Starbucks is brainwashing employees!

another thing i wanted to mention about the starbucks brainwashing techniques; has anybody ever gone to a starbucks and asked for a LARGE coffee? immediately the "barista" will badger you to call it a "Venti". i tried this the other day at a starbucks my gf doesn't work at. these are not entirely accurate quotes as i am not going off of documentation of my trip to starbucks, but this is generally almost word for word of my conversation with the guy:


Starbucks employee: "Hi what can i get for you?"

Me: "I'd like a large...." (cut off immediately by the employee)

SE: "you mean a venti?"

Me: "whatever your large is, iced chai tea"

SE: "it's called a venti"

ME: "large is large, just give me whatever large or "venti" size is please"

SE: "it has to be called a venti"

ME: "it has to be called a venti? if i don't will you people not serve me or something?"

SE: "it's what the large size is called here. we don't go by small medium and large you see, we have to kind of beat it into customer's heads that those sizes are to be referred to as tall, grande and venti."

ME: "your boss tells you this?"

SE: "yes, we get written up for letting customers refer to the sizes as anything other than that. same goes for frappuccino's. we can't just call it iced blended coffee, we have to make sure the customers call it frappuccino. same goes for all the rest of our coffee slang."

ME: "wow thats a bit thick. you actually get into trouble for not correcting customers, which i might add is very irritating."

SE: "yes sir, i know it's irritating but that's what my boss says and it is heavily persistent in the training manuals and bulletins from the higher ups."

ME: "well thanks alot man. that's very revealing. i always thought every person who corrected me ever was just some dumb ass company man or woman kissing ass."

SE: "well that is not the case, although some employees do fall into the 'starbucks mindmeld' and eventually can not seperate how they act at work with customers from how they act with friends. it takes over how they think in their home lives. i can't really say anything else, i can get in trouble and if i have the bad luck of you being a secret shopper i will be fired for 'slandering' the 'starbucks name'.

ME: "ok sorry to bug you, my girlfriend works over at the other store across town and she says this stuff all the time. don't worry you wont be getting fired, i'm no secret shopper, just a curious individual. you have a good day man. don't let em erase your mind."


Other employee: "i have a venti iced chai tea for bill."


like i said, the wording may not be entirely accurate but that is what the guy was trying to say.

[edit on 7-4-2010 by Hardstepah]

[edit on 7-4-2010 by Hardstepah]

Originally posted by Hardstepahhas anybody ever gone to a starbucks and asked for a LARGE coffee? immediately the "barista" will badger you to call it a "Venti".

Yeah, they'll do that. 99.9999% of them though are limp-wristed emo douchebags so just stare them down and say clearly and slowly "large".

That is my biggest problem with them. Not that their coffee is average and over priced. Not that they have goofy music blaring. Not that they attract loser high-school kids to hang out there all day complaining about their high-school bull but that they have to go out of their way to be "cute" with their stupid size naming convention.

There's only three of them in my state thankfully so it's very rare I have to put up with that garbage anymore but once in a while I'll be in that spot for one reason or another and some idiot with a purple hedgehog on his head and a 2" pecker has to give me a hard time about ordering a damn coffee.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


If you hate the company, the atmosphere, the product and the employees so much, why, under any circumstance, would you go there?

Originally posted by junglejake
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

If you hate the company, the atmosphere, the product and the employees so much, why, under any circumstance, would you go there?

There's 3 in my state. All over an hour from my home. None near a Dunkin' Donuts or any other coffee shop. If I want a cup of coffee and I happen to be in the area of one of the three my choices are stop at one, travel aimlessly looking for another place to get a cup or drive an hour home.

It's probably twice a year I find myself in one. Traumatic enough to remember each visit.

When the trips are planned ahead I can take a thermos with me from home.

I'm surprised some of these employees havent been punched in the mouth with the attitudes they have if you desecrate their holier than thou product. Maybe they have and it just hasnt been newsworthy.

reply to post by Longtimegone


Wow, where have you been?

EVERY buisness and person is like this.
Just test them out next time you decide to get something for free, take your dog into the store (America only), or get your friend to take an extra break from work.
People associate their jobs with themselves, and what they do with who they are. Think "Oh yea Lucy, he's a doctor' Doesnt mean he's not as dumb as the rest of us!

I think people take their jobs to seriously, I used to take my dog everywhere, when I did get lip from an employee I told them to f*$king relax and not work so hard. losers.

BTW This has nothing to do with starbucks, it's company policy to enable this mentality.