Starbucks--so disappointing!!

daisies916 · October 2008

I went to Starbucks this morning for coffee, and I took my super-cute travel mug that I love (and got on clearance!). I put it up there and told her which drink I wanted in it (I was ordering for my boss, too), and paid and sat down to wait. The lady made my drink and put it in a paper cup. I commented that she hadn't put it in my mug, and the other lady working started pouring it in my mug and proceeded to tell me that Starbucks told all of their employees to encourage their customers to bring in reusuable mugs to reduce waste with the paper cups. Then they sent out a memo telling all of the employees to make the drinks in the paper cups, pour it into the mugs, and trash the cups. WHAT?? I was so disappointed and upset about this!! How wasteful!!

MrsAHoffman · October 2008

Are they afraid of damaging the customer's cup? How weird... they're only saving on the top and not the cup then. Dumb.

Lady Galadriel · October 2008

WHAT?? is exactly what DH yelped out as I read that to him. I hardly ever get it anymore but that makes me sad.

Tara Lu · October 2008

I certainly can't tell you for sure...but being a former coffee shop manager, and after managing a Seattle's Best Coffee (now owned by Starbucks) that doesn't sound right...

Honestly, for most drinks, the cost of the cup, java jacket, and lid is more the the cost of the drink. Eco-friendliness aside, sheer profitability (not to mention quality control) demands the drink be made in the cup it is to be served in.

Don't believe everything a barista (or other retail worker) tells you! I've heard a lot of crap in my time

GladToBeMrs.SRS · October 2008

My Starbucks is always glad to use my cup. That said, they have a higher propensity to screw up the drink if it isn't in one of their cups. I don't think they know how to measure without the cup. Go fig.

CoastieWife08 · October 2008

I think Glad hit the nail on the head.

I bet they do it for measurements!

So wasteful.

kiliwicket · October 2008

Boo, that makes me sad. I love Starbucks, but luckily I can buy the Tazo Chai Latte mix and make it myself.

daisies916 · October 2008

When I went back to work my boss told me that the barista at another Starbucks (I live in Austin, TX- we've got a zillion!) told her the same thing. I'm sure it probably is for measuring. It's just frustrating.

Similarly, I went through a checkout line the other day and I told the guy I didn't need a bag. He said ok, and then proceeded to bag my item. I told him again that I didn't need a bag and he pulled it off and threw it away!! I asked him why he did that. It had never been used!! He said he had tons of bags under the register that were seperated and that he didn't need another one. I stood there for a couple of minutes trying to convince him to use it (and that I would have taken it and recycled it if I would have known he was going to just throw it away!!) DH practically had to drag me out of the store. I wasn't rude or anything, but I did try to help him understand that it was so wasteful!!

PhilsWife07 · October 2008

Dumb definitely sums that up.

CheriCO · October 2008

CoastieWife08:

I think Glad hit the nail on the head.

I bet they do it for measurements!

So wasteful.

I worked at Starbucks a while ago and for some drinks we used the cups for measurements, but not most. Most stuff is based on number of pumps/number of shots. I think we used the cold cups to measure ice & mix for frappachinos.