The Starbucks Mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
I go to two locations on a regular basis. The first location honors the mission statement and the other fails so miserably I would be happy if they closed the store.
1. Home.
My home base is in the middle of a busy city and the store can be hectic. I go in maybe twice or three times a week and I've been going there for about three years. Nearly every employee knows my name. They know my hubby and my kids and they know our beverage preferences. They know when I am dressed for work to speed things up and when I'm with the kids I can take time to chat.
I have the Starbucks iphone app because of these guys. I have Pike in my home because of these guys. I have tried various tea's and coffee combinations and food items because of these guys. I am an active citizen of the brand because of these guys.
I am brand loyal because of this store location.
2. Work
I used to go in this location every morning and even some lunchtime's for a caffeine jolt but the customer service is so appalling that I only go in when I'm running late and can't make my own coffee.
The customer service is not just sloppy. There is an antagonistic nature to the staff / customer relationship.
On a micro level the store employee's use negative non verbal instructions which is irritating for regulars and confusing for new users. They yell at each other and customers on an alarmingly regular basis.
On a macro level the employee's act as a group that have claimed the geographic store as an independent entity - blind to the larger brand experiences of most of the customers (I overheard a couple talking about having a latte from the Great Wall location today). The employee's spend so much time concentrating on either arguing or flirting with each other the customer's are almost an after thought.
I have been at this store longer than any of the employee's. I have seen managers and bruisers (barista's with attitude) come and go. I have the same drink and have had for over five years and yet, each time I go in, I need to repeat the simple order. I try to be pleasant most of the time but often leave feeling angry.
I am a corporate brand rejector because of this store.
This leaves us back at the Mission Statement.
I would urge Starbucks to look at how their mission statement is being taught, lived and expressed. If you have people working for you that just don't care about the human spirit of others then either fire your mission statement or fire the damn employee.
If I agree to live by the rules of this brand (paying premium for coffee/choice over others) then you have got to live up to your promise. Every interaction with the work location pushes me further and further away from my commitment to the brand and makes my belief in the corporate message very shaky.
My recommendation to a quick fix: Give your core citizens (employee's and customers alike) the power to call out off brand behavior.
Comments