to make sure I had the correct information or missing anything:

Bottled Syrups – 1 Month

Peach & Mango Syrups – 14 Days

Frappuccino Bases – 30 Days

Strawberry Juice, Acai, Smoothie Base & Yogurt – 5 Days

Lemonade, Apple Juice – 7 Days

Coconut, Soy, & Almond Milk – 7 Days

Coffee Beans – 7 Days

Toppings – 2 Weeks


Mocha, Skinny Mocha, Chai, Oprah Chai – 24 Hours

White Mocha & Pumpkin Spice – 2 Weeks

Java Chips, Vanilla bean, & Matcha powder – 7 Days

Freeze Dried Fruits – 5 Days

Whip Cream – 24 Hours

Coffee Frapp Base - 48 Hours

Caramel – 2 Weeks

Ice Coffee – 8 Hours

Cold Brew – 5 Days


Croissant, Chocolate Croissant, Danish, Blueberry Scone, Blueberry Muffin, & Coffee Cake – 1 Day

Cake Pops, Brownie, Cookies, Lemon, pumpkin, & Banana Cake – 2 Days

All sandwiches – 2 Days

Rice Krispy Bar, Megpies, Madeleines, & etc – 2 Weeks

 

[Xanatos]

I know they changed the peach ingredients so it's good for 30 days. I wasn't aware of the mango being 14 days to begin with; I could be wrong, but I think it's 30.

Chais are 5 days when refrigerated. I keep TOC in the fridge; cuts the cost by 80%.

Coffee beans are correct at 7 days, but I would add that you should use them immediately when ground for normal brewing, and they're good for 24 hours for pour overs.

Iced coffee is 12 hours now, regardless of being refrigerated or not. I'm actually not 100% sure if Target follows this or if I just saw all the excitement over it on /r/starbucks...

Megpies are 7 days.

Seasonal cookies (day of the dead, snowman, etc) are 12 days.

Matcha powder is 2 weeks. I don't think you had protein powder listed, but it's 7 days.

As for toppings, I'm not sure about all of them being 2 weeks. I think a lot are 30 days, but I don't have a source on me and it might vary from item to item.

 

[RistrettoShots]

Muffins are two days not one.

 

[radiochu]

I made this date board for my team with a cheap-o whiteboard and some supplies from One Spot. it's been a huge help at getting everyone on board with dating things, and the mini-calendar helps because we don't have to stop and pull our phones out to check future dates. we velcroed it to the wall.

Muffins are two days not one.

I'm pretty sure they're one day. I can check but that's how we've been pulling them since we opened.

 

[Yetive]

Blueberry muffins are one day.
Mango and peach are both 30 days.
My DM gave the go-ahead for 12 hours on iced coffee.
3 days chile mocha/holiday flat white.
Vanilla sweet cream/eggnog 48 hours.
I think ground coffee is end of day rather than 24 hours.
Great chart @radiochu.

 

[Xanatos]

Isn't vanilla sweet cream 24 hours?

 

[Yetive]

Oops. Yes 24 hours for the sweet cream.

 

[Asuras]

I need your guys advice with all your years of experience.

9 Baristas (Including myself and other AST Barista).
3 Former Baristas in the store

- Starting this week, my oldest (56ish) and most experienced TM (Barista Trainer) will be out all of this month and November for Knee Replacement Surgery.
- One of my newer Barista that is available to work in the morning. Is getting her tonsils removed as an emergency. She is 34, so the recovery time is 3 week.
- My AST Certified Barista (19 Years old) put in his 2 week notice. He got a job at the Domico and Son's Restaurant in our store. In addition to another job on the weekends.
- My other experienced Barista is stressed with college and having car issues. And has been calling in or 30 min-2 hours late.
- A new TM (in high school) that transferred to us (via my direct ETL approving it). Is pregnant and can pop anytime in the new few weeks. She has been amazing.
- Another new TM that was on the verge of quieting (wanted to transfer to a store closer to home). Because she has transportation issues. But was able to convince her to stay and work weekends only.

- The former SBTL that works in HR will be leaving us.
- A former barista is a Cake Decorator and the Bakery Team lost a TM. So they can't afford to keep on lending her to us.
- Last former Barista on the sale floor has college and only works 2/7 days.

My remaining stable TM:
- A experience Barista but has a second job. So there are days she can't work. Working on getting getting AST Certified. Only problem is no training hours. And only other person capable of opening the department.
- Another new TM that transferred in. She has been wonderful to have. She is only available after school (obviously) and can't work 3 out of the 7 days (includes Saturday).
- And myself.

So what can I do in this situation? We are in a hiring drive but we are hardly getting applications, let alone someone wanting to work in SB. If we on board a high school student. They can only be trained at night but all trainers are gone or needed to opened the department. Weekends aren't an option because of how busy we are. I don't know what to do heading into November and losing this amount of people. And us being a high volume store. There isn't much down time and if someone calls in, we are screwed. And having limited availability TMs. Seems all my fears when I was deciding on taking the position is coming true. No other TL or ETL are even trained to run the registers at Starbucks. And are unwilling to or can't do to the New Market Roll Out.

 

[Xanatos]

How many payroll hours do you get to spend per week and how many are you supposed to get per week?

Hiring is important, but also look at cross training. Look at a list of every team member in the store - pick out any of them that you would want to be cross trained. Talk to these people (maybe talk to their ETLs first) and see if they are interested in cross training.

 

[Asuras]

I get 184 (getting no more than that going into the holidays, confirmed with HR ETL), I know that is more than most other Target SB gets. Can barely give the hours to the TM that want it. Even with the mass loss off Baristas. I will still utilize all those hours. I run 5/5/4/4/4/4/5 (Su/M/T/W/TH/R/S). Our load comes on Monday, so that is why I need 5 people on Mondays. Our weekends are bat-shit crazy, so training those days are out of the question. Even during the week, during 9am-11pm (morning rush) and 12pm-1PM (lunch) is really busy. As well as 3pm-6pm (people getting off work).

Currently anyone in Market is off limits due to the Market Roll out and training they have. Deli, Produce, and Bakery are in no position to lend/lose people. My old Meat Team is off limits for now, due to the merger of Meat/Frozen/Dairy. Cashiers are 75% high school students. And we have no trainers able to work at night (due to needing to open). Current closer are still new and not comfortable to train new Baristas.

 

[Asuras]

Sorry if I sound like I am giving up and just spouting all the things I can't do. This all hit me all at once while having a call in this morning. Working alone and not getting home until 6pm. I'm still processing things.

 

[Xanatos]

Nah you're fine, this is a safe place to vent.

I'd question the 5 shifts that you're giving on certain days and maybe just do longer shifts. Like 730-4, 830-2, 1030-7, 4-930. That would at least cut the number of shifts per week that you need to fill.

Also, what the hell about the hours... our payroll just had a slight increase for October and will have a bigger increase for both November and December. I don't know your ETL-HR, but I hate them. If you get 184 now, you should be around 200 for November and even higher for December. You need to check to see what myTime actually says and fight for it. Not that you have the staffing for it now, but at least try to use that for training when you do get more people.

 

[redeye58]

We're A volume & would KILL for your hours.
Instead, they're skimmed as much as 40% so we're lucky to have two baristas at any given time.
I was alone for FOUR HOURS today during rushes that saw lines to the door.
Every guest that saw me doing backflips fixing drinks, pulling food while taking orders kept say the same. damn. thing.
"You need to hire some more people!"
Naw, people we got - it's PAYROLL we need & leadership won't budge.

 

[Asuras]

Yeah, they want to taking away our hours but settled for 184 for all of the holidays.

 

[Xanatos]

Well, your Target volume isn't necessarily the same as your Starbucks volume, but yeah redeye you need way more hours!

 

[Asuras]

One thing I appropriate is the guest being understandable for the long wait with one Barista. Everyone kept trying to give me a tip.

 

[Yetive]

I agree about the longer shifts--at least for now. T,W,Th,F 730 - 400, 1030 - 7, 230 - 11 and S, S, M add an 8 hour shift and that's 184. 24 shifts for the week.

Definitely ask around about cross training people. Even if they can run register and mark cups, that helps a lot. Sometimes, they can just work a couple hours, then move to another dept.

Training will be a challenge. I don't get additional hours for training either. I hired a girl for Sundays only, and she basically got pushed on register for about a month. That was fine--still helped. She's getting there now .

 

[Asuras]

Trust me, I am working long hours. I know I'm not suppose to do it. But I work off the clock to finish off the load and do the order. Openers get a full 7-8 hour shifts. Mid sometimes gets it but otherwise, if I do have a mid. They are scheduled 5-5.75 hours and same with closers. To avoid leaving each alone for no more than 15 mins.

 

[Xanatos]

Trust me, I am working long hours. I know I'm not suppose to do it. But I work off the clock to finish off the load and do the order.

It sucks, but that's what is required sometimes when you're in a workcenter that no one else knows how to run. I've done my share of 14 hour shifts. I've worked 6 days for 3 or 4 of the last 5 weeks.

But what we meant was having the rest of your team work longer hours so there are fewer total shifts throughout the week. I know availabilities and preferences won't allow for it all the time, but it's a good suggestion.

Also, I think a lot of SBTLs work opening shifts and I've never understood it. Part of it is my store's volume, but the mid shift gets (by far) the most extra coverage, so those are the shifts that I work the most. I get more time off the floor to do things and work on the order, plus I get to see more team members so I can follow up with them and check on how they're doing. If you open all the time, you might not see the closers and you're guaranteed to have a little bit of time at the beginning of the day by yourself, followed by busier time when the next person gets in. Opening and closing (the half hour before open or after close) are just busywork. Sure, you should do each of them occasionally, but doing them just wastes your time; have your team do them. (Same thing with weekly cleaning tasks. I let my team do the weekly stuff and then I do the harder things. Today I was crawling around the floor under the 3-compartment sink, cleaning between the tiles, especially at the bottom of the wall behind the sink. Not something I'd ask my team to do, and it makes me look good when they see me doing it. And it's dirty as fuck.)

 

[Asuras]

All my closers are high school students. so their availability are as i schedule them 5 hour increments. Only time they get longer shifts are on the weekends. Only people that get 8 hour shifts are me and the other barista I am trying to AST certify. Only days I have a mid is Weekends and Mondays. And Mondays I or the mid focus on the load.

 

[Yetive]

My situation is different because I work only 2, sometimes 3, sbux shifts per week. My team laughs at how long it takes me to close because I never do it.

You're on your own, for sure, but in a way, I get my way sometimes because no one wants to be bothered.

Again, I will suggest that you ask around. I have discovered 3 flow tms through the years who had previously worked at sbux. You never know.

 

[Yetive]

Trust me, I am working long hours. I know I'm not suppose to do it. But I work off the clock to finish off the load and do the order. Openers get a full 7-8 hour shifts. Mid sometimes gets it but otherwise, if I do have a mid. They are scheduled 5-5.75 hours and same with closers. To avoid leaving each alone for no more than 15 mins.

Also, don't get caught working off the clock.

Training new baristas rarely follows the prescribed method at Target. You won't just have 32 hours in a row to train. Become flexible about how and when you train your newbies. If you have an influx of minors, train them from 4 to 7 for a longer time. You can work a mid 'til 7 and get some training in that way, while your closer runs things. Also, have your closers train on some of the simple things to get them used to training--I find that more often than not, the younger ones really rise to the occasion.

Have newbies work the mids on crazy busy weekends. They can run register and mark cups. They will learn fast, and will never be alone. (And you may need to be a jerk about this to others. They see a body in sbux and wonder why you need break coverage. This is where you need to stand up for your newbies and not leave the alone). I have had a newbie open Black Friday with me. Couldn't make drinks, but ran register and marked cups. Would have been screwed without her

Try to involve your team in this as well. They want to have enough coverage as much as you do! I got a really good one recently when I asked the team for their opinion.

Lastly, it's time to remind your store that Starbucks is part of the store and the Front End. There is no reason your ETL, GSTL, and GSAs cannot ring on a Starbucks register. Have HR add an hour to GSA shifts and start training them to at least provide backup. (Some of them may like it and ask for shifts there . It happens). If I remember correctly, there has been some trouble keeping leaders in your sbux. Take the opportunity to remind your ETL of this, and explain how much a little support would help.

Ok, that wasn't lastly, this is. You have had some great things to say about your team. Make sure you are saying them to the team, and not just to us. Build on the good ones, and make sure they know that they are appreciated.