Since the first emails didn’t make any waves at most of the Starbucks in the US, Starbucks decided more action was needed — and sent out another email.
This new email, sent out last Friday, gives some basic info about Starbucks’ support for fair trade, then reiterates all the info in the previous email letting baristas know about the French-press on demand policy.
A key difference though: While the first focused on customer service, the new email, titled “Fair Trade Certifiedâ„¢ Coffee and Brewed Coffee upon Request,” has a stronger emphasis on fair trade certified coffee. A welcome emphasis for me, since it better reflects the Starbucks’ frequent claim that they have “similar goals” as the fair trade movement.
The info’s hardly new — to the challengers, I mean — since the email simply reiterates the fair trade promises that’ve been proudly displayed on Starbucks’ website for sometime. It’ll be new, however, to many of the managers and baristas whose stores’ve been failing the challenge repeatedly.
That is, if they read this email.
I babbled my concern to Major of Starbucks, pointing out that the first email didn’t exactly do the job. He assured me that stores get this particular email on a weekly basis, and that “It is a communication that they consider their primary source for current and most high priority information related to operations so I believe it to be very well read and acted upon.”
Hmm. Okay. Try a rechallenge this week, everyone –
Filed in: starbuckschallenge coffee csr fair-trade fairtrade starbucks
Could you post the text of the email, replete with headers, maybe as a comment without comment. It would be fun to print it and have in your pocket to hand to failing stores . . . (grin)
Comment by Roger, Gone Green — November 21, 2005 @ 6:26 pm
Greetings!
I stopped by to check out your doings and was interested to see your icon for Mational Novel Writing Month… inspired, I went and signed up although I’m about 22 days behind, I’m goign to give it a shot! Keep up the great blog… I always learn something new!
Comment by Castaway — November 22, 2005 @ 2:26 am
This is definitely a tough battle with Starbucks, but you’re on the right path…please keep up the good work, I admire that :-) Never let go…
Good luck always, and more goods will come out of this..Bravo!
Looking forward to more new updates…I’d like also to salute everyone who has been supportive and pro-active on this challenge along with Siel..
Comment by Maya — November 22, 2005 @ 5:46 am
Roger — Dude, stop personally training the baristas! ;) I’m afraid you may be scaring them, you pseudo-secret-shopper — ‘Sides, you’re skewing the challenge results. I’ll email you the text once I get home (@ my mama’s right now) if you promise not to laminate it and hold impromptu training sessions for all baristas in the Pasadena area –
Castaway — How’s the novel coming? And Maya, perhaps you might take the challenge in France? Not sure if there’s one near you…
Comment by Siel — November 23, 2005 @ 10:22 pm
green LA girl,
Hello. I am Laura from a wee Starbucks in corn country Indiana. I don’t know why other baristas don’t french press on request. The whole process only takes 10 minutes. If a barista is busy, perhaps they should multi-task. Baristas at my store have been reprimanded for failing to french press. Unfortunately, some people are just lazy. This is unfortunate because Starbucks, in most instances, treats their employees fairly well.
TO ALL BARISTAS: French press the damn coffee! What is the big deal? We receive 401K, tips that we probably don’t deserve, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance for $66 a month for a single person, and a free pound of coffee for being a cashier, barista, and having to take the occassional coffee education class. Some of us like our part-time jobs and are using them to get through college (tuition reimbursement). Please don’t make everyone else look bad because you are too lazy to get off your ass and french press a cup of coffee and on the coffee that you are french pressing. In the spectrum of things, customers pay your salary, not just Howard. Thanks. Now go grab a mocha and perhaps ask for a french press while you’re shopping. I’m out.
Laura, future MD and current barista
Comment by Laura from SBUX — August 23, 2006 @ 6:30 pm